Two AMs in HSBC branch closure talks

Two Assembly Members will team up in a bid to get ‘the best deal possible’ for furious bank customers after HSBC announced plans to close its last two branches in the area.

Aled Roberts (pictured left) and Ken Skates will meet company representatives tomorrow (Friday) to put forward the case for keeping Chirk and Ruabon open.

Mr Roberts, Lib Dem AM for North Wales, thanked HSBC senior management for agreeing to attend the meeting, but added: “We are faced with there being only one bank left in Clwyd South if these closures go ahead. I have been an HSBC customer since I was 16 and only a few years ago they transferred my account to Ruabon when they closed their Rhos branch.

“People quite rightly question the social responsibility of those banks making large profits whose decisions mean their local customers will have to travel to the Wrexham branch, which is already extremely busy.”

Mr Skates, the Labour AM for Clwyd South, (pictured right) said: “HSBC has once again treated their customers and my constituents with complete contempt.

“This is another huge slap in the face for people in Clwyd South. Within the last few years, HSBC has closed branches in Cefn Mawr, Corwen, Rhos and Llangollen, and now it wants to close the last two we have. Ruabon is my local branch, so I completely understand how angry people are.”

Mr Skates added: “I’d like to thank Aled for inviting me to the meeting, and I hope that by working together we can put forward an even stronger case. We know from bitter experience that it’s almost impossible to get banks to change their minds, but we will be pushing to get the best deal possible for our communities.”

Kronospan power station plan gets go-ahead

PLANS to establish an on-site gas power station at the Kronospan complex in Chirk have been approved, according to a report in the Oswestry Advertizer.

For the full story see: http://m.bordercountiesadvertizer.co.uk/mobile/mnews/157156/chirk-power-station-gets-the-all-clear.aspx

Renewed calls for double yellow lines on A5

 

* Cllr Stuart Davies and Simon Baynes on the main

road opposite Stans in Llangollen, pointing to where

 they want to see the double yellow lines put down.

 

Llangollen county councillor Stuart Davies and Simon Baynes, Welsh Conservative Assembly Candidate for Clwyd South, are demanding that the Welsh Government fulfils its promise to implement double yellow lines on the A5 outside Stans in the town.

 

They say that parked cars are causing traffic hold-ups which make it difficult for customers, particularly the elderly, to cross the road to the supermarket.

 

They claim the government promised to implement double yellow lines over two years ago but have failed to deliver.

 

Cllr Davies said: “The failure by the Welsh Labour government to implement double yellow lines is inexcusable.

 

"There is virtually no cost involved and the benefits would be huge for this part of Llangollen.

 

"People find it difficult to cross the street to Stans and the traffic congestion caused by parked cars there is really bad."

 

Simon Baynes said: “There is no justification whatever for the Welsh Labour government’s failure to implement double yellow lines.

 

"I am really surprised that local Labour politicians have not chased their ministerial colleagues more effectively on this.

 

"If I am elected as the new Assembly Member for Clwyd South in May I will make this a top priority so that people in Llangollen can cross the A5 more easily and see much less traffic congestion in this part of the town.”

Roberts calls for road drainage improvements

Aled Roberts, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly for North Wales says drainage problems on the A55, the A5 and A483 are creating hazards which threaten the safety of road users.

 

He is calling on the Welsh Government to ensure that the North and Mid Wales Trunk Road Agency reviews drainage facilities.

 

Speaking following First Minister’s Questions, Aled Roberts (pictured) said: “The potential dangers to road users cannot be underestimated.

 

"The Trunk Road Agency should carry out significant works to assess the condition of the drainage systems and their capacity to deal with significant rainfall. The safety of road users must be paramount.

 

“The recent heavy rain and subsequent flooding have made it clear that the drainage systems on the A55, the A5 and the A483 need to be reviewed as a matter of urgency.

 

“Surface water and flooding on these busy roads have led to road closures and temporary speed restrictions as conditions deteriorated.”

 

Hopes for more Wrexham-London rail services

FURTHER rail services between Wrexham and London have moved a step closer after a cross-party group of MPs met with train companies and Network Rail to discuss the issue.

Wrexham MP Ian Lucas was among the MPs who met with Network Rail, Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains at Oswestry Town Hall recently to begin detailed work on a proposal to extend the current Shrewsbury to London service onwards to Wrexham later this year.

The meeting established a working group including the two train operating companies and Network Rail.

The group, which will meet regularly, will examine the feasibility of the proposals and the best way to implement them.

Mr Lucas said: “This was a very positive meeting and there was a feeling that extending these services is a worthwhile goal.

“If the proposals are feasible, we could see two more services a day linking the Shrewsbury to London service on to Wrexham, or possibly Chester. These would obviously mean more services for the people of Wrexham and I’ll be working alongside Network Rail, the train operating companies and other MPs to do what I can to secure these changes.

“After the meeting, I also discussed the work being done on the Wrexham to Chester line with Network rail and heard more about the latest position with the work being carried out to improve that line. That work, too, will be important in helping to bring more and better services to my constituents in Wrexham.”

MP sponsors tougher criminal driving law

* Susan Elan Jones MP. 

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones and Wrexham MP Ian Lucas are two of the sponsors of a bill that was presented today in the House of Commons to tighten the law on how the justice system deals with cases of criminal driving. 
The Criminal Driving (Justice for Victims) Bill was proposed by Leeds MP Greg Mullholland.

It follows the launch of a manifesto 'Better Justice for Victims of Criminal Justice and Their Families' (attached) last year by road safety charity Brake, bereaved families and a cross-party group of MPs.


The Bill will seek to increase sentences for those convicted of criminal driving offences that lead to serious injury or death and also get rid of the charge of careless driving. It will also demand improvements to the treatment of the victims of criminal driving offences and their families within the justice system.

Alice Bailey, campaigns and communications officer for national road safety charity, Brake, said: “Too many victims of crashes caused by dangerous drivers are simply not getting justice at the moment. They and their families are often left feeling let down and insulted by the use of inappropriately-termed charges and overly lenient sentences.

"Drivers who have killed while taking illegal risks have too often been labelled ‘careless’ in the eyes of the law, and given insultingly low sentences, when their actions can only be described as dangerous and destructive."

Susan Elan Jones MP, who proposed her own bill in Parliament on sentences for driving offences and campaigns for fairer sentences, said: "As we know from dreadful incidents that have happened on roads in our area and across the country, the law doesn't reflect the seriousness of the crimes committed.

"That's why a growing group of MPs from different political parties are working to put pressure on the Government. We have already seen some improvements in the law, but much more needs to be done. Today's Bill is another important landmark in our campaign."

 

Council tax rise of 1.5% recommended

Members of Denbighshire County Council’s Cabinet are to recommend to Full Council that the council tax increase in the county should be kept to 1.5%, one of the lowest increases in the whole of Wales.

 

The Cabinet, meeting at County Hall today (Tuesday) were updated on the latest budget position.

 

The Council has already identified £5. 2 million savings for the 2016/17 financial year and no further cuts are required at this stage.

 

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Finance and Assets, said: “The settlement announced by the Welsh Government on 9th of December 2015 was much better than expected with an overall cash reduction of 1.2% to Denbighshire.  The Council had previously been working towards an assumed reduction of 4% in funding (which equates to around £5.6 million).

 

“This now means that the Council is in a position to propose a lower increase in council tax, with some of the benefits of the settlement passed on to the taxpayer.

 

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: “Residents have told us that they would like to keep increases as low as possible and we are pleased to be in a position to respond positively to this.

 

“The proposed budget also takes into account an increase in funding to schools to meet the national level of protection and to set aside £480,000 to mitigate the risks to the delivery of this budget.

 

“The Council has worked hard over recent years to be more efficient and effective in the way that it works, whilst identifying cuts that have the lowest possible effect on frontline services provided to the public."

 

The final budget for 2016/17 will be discussed at the Full Council meeting being held at County Hall on Tuesday, January 26 at 10am.