Horseshoe Pass partially re-open

* A picture taken when the mountain fire was at its height.

Denbighshire Free Press is reporting this afternoon (Thursday) that the Horseshoe Pass is now partially re-open as crews deal with mountain fire hotspots.

For the full story, see: http://www.denbighshirefreepress.co.uk/news/16409062.horseshoe-pass-reopens-again-as-three-crews-remain-tackling-llantysilio-blaze-hotspots/ 

Bad Brexit could be crime-fighting catastrophe, say police bosses

* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones with his deputy, Ann Griffith.

Crashing out of Europe with a hard Brexit or no deal at all will put North Wales people in jeopardy, the region’s police chief has warned.

According to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones and his deputy, Ann Griffith, we are ticking down to a potential crime-fighting catastrophe unless a “sensible agreement” can be reached.

If that doesn’t happen the UK could be frozen out of up to 32 of the shared services currently used to target criminals across Europe after March 31 next year.

Among them are ECRIS, the European Criminal Record Information Service used 539 million times by British police last year, Europol, the European Union law enforcement agency, and the European Arrest Warrant.

It would also lead to chaos and confusion at the port of Holyhead as well as the additional security concerns.

Mr Jones, a former police inspector, said: “All these important tools we currently use for security and policing are now at risk and could soon be denied to our police forces.

“Brexit may risk putting UK and North Wales in jeopardy. After all this cooperation is used to help North Wales Police guard against terrorism, serious organised crime including modern slavery and human and drugs trafficking.

“A hard Brexit will mean starting from scratch, negotiating individually with each country and using instruments that we currently use for countries outside the EU and that will mean extradition will be slower and more difficult, and criminals will evade justice and will find it easier to operate in the UK.

“Already the Crown Prosecution Service are planning for a worst case scenario. The Home Office have received £350 million in transition funding and the Border Force will receive £60 million of that.

“I recently challenged the Assistant Director of the UK Border Force who was unable to answer my questions around how policing and security looks like for the Common Travel Area but she did say that the CTA will remain.

“But that requires a single market and a Customs Union and Mrs May says we will be leaving both.

“I was shocked that a senior member of the Border Force couldn’t answer questions around what the policing of the Common Travel Area would look like after Brexit especially as they are recruiting 1,300 new Border force officers.

“To say that the Common Travel Area would remain after a hard Brexit shows amazing ignorance of what should be ‘bread and butter’ issues for the Border Force.

“Unfortunately, we don’t seem to have moved on much since the referendum following which I asked the Security Minister, Ben Wallace about policing the Common Travel Area and his stock answer was that the Home Office were aware of the ‘vulnerabilities’ of the Common Travel Area but in the last two years they don’t seem to have done much about those vulnerabilities.

“However, it’s become increasingly clear that a hard Brexit will mean a hard border and that will not only be on the island of Ireland but also at Holyhead with the disruption to the flow of goods and services we have seen for 40 years and without the reassuring co-operation with European policing bodies.”

Life could also be made more difficult for other joint investigation teams from agencies like Eurojust which tackle a range of crimes from terror to child abuse and modern slavery.

The agreement was introduced 2002 in response to a growing threat from international terrorism and a recognition that extradition procedures were complex and time consuming.

Mr Jones and his deputy, Ann Griffith, voiced their concerns at a recent meeting between the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners and the main security agencies, the Police Chiefs Council, National Crime Agency, the Crown Prosecution Service and the Border Control Agency.

Ms Griffith added: “According to Lord Jay, Chair of the  Lords EU Home Affairs Sub-Committee, revealed they’d heard evidence that, by mid-May, the UK and EU negotiators had spent little more than an hour discussing the future internal security relationship, despite the obvious mutual interest in making rapid progress. As he put it, the current negotiations had not happened in the spirit of protecting the safety of millions of UK and EU citizens.

“If the negotiations run out of time without a deal there is a real risk of a crisis for policing across the UK and could leave North Wales increasingly vulnerable to serious crime.

“The Common Travel Area between Wales and the Republic of Ireland does not appear to have been given full consideration and nobody knows what the full implications will be.

“I am concerned that the fight against serious and violent crime will be frustrated if detailed arrangements are not put in place to meet current levels of UK-EU cooperation.

“Crime does not observe borders. Serious and organised crime, almost always has an international footprint.

“Therefore, it is essential for criminal justice agencies and policing to work in close partnership both across Europe and beyond in the post-Brexit era.

North Wales Police like other UK law enforcement agencies, makes wide ranging use of a number of Home Affairs and EU Justice measures to provide a dynamic, quick and efficient response to crime and criminality that effect our communities.

"The majority of crime doesn't happen on the streets anymore and our frontline is now online.

"Europol was established in 2009, and one of its main function is cyber-crime cooperation.

"If the cooperation with Europol an Eurojust is to continue, it will come at a price because it is likely we will have to pay a lot more to benefit from the work of these agencies.

"I am also particularly worried about the possible loss of the European Arrest Warrants which currently means that most wanted criminals can be returned promptly.

"Before the European Arrest Warrant, extradition arrangements could take up to 10 years whereas now we're talking about people being able to be transferred within a matter of weeks.

“It is a matter of great concern that insufficient attention is being given by the Government to the implications of Brexit and in particular the possibility of a No Deal Brexit on security and policing.

"Keeping people safe has got to be our priority," she added.

County seeks ideas on future development sites

As part of its work on a new Local Development Plan, Denbighshire County Council is inviting landowners, developers and any others with an interest in land in the county to submit suggested sites for future development.

The Local Development Plan (LDP) sets out where, and how much, future development will happen in the county, as well as the areas to be protected from development. 

To help inform these decisions, a ‘call for candidate sites’ is being held until November 26.

Submitting a site is not, however, a guarantee of inclusion in the LDP, says the county.

All sites submissions must provide sufficient background information and the council will assess each site before making a decision on its suitability. 

All sites selected for inclusion will be subject to public consultation as part of the Deposit LDP early in 2020.

Guidance and forms for submitting a candidate site are available on the Local Development Plan section of the Council’s website at www.denbighshire.gov.uk. 

All forms must be submitted in full, and accompanied by the necessary maps, before the deadline of November 26.  Incomplete or late submissions will not be accepted. 

* For further information, contact the Strategic Planning and Housing Team:

Email – planningpolicy@denbighshire.gov.uk, phone 01824 706916.

Eisteddfod prize misunderstanding has happy ending

* Eisteddfod chairman Dr Rhys Davies and his wife Anne on either side of choir musical director Jo Williamson to whom they presented the trophy named in their son Owen's memory.
Picture by Barrie Potter.

A children’s choir which accidentally left Llangollen International Musial Eisteddfod without realising they had won a prestigious competition prize now has its trophy at last.

A misunderstanding meant Cantabile Hereford Cathedral School packed up and left the eisteddfod without realising they had been victorious in the hotly-contested Children’s Choir of the World contest.

And it was only when they were on their way home that they received a frantic phone call from festival organisers to say they had been voted joint winners of the coveted Owen Davies Trophy.

However, by then it was too late to do anything about it.

But now, weeks after the 2018 eisteddfod ended, their leader has been back to Llangollen to pick up the prize that was rightfully theirs.

The choir was founded exactly 10 years ago by former professional opera singer Jo Williamson who is its musical director.

She said: “On the Wednesday of the eisteddfod we’d won the Children’s Folk Song Choirs.

“We competed again the day after in the Children’s Choir of the World contest but we obviously misunderstood things and didn’t think we’d scored sufficiently highly to win it.

“We left in various vehicles to go home to Hereford but whilst my husband Phil and I were driving along the A5 I received a phone call to say we had actually been voted joint winners with the British Columbia Girls’ Choir from Canada. We both had the scores of 89.7.

“This was great news, especially as we are the first English choir to win this competition since it was set up. However, by the time we found out we couldn’t go back to Llangollen as we were all heading for home in different vehicles.”

The trophy they belatedly picked up was donated by the eisteddfod chairman Dr Rhys Davies and his wife Anne in memory of their son Owen who died at the age of just 33 in 2016.

“The fact that it’s known as the Owen Davies Trophy makes it particularly poignant for us, so it’s unfortunate that there was this misunderstanding,” said Dr Davies.

“As there were joint winners this year we’ve had an extra trophy made, which I was delighted to hand over to Jo Williamson. It’s great that they have their rightful prize even though it’s just a few weeks late.”     

The choir includes 22 members, aged from 13-18, who are pupils at Hereford Cathedral School.

They have made regular Llangollen Eisteddfod appearances and previously won the Children’s Folk Choir Competition in 2015.

They went on to perform at the Royal Albert Hall in London as part of the BBC Songs of Praise event, The Big Sing.

Other glittering past performances included one before the Duke of Kent alongside Hereford Cathedral Junior School Chamber Choir. 

In 2013 Cantabile won their class at the Cheltenham Festival of Performing Arts and the previous year ended with rapturous applause at the Three Choirs Festival in Hereford.

They have also frequently taken part in the BBC Songs of Praise Senior School Choir completion and hold the distinction of winning the event in 2015.

MP slams 'shameful' decision to close primary school

Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones has slammed a decision by Wrexham Council to close Ysgol Pontfadog.

The move comes despite more than 1,000 objections received against proposals to shut the English-medium primary school.

Ms Jones (pictured) said: "Today Wrexham Council’s Executive Board chose to ignore the views of pretty much everyone who lives in the Ceiriog Valley.

"A huge number of people took part in the council’s consultation process and local campaigners are right to be furious. Ysgol Pontfadog should not be closed.

"Today’s appalling decision fails on two counts - it closes Ysgol Pontfadog and it fails to give Glyn Ceiriog the fully Welsh-medium school it needs.

"Ysgol Pontfadog should have been retained as an English-medium school, Ysgol Llanarmon DC as a Welsh-medium school with Ysgol Cynddelw, Glyn Ceiriog becoming a fully Welsh-medium school.

"The Executive Board of Wrexham County Borough Council has treated the communities of the Ceiriog Valley shamefully.

"If local residents now feel that their interests would be best served outside Wrexham County Borough Council area by becoming part of another Local Authority area I will back."

Clwyd South AM Ken Skates said

 "The council asked for people’s opinions on their proposals and the people of the Ceiriog Valley responded in their numbers and have made their feelings quite clear. I have made repeated representations to Wrexham Council on behalf of my constituents and completely understand their frustration.”

Art club exhibition preview tonight

Llangollen Art Club is holding its annual exhibition of members work at Langollen Museum in Parade Street, commencing Wednesday August 8 and continuing until the end of the month.

Many works will be available for purchase. First choice will go to those who would like to attend the preview open tonight, Tuesday August 7 at 7.30pm.

The club meets on Tuesday evenings 7.30pm in the Memorial Hall, Market Street, and welcomes new members of all ability (adults over 18 years only).

County helps traders to get business rate relief

Denbighshire County Council is helping 650 traders get business rate relief this year.

The council will be applying the Welsh Government High Street Retail Relief Scheme automatically to businesses’ bills where possible as well as informing them of the help available.

Denbighshire has the third highest number of qualifying businesses in Wales, only Cardiff and Swansea will be awarding relief to more traders, resulting in savings of £284,500 for businesses in the county.

Cllr Hugh Evans, leader of Denbighshire County Council, said: “We’ve lobbied the Welsh Government on rate relief because we understand the pressures from changing consumer demands and the effects of last year’s change to the Welsh Government multiplier.

“The council is automatically applying rate relief where it is able to and publishing details on our website and social media for businesses, informing them of what schemes are available.

“Supporting businesses is part of our commitment to support economic prosperity in Denbighshire and create resilient communities. Our role in applying the Welsh Government High Street Retail Relief Scheme is one of a number of projects we undertake to support local businesses.”

The council also supports local businesses  for example by holding training sessions throughout the year, as well as during its annual March for Business month, by encouraging residents to shop local through the #LoveLiveLocal campaign and by reducing red tape through the Better Business for All scheme.

Denbighshire County Council collects business rates on behalf on the Welsh Government and then returns the funds to them.

The council does not set the rates. The rateable value is assessed by the Valuation Office Agency, which is part of HM Revenue and Customs and Welsh Government sets the multiplier on which business rate bills are based.

* If you would like the council to review your eligibility for any of the relief schemes you can contact businessrates@denbighshire.gov.uk or 01824 706000 or for more information visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/businessrates