Aled Roberts to fight Clwyd South for Lib Dems

Wrexham and Clwyd South Liberal Democrats have announced that Aled Roberts will be standing in the Assembly Elections for the Clwyd South seat.

“I am delighted that local Liberal Democrats have backed me to stand in Clwyd South for the Assembly,” said Aled Roberts.

“In my campaign I want to highlight three major issues.

“The first is the 10% pay rise for Assembly Members which I have opposed – the only AM in North Wales to do so. At a time when so many cuts are being proposed to vital services in our communities and working people have to survive on pay increases of 1%, it is not only wrong, but immoral.  If elected I will donate the pay increase I receive after paying tax to local charities – I couldn’t look my constituents in the face if I did anything less.

“The second issue I want to campaign on is the state of our health service. Too often the Welsh NHS is used as a political football – the Welsh Government highlights success but fails to get to grips with management problems. On the other hand Conservatives make unrealistic promises to increase funding in complete contradiction to the cuts they are making at Westminster. Then Plaid Cymru promise to recruit more doctors when we can’t fill existing posts while their plan to create an all-Wales Hospital Board would create yet again the sort of structural upheaval that has been so damaging in the past – not t o mention that it would probably mean North Wales hospitals being managed from South Wales.

“There have been too many reorganisations in our health service over the last 15 years. What we need to do now is work with dedicated staff on the front line to improve the way in which individual services are run. Some progress is being made but this needs to be speeded up so that waiting times start to decline and new patients are not forced to wait in ambulances outside Ysbyty Wrexham Maelor because there is no bed for them.

“The third issue I want to highlight is education. During the last five years we have managed to get the Welsh Government to agree substantial increases in funding children who receive free school meals. Also as a result of Lib Dem pressure 16-18 year olds now receive a one third discount on all their journeys by bus. In this election one of our priorities will be capping class sizes at 25. Children are our future and I don’t think that anyone will argue with the view that teachers should have the time to properly teach every child.

"I am looking forward to the campaign and hope to meet as many people as possible over the next few months to discuss the issues of AM pay, the Welsh NHS and fracking along with any others that concern Clwyd South residents."

“A former Leader of Wrexham Council between 2005 and 2011 Aled Roberts is well known as an effective campaigner who gets things done,” said local Lib Dem Chair Rob Walsh.

“Since 2011 when he was elected Liberal Democrat Regional Member for North Wales, Aled has campaigned tirelessly. With the support of local campaigners he secured the survival of the T3 bus which links Wrexham with Barmouth.

“When the Welsh Government decided against dualling all the railway line between Wrexham and Chester Aled campaigned against leaving out the section between Wrexham and Rossett – he pointed out t hat this omission would make it impossible to create commuter trains linking Wrexham with Manchester and Liverpool.

“Aled stands heads and shoulders above most politicians in North Wales with his knowledge, understanding and determination to find solutions to problems.  I am certain that, if elected, he would make bring about change for the good of everyone in Clwyd South.”

Crime tsar will not seek re-election in May

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Winston Roddick is standing down.

 

Mr Roddick (pictured) announced at a meeting of the Police and Crime Panel today that he will not be seeking re-election in May.

 

His deputy, Julian Sandham, a former chief superintendent with North Wales Police, is expected to try for the top job.

 

There were tributes paid to Mr Roddick at the meeting and Gwynedd County Councillor Dilwyn Morgan, from Bala, said: “There were great expectations on his shoulders and people who had doubts about the role and what it meant but he has set very high standards and brought doubters around to believe in the system.

 

“Whoever comes in his place will have very difficult shoes to fill.”

 

Conwy County Councillor Julie Fallon, Deganwy, said: “He will be a very hard act to follow,” and fellow Conwy Councillor Phillip Evans, Llandudno, added: “Winston brought to the role a wealth of knowledge of government, law and justice which have all helped us here in North Wales.”

 

Mr Roddick made history when he was elected as the area's first ever police and crime commissioner in November 2012 when he stood as an independent candidate.

 

Despite massive budget cut-backs, his time in office has seen an overall reduction in crime of 11.7 per cent while victim-based crime has fallen by 10.5 per cent.

 

During the same period, the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads of North Wales has decreased by 17 per cent.

 

After Mr Roddick vowed to step up the fight against child sexual exploitation in North Wales, a new specialist team was set up last year.

 

As a result there has been a tenfold increase in the number of arrests of perpetrators - up from 10 last year to 107 so far this year.

 

A native of Caernarfon, Mr Roddick originally worked as a police constable in Liverpool, before studying law at University College London from where he graduated as a Master of Laws.

 

Mr Roddick went on to carve out an illustrious career as a barrister,  taking ‘silk’ as a Queen's Counsel in 1986 and later becoming the Leader of the Wales and Chester Circuit, a Recorder of the Crown Court and the first Honorary Recorder of Caernarfon.

 

In 1986, as a member of the first Welsh Language Board, he was responsible for drafting  the report which lead to the passing of the Welsh Language Act of that year. He was appointed as the first Counsel General of Wales in 1998, the most senior legal adviser to the Welsh Assembly.

 

He was also the first independent chair of the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and the first chair of the Police Reform and Transformation Board for England and Wales.

 

According to Mr Roddick, the decision to stand down was a difficult one.

 

He said: "I have come to the decision to stand down gradually after considering it very carefully with my family and others over the past two or three months.

 

"It certainly isn’t because I haven’t enjoyed the role. It’s a very exciting role despite its very high demands.

 

“Following my election, our world changed. Our two granddaughters were born.  The youngest is only one and the eldest is not yet three. They live quite far away and we don’t see enough of them and I would like to see much more of them. That’s not the only reason but it’s the main one for not seeking re-election.

 

"I’m not the young person I was but despite that I have lots of energy and lots of enthusiasm, and when I give up I shall of course renew my practicing certificate as a barrister, and I believe there are public responsibilities which I might  be asked to undertake and of course I’ll take  them, but they will be nowhere near as demanding as this role has been, enjoyable as it was.

 

"I am immensely grateful for the wonderful support I have received from my family and, of course, the exceptionally talented team in my office.

 

"The idea of police and crime commissioners was entirely new when I started so there was no precedent and therefore you have to do the best you can to plough your own furrow in a way that produces and effective and efficient police service and reduces crime.

 

"It’s been the success that it has because North Wales Police and my office have worked as one team to considerable effect. The understanding between me as a Police and Crime Commissioner and the Chief Constable, the relationship between us, and the relationship between my office and the senior officers, has been exemplary."

 

Among the commissioner's proudest achievements was setting up a pioneering centre to help victims of crime in North Wales. Demand for the services provided by  the Victim Help Centre in St Asaph, the first of its kind in the UK, has exceeded all expectations.

 

One more high point for Mr Roddick was the creation of the Rural Crime Team which has slashed crime in the countryside and is now being copied across the UK and as far afield as Australia.

 

Specialist teams were also established to combat emerging problems like child sexual exploitation and cyber-crime.

 

Another successful initiative from the commissioner, supported by North Wales Police and North Wales Police and community Trust (PACT), was the use of cash seized from criminals to reward community groups devoted to tackling anti-social behaviour and combating crime and disorder which Mr Roddick describes as "poetic justice for villains".

 

Mr Roddick also launched the Police and Crime Commissioner Community Awards to honour unsung heroes of the community who go the extra mile to make North Wales a safer place to live and work.

 

The latest crime figures show that North Wales Police is the best performing force in Wales and the only one where crime has been reduced, with a cut of three per cent.

 

Mr Roddick added: "Public confidence in the force is high and North Wales Police is doing a very good job in ensuring that people feel secure in their homes and safe in public places.

 

"These latest figures reflect well  on the force's dedicated team of officers and I am pleased that North Wales Police is in a good place. It is a good starting point for my successor.

 

"I’m not getting any younger and the burdens of this job are going to increase and therefore I think I’ve done my bit. It’s now the turn of somebody else. "  

 

Powerful working-class drama opens this week

Love on the Dole, a play by Ronald Gow and Walter Greenwood, will be performed by The Twenty Club on three nights this week at Llangollen Town Hall - Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

The story of the Hardcastle family takes place in Hanky Park, a part of Salford, where playwright Greenwood grew up.

It was written as a response to the crisis of unemployment, which led to the General Strike of 1926.

The story follows the family as they are pulled apart by mass unemployment and the problems which follow. 

The play has been performed by the club once before over 25 years ago and they say they are pleased to welcome back original cast members and new faces alike for this latest production.

* Tickets are on sale from facebook.com/twentyclub or via Skiddle.com

* A scene from Love on the Dole by the Twenty Club. Photo: Dave Roberts.

New fire and ambulance HQ completed

 

* The new joint fire and ambulance centre in Croesnewyddd Road.

 

CONSTRUCTION of Wrexham’s brand new Ambulance and Fire Services Resource Centre (AFSRC) has been completed.

 

The Welsh Ambulance Service and North Wales Fire and Rescue Service have jointly invested more than £15 million in the purpose-built facility, which includes an eight-bay fire station, a six-bay ambulance station and top-of-the-range training facilities.

 

The centre on Croesnewyddd Road will replace the existing fire station on Bradley Road in Wrexham, and the existing ambulance stations in Chirk and Wrexham.

 

Staff will begin to operate out of the AFSRC in April once kit and furniture has been moved in.

 

Sonia Thompson, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Head of Operations in North Wales, said: “This project has been years in the pipeline, so we’re thrilled that the building is now complete.

 

“The AFSRC means crews finally get the facilities they deserve and ultimately it will mean a better service for the people of Wrexham and Chirk.

“There’s also the bonus of being co-located with emergency service colleagues with whom we already have a close working relationship and attend many incidents together.”

Gary Brandrick, Senior Professional and Service Standards Manager for North Wales Fire and Rescue Service, added: “We’re delighted that this exciting facility has been completed – the AFSRC will deliver both improved facilities for our staff and a better service for the public in the area.

“Operating from one base will allow greater co-ordination when it comes to responding to incidents and will make the best use of resources for both of our organisations.”

Permission for the two-storey facility on land near Wrexham Maelor Hospital was granted by Wrexham Council’s planning committee in May 2014, and a Full Business Case was later approved by Welsh Government.

 

The ambulance accommodation incorporates a fleet workshop, make ready facility, a six bay garage, offices for fleet staff and management, debrief room and a deployment base for response staff.

Crews will start their shift at the AFSRC then will move to strategically located deployment points across Wrexham and Chirk, where the Trust data predicts the next 999 call will come from.

 

Newly-recruited fleet assistants will clean vehicles after use, enabling clinicians to spend more time face-to-face with patients delivering better care for the area.

The fire accommodation includes a local community safety office, an eight bay garage, gymnasium, state-of-the-art training house and drill tower with a road traffic collision training area.

Facilities like the rest room, dining room, communal kitchen, main office, locker room, meeting and training rooms will be shared by both services.

Construction of the AFSRC was carried out by BAM Construction.

Ian Greener, BAM’s Construction Manager, said: “The scheme has been a long time coming but the final result is a fantastic new facility that has required a lot of ingenuity for BAM to create.

“I hope that these striking new facilities will serve the area for many years to come and be a fitting centre of operations for the personnel of the fire and ambulance services.”

County libraries highly commended in awards

Denbighshire libraries won a Highly Commended award at the Marketing Excellence Awards for libraries, museums and archives in Wales, at a ceremony held at the National Library of Wales last week.

 

* Bethan M. Hughes of Denbighshire Libraries
 receiving the award from the judge,
Prof. Jonathan Deacon

The Awards recognise the fantastic work being done by staff in museums, archives and libraries across Wales, often with very limited resources.

 

The Award was won for Denbighshire’s Reading Hack young volunteers project which created volunteering opportunities in libraries for young people to support children participating and completing the Summer Reading Challenge.

 

Receiving the award from the judge Prof. Jonathan Deacon on behalf of Denbighshire Libraries, Bethan M. Hughes said: “We are delighted that the success of this project has been recognised. 38 young volunteers gave almost 800 hours of their time in total and created an energetic and youthful buzz in the libraries.

 

"This cohort of engaged, enthusiastic young people are now out in the big wide world sharing their positive volunteering experiences with their friends and the world, projecting a positive image of libraries as places which support young people to achieve life skills and as cool places to be.”

 

Over 40 entries were submitted to this year’s Marketing Excellence Awards from libraries, museums and archive services across Wales.

 

The awards are part of the Welsh Government's ‘Attracting the Audience’ programme for museums, archives and libraries.

 

Deputy Minister for Culture, Sport and Tourism, Ken Skates, commented: “We want to see as many people as possible using our excellent library, museum and archive services across Wales so that they can benefit from what’s available. Marketing plays an important role in encouraging people to use these facilities and I’m pleased we are recognising the positive work being done across the sector, despite the challenges.

 

“The standard of entries in this year’s awards has been excellent; it’s pleasing to see so many examples of good practice within these sectors and some really innovative ideas.”

 

All entries were judged by Jonathan Deacon, Professor of Marketing at the University of South Wales and Trustee (former Chair) of the Chartered Institute of Marketing Cymru. Professor Deacon commented:

 

Winners received a trophy, certificate and a variety of prizes including marketing workshops and specialised equipment to enable them to further develop their skills and enhance their marketing activities.

Views of patients and staff are priority says health boss

The views of patients and staff are top priority for 2016, the woman in charge of improving grassroots health care in Conwy and Denbighshire has pledged.

Bethan Jones is Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s Central Area Director, overseeing the healthcare needs of more than 200,000 people.

She is one of three area directors brought in by BCUHB as part of its new structure, with the aim to reconnect with the communities it serves across the region.

Mrs Jones (pictured) was previously Anglesey County Council’s Deputy Chief Executive,  leading on the transformation and improvement  following intervention by the Welsh Government. She has almost 30 years of experience working in the NHS and local government.

She now oversees community hospitals in Llandudno, Colwyn Bay, Ruthin, Denbigh, Holywell and the Royal Alexandra in Rhyl. She is also responsible for community health services, child and adolescent mental health, children’s and GP and other primary care services.    

Mrs Jones said: “I see my role as the perfect opportunity to bring together the experience I have of working both in the NHS and local government.

“My aim is to get back to having a more local perspective for the BCUHB, to build partnerships at a local level, to listen to feedback and to develop a better understanding of the communities we serve.

“We need to understand the way people feel about things and have a conversation about how we deliver services. There has to be a better consumer focus with the aim of understanding what matters to the individuals that we care for and their families.

“I am a resident of North Wales and of Conwy county and it is therefore as important to me as it is to everyone else that we provide excellent care and services that meet the needs of local people.”

She added: “A major priority for me is developing effective communications with the people who work in our local health service.

“After all, we are the largest employer in North Wales and it is therefore extremely important for them to feel they are working for a good organisation and can influence how it operates.

“We have excellent staff and on the whole provide good care and services. However, we acknowledge that we need to rebuild confidence and relations with our communities, there are no easy solutions and it will all take a little time to achieve,” said Mrs Jones, who is married with a son, a daughter and a baby grand-daughter.        

Originally from the Llanfairfechan area, where she still lives, she went to school in Bangor before going on to Loughborough University from where she graduated with a BSc in Management Sciences and was appointed as an NHS management trainee.

Early in her health service career she worked in Cardiff and Manchester before returning to the NHS in North Wales at the end of 1991.

In 2001 she became Director of Social Services and Housing for Conwy County Borough Council, and four years later took an expanded role as the council’s Corporate Director for Improvement and Development with a brief that included the Colwyn Bay Regeneration Programme.  

She was appointed as Conwy’s Deputy Chief Executive in 2007 and then moved to Denbighshire County Council as a Corporate Director overseeing regeneration and business transformation.

In 2012 she was appointed to Anglesey County Council as Deputy Chief Executive to lead on the transformation and improvement of the council as a consequence of the intervention by the Welsh Government. 

BCUHB Interim Chief Executive Simon Dean, who is also Deputy Chief Executive of NHS Wales, said: “Our long-term engagement strategy is centred on building and strengthening relationships with partners, communities and individuals so that we become a more visible, listening organisation.

“Our recently established area teams in the east, central and west are key in helping us to deliver this.

“It is essential that we listen to what is said by the public and our staff, and act on that information so the health service reflects the needs of those who live and work in North Wales. We have already begun to do this, and we will be continuing it into 2016 and further ahead.”

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board is the largest health organisation in Wales, employing around 16,100 staff. It provides a full range of primary, community, mental health and acute hospital services for a population of around 676,000 people across North Wales as well as some parts of mid Wales, Cheshire and Shropshire.

It runs Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Ysbyty Glan Clwyd in Bodelwyddan and Wrexham Maelor Hospital as well as 18 other acute and community hospitals and a network of over 90 health centres, clinics, community health team bases and mental health units.  The Health Board also coordinates the work of 115 GP practices and NHS services provided by North Wales dentists, opticians and pharmacies.

BCUHB’s new chief executive is Gary Doherty, currently Chief Executive of Blackpool Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and previously Deputy Chief Executive of Wirral University Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Air Ambulance gets new helicopters

* WAAC chief executive Angela Hughes and charity chairman Dave Gilbert with the H145 model at Bond Air Services.

Wales Air Ambulance is to introduce a new fleet of custom-made aircraft which will significantly enhance its operations, the charity has announced.

Three new helicopters will be launched in January 2017 after a competitive tender process which drew international interest for Wales.

Helicopter operator Bond, a Babcock International Group company, secured the winning bid to lease three Airbus H145 aircraft. The company currently supplies the charity with three EC135 models.

Wales Air Ambulance Charity will become only the third HEMS (helicopter emergency medical service) operation in the UK to use the new H145 aircraft.

Equipped for night flights, the upgrade to H145s will move the charity a step closer to its goal of providing a 24-hour air ambulance service.

The new aircraft will also have a larger cabin and more powerful engines, meaning there is extra room for treatments in-flight and the helicopters can fly for longer without refueling.

For the first time, the air ambulance crew will be able to send critical information about patients to medics waiting at hospitals via an on-board high-speed internet connection.

Angela Hughes, chief executive of the Wales Air Ambulance Charity, said: “Our new lease of helicopters will help us continue to provide one of the most modern HEMS services in Europe.

“It is hugely exciting that the Wales Air Ambulance Charity has had such interest from around the world. It demonstrates that what we are doing is truly pioneering, and we continue to lead the way in developing an advanced air ambulance service.

“Crucially, though, it is what the people of Wales are doing which is making all the difference. It is thanks to their support that we have been able to secure such advanced aircraft for Wales, and we need their help to keep the new helicopters in the air.”

She added: “Our new contract with Bond is fantastic news for the charity and a great way to mark our 15^th year providing lifesaving emergency care.”

The new deal will see Bond provide pilots, engineers and three brand-new custom-configured aircraft.

Wales Air Ambulance Charity will continue to operate its fleet of EC135 helicopters until the new aircraft begin operating next year.

Tim Shattock, Bond managing director, said: “This new contract will allow the Wales Air Ambulance Charity to bring a truly landmark air ambulance service for everyone in Wales. As part of Babcock, and through working closely with the charity we have been able to offer a really innovative service, bringing new aircraft, new technologies and new ways of working to this critical and lifesaving service.

“I am pleased we will continue to provide the Wales Air Ambulance Charity with the vital operations that are so important for the people of Wales.”

The three aircraft will operate from Wales Air Ambulance Charity bases in Welshpool, Caernarfon and its new headquarters in Llanelli.