Market Street to get 15 extra parking spaces

* Market Street car park is to get 15 extra spaces.

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies has welcomed news that 15 extra spaces are to be created at the town’s Market Street car park.

He has been told to by county officers that nine will be added by marking out in the area where the recycling bins were previously stored, on the easterly end of the longest double bank of spaces and the removal of the redundant kerbed island near the back or southerly end of the car park.

Another six spaces will be created in the area occupied by the garages which have now been demolished.

The officers said that the council is awaiting an exact date from the contractor but was hopeful the work should take place within the next few weeks.

Cllr Davies said: ““I have been pushing for these car park spaces for the last three years and am pleased to see that the works at Market St car park are finally coming to a satisfactory conclusion.

“This will give, in total, an extra 15 much needed spaces in the middle of town.”

County investigates bridge road surface

* Llangollen's historic bridge.

The area’s county councillor says officers have told him that cracks noticed in the roadway on Llangollen’s historic bridge do not appear to be serious.

A llanblogger reader sent in pictures of the cracks in the top surface over the weekend, expressing concern that they might be an early sign that the road was sinking.

We passed on the details to Cllr Stuart Davies who said yesterday: “I asked experts from the county council to take a look at the cracks.

“After a preliminary inspection they tell me that they don’t think there’s an issue with the road but further checks are being made and they have assured me they will keep an eye on things there.”

 

* Cracks in the road surface highlighted by a llanblogger reader.

 

MP slams decision to close HSBC branches

BREAKING NEWS ...

Clwyd South MP has slammed the decision, just announced, by the HSBC bank to close its branches in Ruabon and Chirk.

In a statement she says: "I have just received a letter from HSBC (attached & see email below) that basically informs us that decades of loyalty from residents and business customers in our area count for absolutely nothing as HSBC will be closing its branches in Ruabon and Chirk.

* Susan Elan Jones MP.

"These branches are relied upon by people of all ages to do their personal banking. They are also essential for local businesses of all sizes to do their day-to-day banking. Both branches are situated in areas of growing business development and serve customers from villages around them. HSBC's decision comes after decisions to close branches across many other villages and small towns across the country, including Llangollen, Corwen, Cefn and Rhosllannerchrugog.

"I plan to take HSBC and the UK Government to task over today's shameful decision. The Government is partly to blame for these proposed closures as a couple of years ago BIS (Department of Business, Innovations and Skills) abandoned its agreement with the banking that the last bank in every community should be kept open.

"At around 7pm in the House of Commons, I will be asking the Speaker if I can make an urgent point of order on the floor of the House of Commons to ask a Government Minister to make a statement in Parliament on UK Government policy and its effects on villages and towns UK-wide.

"While I will of course meet with HSBC and present any petitions or other representations from Town and Community Councils in Parliament, I think we have to recognise that what is needed here is co-ordinated national action; and if the Government doesn't act now, our small town and village high streets will suffer even more than they have so far."


LETTER

Susan Elan Jones MP

House of Commons

London,

SW1A 0AA

Dear Ms Elan Jones

 

I am writing to let you know that we have taken the difficult decision to close the HSBC branches in Chirk and Ruabon, which are located within your constituency, on Friday 8 April 2016.

We have made this decision with great reluctance, but after a careful analysis of both branch’s commercial viability it was clear that they are no longer generating the custom necessary to justify their continued operation. As I am sure you will appreciate, customer banking habits have changed dramatically in recent years, with many customers now using branches where they work or using the 24 hour convenience of telephone, mobile and internet banking. In response to these changing patterns we need to ensure that our branches are in the right locations and we invest in the development of our internet and mobile facilities. Unfortunately that means that we sometimes have to close branches to ensure our network remains fit for purpose.

 

We will be writing to each of our customers of Chirk and Ruabon branches on, Monday 11 January 2016 advising them of the closures. Our main priority will be to ensure that we are aware of any difficulties faced by our customers and that our customers’ banking needs will be catered for in the best possible way.  With this in mind, our branch staff will be available to talk through the many alternative ways of banking which are open to our customers, and will take steps to proactively contact customers who may have problems accessing alternative banking facilities. In these cases we will offer them one-to-one appointments to provide customers with advice and practical solutions, including training on phone and internet banking where appropriate.

I also want to stress that the closure will not result in any of our people becoming redundant – all of the Chirk and Ruabon branch staff will be redeployed to other branches.

 

Following the closure, we will automatically transfer the administration of our customers’ accounts to our Wrexham branch which is within 11 miles of Chirk and 5 miles of Ruabon. This branch has longer opening hours, better facilities and more staff to assist with our customers’ banking needs. In addition, there are other HSBC branches at Ruthin and Mold in addition all HSBC and first direct personal current account customers can now access their bank account at Post Office branches. As a result, customers will now also be able to use the Post Office located at 16 Church Street, Chirk, Wrexham LL14 5HA and 1a New High Street, Ruabon, Wrexham Clwyd LL14 6NL both of which are within walking distance of the respective branches, for cash withdrawals, cash deposits, cheque deposits and balance enquiries.

I hope that this helps to explain the reasoning behind this very difficult decision, and to set out how HSBC will provide assistance to our customers affected by the closures. If any individual cases of difficulty are raised with you, I would be grateful if you could bring them to my attention so that we can do our utmost to arrange for appropriate assistance.

If you would like to meet to discuss any of the points raised above, I would be more than happy to do so.  My office can be contacted on 07827 357049 and we can arrange a meeting in due course.

Yours sincerely

Jonathan Byrne

Regional Director

* Simon Baynes, the Welsh Conservative Assembly Candidate for Clwyd South, has expressed his severe disappointment at HSBC’s announcement of their intention to close their branches in Chirk and Ruabon.

 

He said: "The closure of the HSBC banks in Chirk and Ruabon is a big blow to both towns. I am really disappointed by these decisions particularly as these branches are the last banks in the communities. 

 

"Bank branches like these are very important to everyone locally, particularly elderly customers, the disadvantaged and local businesses, especially small and medium sized businesses.

 

"It is vital that HSBC make it a top priority to discuss new arrangements with their customers, particularly the elderly, and to lessen the impact of this decision as far as possible if the bank decides to go ahead with these proposals.

 

"Many people locally have been loyal customers for many years and I hope that HSBC will think again before closing these branches."

Police boss urges more victims to come forward

* Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick. 

A police boss has urged more victims of domestic abuse to come forward after the introduction of a new law.

According to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick, the legislation targets domestic abusers who use controlling behaviour on their victims.

The offence introduces a maximum five-year jail term and fine for controlling or coercive behaviour.

It relates to an intimate or family relationship, and could include humiliation or intimidation, regulating behaviour, isolating people and depriving them of the means to escape such as through access to money.

Mr Roddick said “Controlling and coercive behaviour is despicable crime which can have a devastating and long-lasting impact on the lives of victims.

"It is therefore good news that we now have a new weapon to arrest and punish the perpetrators.

"The legislation recognises that the psychological and emotional impacts of abuse can be just as damaging to individuals' and families' lives as physical abuse. We hope that the introduction of this law will give more victims the confidence to come forward

 

"We are sending a clear message that it is wrong to violate the trust of those closest to us and that emotional and controlling abuse will not be tolerated.

 

The types of behaviour associated with coercion and control include monitoring someone’s time, checking their phone or social media accounts, preventing them from seeing people or having a job, controlling their finances, putting them down, threatening them or someone they love, damaging their things and telling them what to wear.

 

Last year Mr Roddick established a new Victim Help Centre and funded Independent Sexual Violence Advisors and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors.

 

The commissioner revealed the success of the new Victim Help Centre has "exceeded all expectations" with thousands getting in touch asking for help.

The one-stop-shop for victims covers the whole of North Wales and is based at divisional police HQ in St Asaph.

Each victim receives a response specifically tailored to their situation.

Mr Roddick added: "Tackling domestic abuse is a key objective in my Crime and Police Plan which sets a framework for the work of North Wales Police.

"Domestic abuse is  a crime which crosses, age, financial and diversity gaps and is an issue which can and does affect not just those who are being directly subjected to abuse, but also those who see and hear is going on.

 

"Domestic abuse is simply not acceptable and I would urge anyone who is experiencing domestic abuse to seek help. Domestic abuse is not a way of life – it is a crime.

 

"I want victims to realise that North Wales Police attaches importance to this crime and we will dedicate resources to it to ensure that the victim's journey from making a complaint to the police, through the court system and thereafter is made as comfortable and safe as is possible because all the public have a real interest in the complaint being made and being dealt with appropriately.

 

"The message is clear. Come forward and you will be taken seriously and treated sensitively."

AM calls for smaller class sizes

Speaking on the first day of a new school term yesterday, Aled Roberts AM (pictured) has said that parents’ wishes for smaller class sizes have been ignored for too long.

 

Over 71,740 infant pupils in Wales are currently taught in classes of 25 or more, with 59% of infant classes having over 25 pupils.

 

Despite the fact that class sizes are growing, in July it was revealed that over 800 teachers and support staff are being made redundant across Wales, which will have a major impact on pupils and their learning. 

 

Going into the Assembly election, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have made clear that they would cap class sizes for infants at 25. 

 

The party says it would ensure that schools have the funding to employ more teachers so that class sizes can be capped at 25, to protect the quality of education for pupils.

 

Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Shadow Minister for Education and Assembly Member for North Wales, said: “Many children are going back to school today and will be taught in classes of well over 25 pupils.  That is simply too big for a teacher to have the time to give children the individual attention they need.

 

“Time after time I speak to understandably worried parents whose main priority is for their children to be taught in smaller classes. Parents’ views have been ignored for too long. 

 

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats would work to ensure that infant classes normally contain no more than 25 pupils, prioritising the largest classes first.  We would invest in more teachers, to give them the time to focus on a child’s individual needs which we believe is central to raising standards.

 

“The average class size in Wales is higher than nearly all other developed countries.  That isn’t good enough and our pupils deserve better.

 

“This policy is a key signal that the Welsh Liberal Democrats are on the side of pupils and parents.”

Police pioneer flood evecuation system

A new software solution to help identify occupied or evacuated properties devised by North Wales Police came in to play during last week’s severe weather.

Exodus was readied for use in both St Asaph and the Dee Valley when properties were at risk of flooding. 

Fortunately in these events the water receded before it was actually activated, but the system has previously prompted interest from other multi-agency partners across the UK and as far afield as America.
PC David Abernethy-Clark of North Wales Police (pictured), who devised the system, said: “In an emergency situation every minute counts.

Exodus enables us to coordinate resources much more quickly and efficiently for those areas at risk of flooding so that we can prioritise our evacuation efforts and save lives.

“Once we have the at risk area defined the system calculates how many emergency responders are needed or how long it would take to visit each and every property within it, should the number of emergency responders be fixed.  It means that we can very quickly assess the need to scale up or down the response depending on the amount of time we have before the flood is likely to happen.”

All properties in an affected area are allocated a ‘homeowner pack’ containing posters for displaying externally – one to say that the occupants remain in residence, another to say that they have evacuated, plus an information sheet to be handed to any police officer with information of how they can be contacted.

PC Abernethy-Clark said: “The packs also contain a third poster which indicates that the property needs further investigation, this would be used when we’ve knocked on the door and no one answers.”

This colour coded scheme means that as an area becomes flooded any emergency responders returning by boat, can see at a glance the status of each property.  They will then target those properties that are occupied or in need of further investigation, to make sure that people are safe, offer them the chance to evacuate and if need be to rescue them.

“We have already had interest in the system from other multi-agency partners, UK police forces and from Universities in America and Canada. It’s a system which could be used anywhere and I’m sure that following the events this week in parts of England and Scotland we may get more interest,” said PC Abernethy-Clark.

The system will not just be used during floods, it could be used whenever there is a need to evacuate property.

Latest ambulance figures on target

The standard emergency ambulance response to the most acutely ill patients was five minutes and 30 seconds, latest figures show.

 

Statistics for November, the second month of a year-long pilot to test changes to the way the Welsh Ambulance Service responds to patients, show that 70.8% red calls were responded to within eight minutes.

The expectation is that at least 65% of responses to the most life-threatening emergencies – known as red calls - should arrive within eight minutes.

The new figures for November also show:

• More than a third of ‘red’ patients received a response within just four minutes;
• There were an average of 1,223 emergency calls per day;
• All health board areas, with the exception of Hywel Dda University Health Board area, achieved at least 70% within eight minutes.

Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething said: “I’m pleased to see the Welsh Ambulance is achieving the new response time target and helping to deliver excellent patient outcomes, as the pilot continues.

“These figures reveal the demands placed on the ambulance clinicians, clinical contact centres and hard-working first responder volunteers who work tirelessly to save people in life-threatening situations.

“The new system is helping to ensure people with an immediately life-threatening condition receive a response within eight minutes – this is helping people to get the right care, in the right place, at the right time.

“I recognise that more needs to be done in some areas and I expect the service to build on these early results and continue to improve to ensure people who need the life-saving skills of ambulance clinicians do so in the quickest time possible and get the best possible outcomes.”