County aims to suspend council home Right to Buy

Denbighshire County Council is to submit an application to the Welsh Government for approval to suspend the right to buy for council homes for a period of five years.

The loss of homes to right to buy has significantly reduced the council’s housing stock by over 4,000 homes.


In 2015/16 the authority lost eight council homes to the right to buy and whilst it intends to increase its housing stock during future years, its claims any similar loss of homes will significantly reduce the additional gain of new homes.

The application will be submitted following a decision by members of Denbighshire County Council meeting in Ruthin today (Tuesday).

Councillor Barbara Smith, Cabinet Lead Member for Housing, said: “The council is making a firm commitment in its Housing Strategy to provide more homes to meet local need and demand and to create a supply of affordable homes, again to meet  demand.

“Significant investment has been allocated in the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) to allow the council to drive regeneration schemes through buying land for new high quality council homes, but this significant investment is at risk if further homes continue to be lost through right to buy.

“There is a demand for council homes in Denbighshire, with ten applicants on our waiting list compared to every vacancy. This is a significantly greater ratio than Swansea and Carmarthenshire who were the first two councils in Wales to suspend the right to buy. Other councils look set to follow suit.

“Our local Registered Social Landlord partners are supporting our application. They have indicated that they require the suspension to also apply to their stock, subject to formal consultation and decision. We also have support from the majority of our tenants, as well as the Denbighshire Tenants and Residents Federation.

“We hope that the Welsh Government will allow the suspension of the right to buy scheme in Denbighshire. There clearly is a case in the county for this to happen."
 

Denbighshire "well run authority" says report

Members of Denbighshire County Council have today discussed the annual improvement report issued by the Wales Audit Office.

For 2015/16, the report concluded that the council, "with sound financial management and scrutiny arrangements, continues to make progress in delivering improvements in most of its priority areas”.

At a meeting at County Hall, Ruthin where the report was discussed, the Wales Audit Office hailed Denbighshire a "very good, very well run authority".

The report highlights the achievements of the council, which included:

* The provision of affordable housing – the council has developed a housing strategy and comprehensive supporting action plan

* Social services are said to be largely performing well

* Arrangements for managing performance and for delivering savings are described as "robust and effective"

* The  relationship between members and officers "continues to be constructive

* The council is said to be actively exploring new types of service delivery, including with commercial partners.

The council welcomed the fact that the 2015/16 report did not include any formal recommendations, reflecting the WAO’s positive view of  its progress.

The report did contact some areas for improvement and the council says it has already introduced measures to address these matters, such as:

* Safeguarding vulnerable adults - safeguarding training has been provided for lead managers, there are improved screening of referrals through the Single Point of Access and arrangements are being reviewed for providing domiciliary care.

* Attendance at scrutiny meetings – timetable of meetings has been reviewed to encourage greater attendance, location of some meetings have changed and this has resulted in better attendance over the last three months

* The use of alternative models to deliver services – a corporate approach to delivery models is being prepared and the council is looking at income generation, to ensure value for money.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Cabinet Lead Member for Performance, said: “The report is a recognition of the amount of good work that goes on in Denbighshire to maintain very high standards in services to residents and we are pleased that auditors highlight our achievements, particularly around managing budgets and performance.

“Whilst no formal recommendations have been made in the report, we recognise that there are areas that have been highlighted for improvement, but members have been reassured that steps had already been taken to address some of those areas.

“We are never complacent as we always strive to improve services to the best of our ability and it was pleasing to hear that the council continues to be recognised as being one of the best performing councils in Wales."

This report was discussed at the same meeting as the delivery of the council's corporate plan which it describes as "most ambitious".

Eisteddfod reaches out across the border

The saxophone-playing chairman of one of the UK’s oldest and most iconic music festivals wants to broaden its appeal to secure its future.

Retired doctor Rhys Davies (pictured below) aims to reach out across the border to attract performers, competitors, concert-goers and visitors to the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

His target areas are the big cities and highly-populated areas within two hours’ drive of the Denbighshire town where the event began in 1947.

Rhys, a doctor in the town for 30 years, attended his first Eisteddfod in 1956 – as a babe in arms and now he wants to see it capture the hearts of a new generation.

He said: “Wales is important to us but if you travel west of Llangollen there are a few hundred thousand people within an hour or two’s drive. Go east and there are six or seven million.

“It is Llangollen’s Eisteddfod and the better the Eisteddfod does the better it is for the town and the whole area but we are an international festival and we need to reach out far and wide.

“We need to reach out to those people across the border and show them what a worthwhile experience it is to come here and how much we have to offer.”

He succeeded the long-serving Gethin Davies, the only person to be chairman of the event twice, and is the son of the late Dr Jack Davies who practised as a GP in the town for 30 years from 1955 and for many years the family home was on the edge of the Eisteddfod field at Dolafon Villas, close to the old Cottage Hospital.

He and his wife, Ann, have two grown-up children and now live at Pentrefelin House where his parents later moved and he said: “From being a little boy I volunteered at the festival, as a messenger, an usher and a programme seller.

“University and my job took me away from the area for some years but when I returned to live and work in Llangollen – I was senior partner at the local GP practice – I resumed my association with the Eisteddfod.”

He’s a music fan himself and plays the saxophone – ever since his wife bought him one for Christmas 10 years ago – and has broad tastes including opera, classical, jazz and the rock music of the Seventies.

He would like to forge links with cities like Liverpool, where he trained as a doctor, Manchester and Birmingham which all have large populations with links to North Wales.

He said: “It would be great to have the Superlambanana here from Liverpool and perhaps to give one day and an evening concert to showcase the culture of a city like Liverpool, Manchester or Birmingham.

“They have vibrant cultural scenes, major orchestras and choirs, classical and contemporary dance companies and we have a fantastic venue and an event with a rich heritage.”

But he adds that it is also important to continue to reach out overseas and to recognise that the groups that come, particularly from the Third World, face major financial obstacles.

He added: “I would like to see Llangollen charity events and concerts through the year to boost the bursary fund to help these groups make the trip to Llangollen.

“It is the international flavour of the event that gives the Llangollen its incredible colour and atmosphere and we must do everything we can to maintain that tradition.”

Tickets sales for the concerts at this year’s Eisteddfod, which begins on Tuesday, July 5, are already going well, especially for the opening night when superstar Katherine Jenkins gets the programme off to a sensational start as she sings Bizet’s Carmen, .

Wednesday will be International Children’s Day and will include choral and dance competitions and also a new Under 16s solo competition while the evening will feature the Voices of Musical Theatre and West End star Kerry Ellis.

The great Bryn Terfel will headline the 70^th Classical Gala Concert on Thursday evening with acclaimed Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja while the day will see the crowning of the Children’s Choir of the World.

Friday will celebrate Rhythms of the World and will be a feast of music and dance from the best of the Eisteddfod’s international competitors with the Dance Champions of the World competition climax at the evening concert.

It will open with a Caribbean Carnival Extravaganza, followed by the International Peace message delivered by Theatr yr Ifanc, Rhosllannerchrugog.

In a change of the scheduling Friday will also see the Parade of Nations, led by Eisteddfod President Terry Waite, switched from Tuesday in anticipation of bigger crowds and more competitors being present.

Saturday is dedicated to the top choirs and concludes with the Choir of the World competition for the Pavarotti Trophy while Sunday sees the Eisteddfod let its hair down for Llanfest before the climactic final concert.

* To book tickets and for more details on the 2016 festival go to the website at www.international-eisteddfod.co.uk

Joint choir concert hits high note

AN audience of local people and tourists enjoyed a joint concert by Llangollen Male Voice Choir, Great Bowden Community Choir and Great Bowden Flute Choir at St Collen’s Church recently.

The Great Bowden musical director said she was "blown away" by LMV's rendition of Gwahoddiad in particular, adding that although she didn't understand a word she totally got the sentiment.

A spokesman for LMV said: “We were thrilled to help start the visiting choirs’ tour of North Wales on a high and raise money for the local charity, Dynamic.”

Tenant could be found for Llan's ghost supermarket, says report

* Llangollen's empty supermarket.

The Daily Post is reporting today that a deal to find a tenant for Llangollen's "ghost" supermarket is on the verge of being done.

The story says that discount chain Aldi has said it does want to open in Llangollen but was considering more than one site in the town.

For the full story, see: http://www.dailypost.co.uk/business/llangollen-ghost-supermarket-finally-verge-11297969

Historic railbus heading for Llangollen

Llangollen Railway's annual Railcar Gala will take place on the weekend of June 11 and 12.

Alongside the resident fleet of DMUs, the special guest to the gala will be a diminutive 1958-built railbus, No.79960, visiting from its current base at the Ribble Steam Railway.

Railbus 79960 was built in Germany by Waggon Und Maschinenbau more than half a century ago as an experiment for British Railways to see if more traffic could be drawn to little used lines by the use of lightweight vehicles – a move that had been very successful in mainland Europe.

Introduced to service in 1958 the tiny train (pictured below), one of the smallest to operate in the UK, was used in East Anglia and in the North East before being laid aside as the lines for which it had been intended were closed under the Beeching programme.

Preserved as long ago as 1968 the train served the North Norfolk Railway for 44 years before moving on to the Ribble Steam Railway near Preston.

A detailed history and photos can be found at: http://preserved.railcar.co.uk/79960.html

The Railbus will be in operation for one weekend only and will be joining another historic survivor from East Anglian branch line services, the sole-surviving Class 109 Wickham DMU.

Full use will be made of the Llangollen Railway's unique collection of 1950s and 1960s railcar trains, with the weekend featuring a very intensive timetable. Departures from Llangollen and Carrog will be at half-hourly intervals and from Corwen every hour.

Prior to the event on the Friday evening there will be a photographic evening featuring the railbus during which will stop at various locations along the valley.

On the Saturday evening there will be a social event and barbecue, as well as the ever popular driver experience runs.


* Tickets for the event will be available on the day but can also be purchased in advance and at a discount by going to http://www.llangollen-railway.co.uk/events/.  More details can be found by visiting www.llangollenrailcars.co.uk or www.llangollen-railway.co.uk

Plaid's Arfon Jones is new police and crime boss

Plaid Cymru's Arfon Jones has been elected as Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales.

Following the count at Coleg Cambria in Deeside this afternoon (Sunday), the 60-year-old Wrexham councillor and former police officer said he was "overjoyed and overwhelmed" to win.