First Minister speaks to party members in Llan

llanblogger exclusive

* First Minister Mark Drakeford addresses
Labour Party members in St Collen's Community Hall. 

Welsh Labour leader Mark Drakeford spoke about Tory austerity, the far right and his party’s proud record of standing up for Wales during a visit to Llangollen.

The First Minister was the special guest at an event at St Collen’s Community Hall organised by Clwyd South Labour Party and local AM Ken Skates on Thursday night.

The visit came on the same day it was announced that the town is to get £25,000 from the Welsh Labour Government towards the cost of a traffic improvement scheme as part of the Llangollen 2020 project, headed by local Labour county councillor Graham Timms.

Mr Skates said: “I was delighted to welcome Mark back to Llangollen and would like to thank him for giving up his time. This visit was arranged several months ago, but it is fitting that it should fall on the day it was announced that Llangollen is to benefit further from Welsh Labour Government support.

“Mark was the health minister who committed almost £5m of Welsh Government money to deliver our brand new surgery just a few years ago, which has been a fantastic addition to Llangollen.”

The announcement of funding for Llangollen 2020 comes after news that the Welsh Government is providing a grant of £75,000 to Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

Mr Drakeford told the audience that Clwyd South was lucky to have Mr Skates as its AM and described him as ‘one of the most likeable and decent people in the Assembly and an outstanding minister’. 

He added: “I couldn’t be more proud that we have him speaking up for North Wales.”

The First Minister also said that Labour are the only party that can defeat the far-right and ‘the only party that is fiercely devolutionist’.

“We are the party that has a record through devolution of leaving money in the pockets of the people who need it most and we are finding ways to carry on that tradition – free prescriptions, free school breakfasts, free hospital parking, council tax benefit to name just a few,” said Mr Drakeford.

“We are 10 years into austerity. Year after year after year the resources available to us here in Wales have gone down. It’s the longest and deepest period of austerity in 200 years.

“It’s impossible to think of a greater contrast between the first 10 years of devolution under a Labour Government at Westminster and the second 10 years under the Tories. In the first term under a Labour government our budget grew by 10% every year. In the second it grew by 5% every year and even in the third term we had real terms growth every year.

“In the second half of devolution our budget is now back to where it was in 2009 – a whole decade reversed. We’ve tried to prioritise the things that mean most to people in Wales, but you simply can’t patch everything. These are real challenges and they’re getting sharper and more real every day.”

The First Minister told the event that the current Brexit crisis being presided over by the Conservative Government at Westminster was ‘the greatest failure of political leadership I think we’ll ever see’.

He added: “The far right are the real danger in our politics. UKIP is desperate, disruptive and distasteful force and are prepared to do anything which gives them a fractional advantage. Their latest incarnation in the Brexit Party are some of the least pleasant hard-line right-wing views that have ever been presented. They don’t belong to the mainstream and it’s our job to expose them.”

Picture special on new Vicarage Road development

* Signs warning of the closure of Hall Street and Willow Hill.

* A major excavation at the bottom of Willow Hill.

* The house at the corner of Willow Hill and Hall Street has given up a large part of its garden to the access road.  

* Land has been scooped out of the banking between Willow Hill and the youth centre.  

* Looking back down Willow Hill towards town.

* Part of the site for houses on the left-hand side of Vicarage Road is prepared.

* Earth-moving vehicles get to work to the left of Vicarage Road. 

* The housing site on the opposite side of Vicarage Road is cordoned off ready for construction. 

llanblogger brings you these pictures of works going ahead to prepare the access road to and site of the new £25 million Willow Fields development off Vicarage Road where SG Estates are building a range of  two, three, four and five bedroom homes.

SG purchased parcels of land along the left hand side of Willow Street heading up from the town from both private owners and the local authority to enable the widening operation to take place and no properties are affected.

The new road heads on past the youth centre where the company will upgrade the car park and put in four extra parking spaces.

The road then branches off left on a new section across the adjacent field. It follows the line of Vicarage Road into the housing development before joining up with the existing new section of road outside the homes built by Castlemead.

The original and narrower Vicarage Road will become a cycle path and pedestrian walkway.

SG managing director Steve Griffin recently told llanblogger that the new road and the diversion of services into the development site is costing £1.4 million.

He assured that construction work on the new homes would only start after the access road is finished which he estimated would take about 12 weeks.

Llangollen Round becomes permanent hiking challenge

* Hikers on the Panorama section of the Llangollen Round.

Organisers of the Llangollen Round are now offering a permanent challenge.

The Llangollen Round is a sponsored 35-mile hike visiting all the peaks around the Vale of Llangollen which those taking part can do in either one or two days.

While the event is only held once every three years, organisers have now set up a permanent challenge which can be taken at any time.

The aim is for people to test their performance against the times set by previous participants.

A Llangollen Round spokesperson said: "You can now walk the route at any time and will be awarded a certificate bearing your name and time.

"It doesn’t matter if you are a hare that nips round in seven hours or a tortoise that takes seven days - if you abide by the conditions, you are eligible for a certificate and we would like to record your name and your time on the Roll of Honour on our website.

"You can find the times previous participants have taken to complete the course on our website www.thellangollenround.info

"Can you rival those times? Or perhaps you would like to undertake your own personal sponsored challenge?

The spokesperson added: "Here’s what you have to do. Llangollen Leisure Centre will verify your time. You should present yourself to the desk there at the start and again at the finish.

"When you get back you will simply need to show them two photos on your phone or camera of the cairns on the two highest peaks, Moel-y-Gamelin, and Moel Fferna.

"The Leisure Centre is open from 9am (7.30am Mon and Wed) and closes at 9pm on weekdays. If you want to set off before 9am you must slip a note with the time under their door or take a photo of the Town Hall clock as you go through the town. You should plan to get back before 9pm. The Leisure Centre actually closes at 1pm on Saturdays and Sundays, so we have alternative arrangements in place for those days.

"At weekends you will need to return to the Hand Hotel in town, where the reception desk will ask to see the same photos and issue the certificate. A small donation is asked for these certificates and all monies go to Cancer Research UK. We also have some very nice cloth badges available.

"Finally, a few words of caution. The route is waymarked with our discs but do not even think of venturing out there without a copy of the Llangollen Round booklet. Make sure you also take with you adequate clothing, and sufficient food and water for the time you will be out. The Ponderosa Café, about half-way round, can help out with this.

"Be careful of losing daylight – there are several places where you could safely escape from the Round if you need to. Do not be caught on the mountains in the dark. And most of the route has phone reception, but just the odd patch is outside all networks. Perhaps carry a whistle and make sure a friend knows where you have gone."

* For more information call 01978 869364/07905 330788), or email: thellangollenround@gmail.com

Government awards £25,000 to Llangollen's 2020 project

* The 2020 project is looking at easing traffic flow in the town centre.

Llangollen is to get £25,000 from the Welsh Government towards the cost of a traffic improvement scheme.

The cash, which comes as part of a £32.9 million allocation to improve transport across Wales, will go to the Llangollen 2020 project.

The 2020 Group, headed by local county councillor Graham Timms, has had consultants produce a range of proposals to ease town centre parking.

These include widening the pavements, narrowing the road, introducing trees and, most controversially, removing the on-street parking in Castle Street and also the pedestrianisation of part of Market Street.

llanblogger understands the £25,000 will be put towards the cost of preparatory work for the project. 

The sum is one of nine grants made available to schemes in Denbighshire totalling almost £1 million.

Making the announcement on Thursday, Economy and Transport Minister Ken Skates said the allocation of local authority grants will help fund schemes which support the Welsh Government’s economic priorities for jobs and growth, promote economic activity through improved access to employment, encourage active and sustainable travel and connect communities.

All local authorities were invited to submit applications for funding and over 100 applications were received.

The Local Transport Fund of £28.8 million will assist 52 schemes across 21 local authorities and the Local Transport Network Fund of £4.1 million will support 14 schemes across 12 local authorities.

The grants include over £20 million to improve integrated public transport. 

In north Wales, £3.6 million will go to improve public transport and active travel on the B5129/A548 through Flintshire and on to Deeside Industrial Park, while more than £3 million will benefit local authorities across mid and south west Wales to enhance public transport corridors and interchange.

Speaking at a visit to the Deeside Industrial Park where he had gone to see some of the improvements being carried out, Transport Minister Ken Skates said: "These grants are a substantial investment to support sustainable local economic growth, enhance public transport facilities, create and improve routes that will encourage more people in Wales to walk and cycle.

"The successful projects, such as this in Deeside, are prime examples of the practical solutions we have asked the local authorities to design in order to make it easier for residents to connect with their places of employment and businesses, and to do so more sustainably.

"This investment in local transport schemes further boosts the grants announced by the Deputy Minister Lee Waters last week.

"These included the allocation £19 million from the Active Travel Fund, and £10.9 million for the creation of Safe Routes in Communities and road safety schemes.

"Today we publish the schemes benefiting from £12.7 million, which will create opportunities to make every-day journeys by bike and on foot for many more people, and the share each local authority will receive from the £6.3 million to undertake design and feasibility work and fund minor improvements on their networks."

* Wales's First Minister Mark Drakeford paid a visit to Llangollen yesterday (Thursday) evening. He was attending a Labour Party event at St Collen's Community Hall along with the area's Assembly Member Ken Skates.

Latest Citizens Advice column

Q: My first council tax bill of the year has come through and I know I’m not going to be able to afford it with so many other important bills to pay, let alone food. What should I do?

A: Council tax arrears is a “priority debt”, which means you need to address it before paying off other non-priority loans like credit cards.

Once you’ve missed a council tax payment, you’re in “arrears” and so owe money to your council. You should receive a letter from your council - it’s important not to ignore this as after 14 days your council can take you to court and request you pay your entire year’s bill at once.

It’s important you speak to the council straight away if you don’t think you can pay. Ask to speak to someone in the council tax office and tell them about your situation.

You’ll probably be asked to commit to paying a regular amount each month. If you're not sure how much you can afford, use the Citizen Advice budgeting tool or talk to one of our specialist advisers.

If you're on a low income, you might be able to get a reduction on your council tax bill. You might also be able to qualify for your council’s Hardship Scheme. You can read more about getting help with your council tax on the Citizens Advice website.

If you fail to pay your council tax arrears you’ll have to pay court costs and possibly bailiff fees as well as your debt, which can add hundreds of pounds to your bill.

If you’re struggling with multiple debts you can contact your local Citizens Advice. You can find their contact details on the Citizens Advice website. 

Increase in sexual blackmail cases highlighted

* Sioned Jacobsen, operations manager at the North Wales Victim Help Centre.

A centre that helps victims of crime has reported a worrying increase in the number of cases of sexual blackmail involving teenagers.

Sioned Jacobsen, operations manager at the North Wales Victim Help Centre, says youngsters are being targeted by online extortionists.

She revealed her concerns to North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones who funds the centre.

Mr Jones, a former police inspector, heard demand for the centre’s services has increased every year since it was established in 2015 and last year they made contact with 34,500 victims of all sorts of crimes.

Most people are referred to them by the police and other agencies but victims are also encouraged to call the centre themselves if they need expert support and guidance

The one-stop-shop for victims covers the whole of North Wales and is based at divisional police HQ in St Asaph.

Each victim receives a response specifically tailored to their situation and the centre employs specialists in modern day slavery, mental health and hate crime.

Ms Jacobsen said: “We have seen an increase in sexual blackmail recently where people will be sharing explicit images online and then the perpetrators will then ask for a fee otherwise they’ll share those images.

“We’ve seen quite a lot of these cases come through, especially young people, aged 14, 15, 16.

“Some of the cases are quite horrible. It’s about the blackmailers taking advantage of vulnerable young people.

“The young people concerned are sharing nude images of themselves without thinking of the possible consequences.

“For example, if it’s a teenage girl she may be sharing pictures of herself without a top on and be under the impression she’s sending them to a boy of her own age.

“Then they found out they have been tricked by a blackmailer who demands money,   maybe £500 or a £1000,  or otherwise they threaten to share the pictures on social media.

“It is traumatic for the victims who are left feeling totally devastated.

“I think the increase in the number of cases coming through is just down to young people being on social media which is massive these days.

“It’s the world we live in but unfortunately, I think young people aren’t aware of the dangers.

One thing I learned recently was any picture you put online and on any social media, no matter how private your accounts are, will be public if you put a hashtag after it.

“That’s an important message to get out. It’s scary and young people aren’t aware of that so they don’t know the consequences. 

“It’s vitally important to get message out there that young people need to be very careful.

“The schools need to be raising awareness of the dangers of social media and what the implications could be of sharing images with people.

“With Snapchat for example once you’ve sent it people say it’s gone after 10 seconds but it hasn’t because people can screenshot it and it can be there forever then. It’s just frightening.”

Commissioner Jones said: “Keeping young people safe is a key priority of my Police and Crime Plan.

“The Victim Help Centre is providing an absolutely vital service, giving much needed support to those who have unfortunately been on the receiving end of a whole range of crimes.

“Sexual blackmail is utterly despicable and it is hugely important we get the message out about the dangers of the online world so that young people can use social media safely and responsibly.

"It is important that we educate youngsters about the perils of this dangerous practice and that we provide and their concerned parents with support to deal with the situation.

"Technological advances have brought great benefits to society but at the same time they have increased risk and the scope for wrongdoing, so we must be vigilant."

Facelifted Co-op store has its official opening

* The children of Cylch Meithrin Llangollen line up with staff 

at the re-opening of the facelifted Co-op store.

The Co-op in Regent Street, Llangollen had its official opening this morning (Thursday) after undergoing a major facelift.

It has taken contractors six weeks to complete the refurbishment during which most of the shopfloor has been renewed with fresh shelving and tills.

There is also a new Costa coffee machine and a row of self-assisted tills have been installed.

The opening was performed by the children of Cylch Meithrin Llangollen, which is one of the local causes supported by the store.

Representatives of the other causes, Llangollen Panto and Clwb Y Berwyn, were also invited.

Local suppliers were on hand with samples including Henllan bread, Llaeth y llan yoghurts and Edwards of Conwy sausages.