Town's annual meeting tomorrow

Llangollen Town Council will hold its annual meeting at the Town Hall tomorrow (Thursday) evening.

Starting at 7pm, the format will be a short report from the Town Mayor, Cllr Jon Haddy, on achievements and future plans, followed by an opportunity for the public to ask questions and raise any issues of concern.

Funding available for business broadband

Welsh businesses are now eligible to apply for funding up to £5,500 of government funding towards getting Gigabit broadband installed on their premises.

The Welsh and UK governments have teamed up to help improve connectivity in some of the most rural parts of the country, while also making it cheaper for businesses to take advantage of speedier connections to better conduct business.

Although superfast broadband is available around most of Wales, this scheme would help boost connectivity in the remaining 5% of areas that currently don’t have such fast internet.

At present, Welsh firms can apply for funding of up to £2,500 for installation of Gigabit internet. But the Welsh government has now pledged to contribute an additional £3,000 for businesses of a certain size and up to £300 per residential property.

“This exclusive scheme for Welsh businesses and communities is a vital part of our modern Industrial Strategy and build a Britain that is fit for the future,” said UK Minister for Digital Margot James.

“Working with the Welsh Government, together we can make sure that everyone in Wales has the connectivity they need for the digital age.”

Overall, the Welsh and UK governments have put aside a pot of £200 million to support superfast broadband in Wales, with the mission to connect 733,000 Welsh homes and businesses that commercial broadband businesses had not included in their plans to provide faster broadband.

“This voucher scheme can provide a vital funding source for group connectivity projects, and could be of great benefit to communities currently without access,” said Deputy Minister for Economy Lee Waters.

“I’m pleased we’ve been able to work with the UK Government to provide an enhanced scheme for Wales, taking into account the particular challenges we face here with geography and the location of premises.”

From 2020, the government will roll out its Universal Service Obligation that makes superfast broadband a legal right for all homes and businesses in the UK.

I'll listen and consider people's needs before I vote, says MP

After MPs took the Brexit initiative in Parliament, llanblogger asked Clwyd South MP Susan Elan Jones (pictured below) what she was likely to do next. Here is her response ...

"I think what’s happened this week in Parliament is the inevitable consequence of Theresa May losing her majority at the General Election she decided to call in 2017. She could have then reached out across Parliament to gain a real consensus that brought people together. She chose not to do that and instead came back with a poor Deal that most MPs, Leavers and Remainers, could not accept. That was all made far worse when she refused to listen to other views and just kept running down the clock to a No Deal Brexit (something my party and I personally adamantly opposed in the General Election).

In terms of what happens next, we don’t yet know what the process will be. But my big concern is in bringing people from our area closer together and getting a solution that protects our economy and gives people, including young people, a real say.

I have had a large volume of letters and emails from constituents and they contain many different views. These range from electors who want a Hard No Deal Brexit (“even if it costs me my job”, in the words of one resident) to those who believe Article 50 should be revoked. Incredibly, at the time of writing this, 3,904 Clwyd South electors have signed the  petition on the Parliament website calling for Article 50’s revocation. Usually, such petitions get a couple of hundred signatures from our area. This one is on more than 26% of the vote the Tories got here in the General Election and well over the combined total of votes cast for the smaller parties of UKIP, the Lib Dems and Plaid. It’s an incredible figure.

It’s impossible for any one MP to reflect every local opinion. That’s why I think we need to be putting the question to the public by offering a binding, confirming vote on whether they want Theresa May’s deal. This is exactly what happened in Northern Ireland with the Good Friday Agreement - get an actual deal, ask the people and implement that without taking it back to Parliament. I think it’s what we need to do now too.

But if that doesn’t succeed on the numbers in Parliament, I think we also need to be open to voting for other options including customs union and single market membership. The last thing I think we need at the moment is MPs who are unwilling to listen and work with others. Tomorrow, I’ll be listening and co-operating and trying to put the needs of our area first when I consider how to vote."

Eisteddfod Friends hold fundraising coffee morning

The FRIENDS of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will begin their annual fundraising for the 2019 event with a coffee morning at Llangollen Memorial Hall today, Tuesday March 26.

All are welcome and entry is just £1 between 9.30am and midday. 

You can go along and enjoy a tea or coffee and treat yourself to something from our cake stall, try your luck on the tombola or pick up a bargain in our bric-a-brac sale.

The FRIENDS organisation is a separate charity from the Eisteddfod and has been supporting the event for almost 45 years raising over £500,000 in this time. 

Members of FRIENDS come from all over the world and play an important role is spreading the Eisteddfod’s message and appeal. 

Members also benefit from priority booking, news and updates throughout the year and have their own hospitality area on the Eisteddfod field during the week, which is a great place to meet new and old friends.

Chair of FRIENDS Barrie Potter said “We are delighted to begin our annual series of coffee mornings and all proceeds will be going towards the Eisteddfod Bursary fund. This fund offers financial assistance to international visitors coming to Llangollen such as the wonderful Mother Touch children’s group from Zimbabwe who charmed the crowds both on and off the field with their performances last year."

* For details of what’s on at this year’s Eisteddfod visit our website  https://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/  or for information on how to join FRIENDS visit https://international-eisteddfod.co.uk/get-involved/become-a-friend/ or call the Eisteddfod office on 01978 862000.

Three Eagles has official opening on Friday

* The frontage of the Three Eagles.

* The interior of the new business.

The Three Eagles Restaurant & Bar in Llangollen will have its official opening this Friday.

The event is set to host a number of invited guests, including Welsh Labour’s Minister for Economy and Transport Ken Skates as well as local business owners, investors and members of the press.

Attendees to the event will be given a tour of the ancient building which has been subject to a major renovation and will also be offered the opportunity to experience first-hand the culinary talents of acclaimed executive chef Adam Gaunt-Evans. 

Matt Jones is the managing director of One Hundred Knights, the hospitality group behind the Three Eagles and exclusive wedding venue, Tyn Dwr Hall. 

He will be on hand to deliver a talk on the success of the business which will be followed by a "major announcement"’ that the group says will have "a significant impact both regionally and nationally".

The Three Eagles first opened its doors to customers at the very end of last December.

“Up to now, the whole team involved with the Three Eagles have been working tirelessly to ensure that the business has been able to get up to the standard we have wanted to set from the outset” said Mr Jones. 

“We’ve seen a great response to the business locally and we are seeing evidence that guests are being attracted from across North Wales and from over the border region to come and dine here.”

“Holding the Official Opening Event on the 29^th will be a really great way to properly mark the already very promising beginning to the Three Eagles story. To share this moment with some of the most respected people in the area and other local businessmen and women will be a real honour.”

Mr Jones said he is now very keen to reveal One Hundred Knights’ future plans and anticipates a high level of interest to come from the next development.

“Myself and the team are unbelievably excited about the next step we’re about to take and we really can’t wait to share the news about it with our guests”, he added. “I think the plans that we have in store are very impressive.”

The Swift way to an affordable hot hatchback

* The Suzuki Swift Sport.

* Inside the Sport model. 

Suzuki Swift Sport road test by Steve Rogers

Is it just me or is there a lack of small, affordable hot hatchbacks around?

You are looking at more than 30 grand for the big names - Golf GTI, Honda Civic Type R, Focus RS, Seat Leon Cupra.

What if I want to spend less than £20k? Let me point you in the direction of the Suzuki Swift Sport. 

Not the first name to trip off the tongue may be, but definitely the most underrated.

In its own quiet way the Swift has been delighting its owners for more than a decade, while the Sport model has been perfect for speed lovers with a small bank account.

Not that the Sport has ever been red hot. The 1.6 litre 16-valver could only muster around 134bhp, not as much as a Peugeot 205 GTi or the 'once driven never forgotten' Renault Clio Williams of the early nineties, yet you will not find anyone complaining.

Now we have a new Swift Sport ... with a smaller engine. Come again, a smaller engine? Yes, but don't worry, it is quicker, cleaner, and does more to the gallon. The turbo charged 1.4 Boosterjet has been making a name for itself in the Vitara and now its cutting a dash in the Sport.

Output is still a modest 138bhp but there has been a sizeable increase in torque - 230Nm against 160Nm for the normally aspirated 1.6. Now response is rapid with a satisfying surge from 2500rpm, much earlier than before.

Some of this extra performance is down to a new platform which has allowed the Sport to shed 70kg but the real winner is handling. Although lighter the bodyshell is stiffer so the car never gets flustered even if the accelerator is stabbed mid bend. You can imagine the Sport saying 'bring it on'.

Nimble and very capable sums it up, an easy car to drive quickly through twists and turns.

So what has Suzuki done to justify a price hike to £18k. Basically it has loaded Swift Sport with a heap of new technology that includes a suite of safety features. Lane drift warning, radar cruise control, pedestrian detection, autonomous braking if you ignore the warning sounds of a vehicle a little too close for comfort make this the safest Swift ever built.

I would like to have seen an end to the hard plastic trim but what's there feels solid rather than cheap, and Sport benefits from subtle shiny red accent panels throughout the cabin. There is another red hot theme reminder with red piping on the seats and red lighting in the instrument binnacle.

The binnacle has an information panel well suited to performance anoraks with coloured graphics for turbo boost, engine output and torque data. There is other more meaningful stuff like what the car is doing to the gallon, average speed and a smart clock, but with all this technology there is no room for a digital speedometer.

Come on Suzuki, you must have enough brain power to sort that out, it is far more useful than being able to see how the turbo charger is performing!

Overall the equipment level is good with a 7inch touchscreen for navigation, DAB radio and all the Bluetooth connections. Auto dipping headlights is a great addition and there is a rear camera which had rather poor definition possible down to an intrusion from the rear spoiler.

Is there anything not to like about Swift Sport? Not really, the ride is a little harsh but no more than to be expected from hottish hatch, and there is above average road noise but who cares when you can have so much fun from an inexpensive, well appointed speedster which is bordering on brilliant.

Fast facts

Swift Sport

£17,999

1.4 litre turbo; 138bhp

0-62mph 8.1secs; 130mph

50.4mpg combined

Emissions: 135g/km

1st year road tax £205

Insurance group 35

Councillor says army should have helped tackle mountain fire

Hundreds of thousands of pounds and hundreds of acres of land could have been saved if the army had been called in to assist with a mountain fire, according to a county councillor.

Mabon ap Gwynfor, who represents the Llandrillo ward in the Dee Valley, said that the fire on Llantysilio Mountain near Llangollen last summer might have been put out sooner saving money, acres of mountain land, and freeing up firefighters to concentrate on other issues across north Wales.

The Plaid Cymru councillor (pictured) also said that more planning needed to be done to prepare for major weather-related events following evidence showing that there was no clear leadership nor lines of accountability during the first days of the fire on the mountain.

He said: “If you contrast the fire on Llantysilio Mountain with the one on Saddleworth Moor a month earlier, the army were called in by Greater Manchester Fire Authority within a few days of the Saddleworth Moor fire starting. 

"One hundred army personnel were involved as well as their equipment, including helicopters. This helped ensure that fire went out in a matter of days. The army recouped £42,000 for their part in that incident.

“By contrast the fire on Llantysilio Mountain went on for two months, firefighters from every fire station in north Wales had to be brought in to fight the fire and it cost the Fire Authority in excess of £290,000.

“I appreciate that senior officers of the Fire Authority felt that at no point did they think that they could not deal with this fire, and there’s no doubting the commitment and dedication of the firefighters, but the fact remains that the fire went on for many, many weeks, leading to huge damage being done to a vast tract of land. 

"Added to this, all of the fire stations across north Wales were involved in this fire at some point or another, meaning that these firefighters were not available in the case of any other instances. If the army had been called in then the fire might have been put out sooner, freeing up those firefighters and potentially saving some money at the same time.

“One of the key agencies involved should at least have raised the prospect of calling in the army to help tackle the fire. It’s certainly a lesson from this incident, and should be considered in the future.”

Cllr ap Gwynfor said that lessons should be learned from the fire.

“There are certainly lessons to be learned from the fire on Llantysilio mountain. The majority of my ward is made up of vast tracts of the Berwyn which could also have easily gone up in flames, and I must admit that I didn’t have much confidence that systems are in place to tackle such eventualities as I came away from the evidence gathering session in Llangollen [last Wednesday as reported in llanblogger].

“The firefighters and other agency workers worked tirelessly to tackle the fire and ensure that no life or property was threatened. But it was evident that there was no clear line of command and certainly no plans put in place in the event of such a catastrophe.

“I would hope that the key agencies will now come together and formulate a plan in preparation for such an eventuality, so that it’s clear from the word go what is expected of each agency and individual, and who takes the key decisions.”