Police boss asks for extra 25p to tackle sex and drugs crimes

* North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones.

A police boss has unveiled plans for a 25p a week increase in the cost of policing to help him ramp up the crackdown on online sexual predators and county lines drugs gangs.

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones says the rise – equivalent to the cost of a one-minute landline phone call – would also enable him to set up a new Economic Crime Unit to combat the growing number of fraud causes.

The proposed 4.5 per cent increase, believed to be the lowest in Wales, would cost Band D householders just an extra £12.51 a year.

Under the proposals, the force’s Major Crime Team would be beefed up with an extra 10 officers while more than 20 new ancillary police staff would be recruited to support the Commissioner’s plans to protect vulnerable people.

The frontline would be bolstered with 16 additional response officers while there would also be five more community safety officers, including three new officers for the pioneering Rural Crime Team.

Mr Jones will be seeking the backing of the North Wales Police and Crime Panel for the proposed increase at a meeting on Friday (January 31).

An on-line poll conducted by the Commissioner’s Office has found that almost three-quarters of respondents support an increase of 4.5 per cent or more.

The poll has also given a ringing endorsement of the Commissioner’s policing priorities with 95 per cent backing his war on organised crime gangs and the drive for safer neighbourhoods.

His campaigns against domestic and sexual abuse and criminal exploitation also attract over 90 per cent support while four out of every five responders also support his crusade against modern slavery.

Mr Jones, a former police inspector, said: “I am pleased that we have again been able to deliver the lower percentage increase among the Welsh police forces while once again helping increase frontline policing.

“I am elected by the people of North Wales so it is also important that I listen to them and their concerns so it is also good to know that they approve of the policing priorities I have set out.

“I work with the Chief Constable and his senior team to ensure we are able to give him the tools to do the job and he has confirmed that this increase will provide the Force with the resources they need.

“I believe the proposed increase strikes a proper and prudent balance between affordability for council tax payers and making sure North Wales Police can continue to be an efficient and effective force making the region one of the safest places to live in the UK and protecting the vulnerable.”

The latest online survey also found that over 70 per cent had a positive view of North Wales Police’s performance and almost 80 per cent were in favour of the way the Commissioner has consulted with the public.

Mr Jones added: “The nature of policing has changed hugely and we are facing new and increasing challenges so the force must evolve and adapt accordingly.

“In spite of having to absorb the swingeing cuts we have faced over recent years, we are investing in our frontline, professionalising our frontline and making us fit for the future.”

Another successful chapter for library service

Denbighshire’s Library Service is one of the best performing in Wales, according to recent figures.

The service has been ranked the best in Wales for providing informal training for users, the number of Welsh books borrowed and for having the best reach for the summer reading challenge, according to figures published.  

A total of 2,918 children participated in the 2019 Summer Reading Challenge – a reach of 26.6% of the 4-12 year old population, the highest reach in Wales (Welsh average was 10.7%).

The figures also showed that Denbighshire was ranked fifth in Wales for the number of active borrowers, sixth for the number of virtual visits to libraries and attendances at events and eighth in Wales for physical visits. 

Each council is asked to provide information to the Welsh Government ‘s Museum and Libraries Division on their performance against set targets.   

The figures, being discussed by members of Denbighshire’s Performance Scrutiny on January 30, come hot on the heels of Denbighshire’s 2019-2022 Library Strategy, which sets out how the service is due to develop over the coming years.

A volunteering strategy was launched in the summer of 2019, and offers a range of specific volunteering opportunities for adults and young people in libraries, to enable them to develop their own skills, to gain work experience, or to give back to their local community. 

The roles include digital volunteer, events and activities volunteer, young volunteer, stock volunteer and local history volunteer. There are currently 19 volunteers active in our libraries.  The service works closely with Working Denbighshire to provide opportunities for their clients to gain work experience.

The service’s activity in the area of health and well-being continues to be a particular focus and has seen significant progress during the year. 

The Reading Well Books on Prescription: Mental Health scheme in Wales was launched in July 2019, and the service has maximised on the opportunity to reach in to health and social care services to raise awareness of both the Reading Well schemes and the contribution libraries make to health and wellbeing and community resilience. 

Working in close partnership with Public Health Wales, the service has given numerous presentations to key Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board services and teams. The outcome of this concerted effort is that libraries are now seen as key partners in the preventative agenda.

In partnership with Conwy Libraries and Age Connect, the service has recently been awarded funding from the Healthier Wales Transformation programme for mental health for a project to embed the Reading Well for mental health scheme into primary care practice, and to develop the skills of the Libraries workforce in providing services to people dealing with mental health issues, aligning with Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board’s ICAN strategy of providing support within communities.

The service also secured funding from Denbighshire Voluntary Services Council’s Dementia Aware Denbighshire plan to create dementia memory packs for families and carers to borrow, working in partnership with TIDE and Denbighshire Arts Service. Denbigh Library hosted the North Wales launch of Boots pharmacies’ endorsement of the Reading Well Books on Prescription Dementia scheme.

The service continues to develop its range of engagement and social opportunities to encourage community cohesion and to tackle isolation and loneliness – these range from reading groups and creative craft sessions to family history clubs, rhyme times for families with young children and lego clubs for older children.

Councillor Tony Thomas, Cabinet Lead Member for Housing and Communities, with responsibility for libraries, said: “The library service in Denbighshire has experienced a very positive chapter in its history.

“Our libraries are at the heart of the community and Denbighshire is bucking a national trend by investing in its facilities to modernise them and to transform them into community focal points for other council services."

Details of Llangollen Walking Festival released

The 2020 Llangollen Walking Festival will be held on the weekend of May 8-10.

All the walks will again start from the Cottage Tea Rooms & Bistro in Castle Street.

The programme of walks is:

Friday May 8

• Offa's Dyke Path Challenge Walk 20 miles - coach to start.

• NEW History Walk - Llangollen's Mills a fascinating walk through local history with David, our local guide book writer and historian.

• Nordic Walking with our Denbighshire Walking for Health officer.

Saturday May 9

• Wilderness Walk 15 miles and Steam Train Ride back.

• Steam Train Ride and Dee Valley meander 8 miles.

• Town History Walk - ​a fascinating short walk around Llangollen with local historian Janet.
​  
Sunday May 10

• 5 Ugly Sisters Walk 14 miles - bus to start.

​• World Heritage Site Walk to the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct 8 miles on part of the Offa's Dyke Path with botanist Hazel.

* For further details of the festival and to book places on the walks, go to: https://www.llangollenwalkingfestival.co.uk/

AM speaks out against smacking ban

North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood (pictured) has slammed those behind introducing a smacking ban in  Wales.

And he accused them of “living in an unrepresentative Cardiff Bay bubble, where sitting in judgement on others and deciding what is good for them takes priority over listening to the people they are supposed to represent”.

Speaking in the Stage 3 Debate on the Children (Abolition of the Defence of Reasonable Punishment) (Wales) Bill,  Mr Isherwood said a ban is not wanted by the majority, has proved ineffective in countries where smacking is already criminalised, and would criminalise “normal, decent, loving parents who use a smack from time to time”.

He said: “As I said when we debated this Bill in September, I am the Parent of six, all now responsible and caring adults, a God Parent, Grandparent, Uncle and Great Uncle.

“Three of my daughters are currently pregnant. Two of these now live a few miles away in England. They told me that they are grateful this Bill will not apply to them. However, our other pregnant daughter, who still lives in Wales, is worried about the ‘Snoopers Charter’ this Bill threatens to introduce.

“In a nationwide poll in New Zealand, where smacking is already criminalised, 70% said that they would not report a parent that they saw smacking a child, but 20% would become snoopers.

“The people behind this Bill appear to live in an unrepresentative Cardiff Bay bubble, where sitting in judgement on others and deciding what is good for them takes priority over listening to the people they are supposed to represent.

“They claim to be protecting children and state that those who disagree with them need positive parenting courses.

“However, the overwhelming majority of parents already know and apply the positive parenting interventions they advocate, whilst also retaining the option of light smacking in their positive parenting toolkit for rare use in times of danger or as a last resort."

He added: “A recent survey of Welsh local councillors found that seven in 10 are opposed to a smacking ban – including a majority from each of the main parties – and that nine in 10 say that councils do not have the resources to cope with one.

“Concern has been raised that the Welsh Government has not given an assessment of the costs to social services of this Bill in terms of an uplift in referrals and an increased burden on social workers.

“I stated here in September that I had received extensive correspondence from constituents regarding this Bill, all of which had asked me to oppose it.

“Four months later, I have not received a single request from any constituent to support this Bill, not one, but I have received numerous emails from constituents asking me to support Amendment 10 as moved today by Janet Finch-Saunders, which would delay the smacking ban coming into force until the UK Government, Police, and Crown Prosecution Service have established a pathway (as an alternative to prosecution) for those affected by the changes to the law.

“This follows a recommendation to this effect in ‘The Children, Young People and Education Committee’s Stage 1 Report on the Bill’, which recognises that Policing and Justice in Wales are a non-devolved responsibility.

“It is not having boundaries that contributes to damaged and disordered lives, disturbance and delinquency, but a lack of them. Instead of criminalising normal, decent, loving parents who use a smack from time to time, we must recognise the clear difference between smacking and child abuse, which the vast majority of parents are well able to recognise. This debate is a distraction, when our full focus should be on the growing reports of the sexual abuse, exploitation and forced labour of children."

Kronospan safety raised in Senedd by AM

Questions about community safety following the fire at the Kronospan plant have been raised in the Senedd by Plaid Cymru North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd.

Mr Gruffydd raised the matter and urged the Business Minister to ensure that the relevant government minister made a statement regarding the recent fire in Chirk, which he said had caused great concern in the local community.

He added: “There are health and safety concerns there after the third fire in three years. This time, the fire burned for a week causing pollution across the town and surrounding areas. It took 48 hrs before monitoring equipment was in place – missing the worst of the pollution. But this monitoring equipment has detected Formaldehyde, a carcinogen, in the air. In the wake of this, what is the Welsh Government doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again?”

Mr Gruffydd also questioned the response of the various agencies involved in dealing with the fire’s aftermath. While praising the work carried out by the fire service, he went on to call for “an independent inquiry with community representation to establish why the fire raged for so long and why the response from agencies was so sluggish.

“Will you also support my call for independent air-quality monitoring equipment to be based permanently there – the current temporary equipment had to be moved from Swansea?”

The Business Minister has pledged to respond to his request.

County to vote for business improvement scheme

* Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms, left, speaks on the BID at the cabinet meeting.  

The county council is to vote for Llangollen’s planned Business Improvement District (BID) on behalf of the properties it owns within the area the scheme covers.

On March 19th 200 local businesses will be balloted on whether they wish to be part of the BID which aims to raise cash to pay for projects aimed boosting their trading potential.

If the vote goes in favour of the scheme each business will be asked to pay a levy to help raise £88,000 a year, or a total of £440,000 over the five years it will last.

It is proposed that all eligible businesses will pay a banded levy towards running the BID.

Smaller businesses with a rateable value of less than £2,500 and businesses that fall into the industrial, manufacturing, storage, and workshop sectors will be exempt from paying the levy as will the two schools, according to a report on the BID which went before the county’s cabinet at its meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

Members were asked to consider voting “yes” to the scheme on behalf of the properties it owns in the BID area and to approve the payment of the levy contribution on each of them.

Officers have said there are 10 county-owned properties involved.

Introducing the report to cabinet its chair, Cllr Hugh Evans, said there had been “an awful lot of consultation and engagement” on the BID proposal in Llangollen.

And he made the point that what it could achieve for businesses was “over and above” what the county council could provide for them.

He added: “This is clearly about the business community investing it what they consider are the priorities they hope will move their businesses forward.

“Llangollen has always been an ambitious and busy town and if the BID does take off it will help to deal with some of the pressures from a business perspective.”

Cabinet member Cllr Tony Thomas said he had heard Llangollen businesses had been very supportive of the BID, the benefits of which he described as “excellent”.

Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms, who was allowed to speak on the matter as local member although he doesn’t sit on the cabinet, said he and fellow local member Melvyn Mile were “very keen supporters” of the BID.

He added: “I don’t have a business in the area so I shan’t be voting or anything but certainly it is something we think is very exciting.

“I have to declare an interest as chairman of the Llangollen 2020 Committee and some of the things they might be supporting are some of the things that are involved in that [the BID].”

Cabinet members went on to give the go-ahead for the council to vote in favour of the BID on behalf of its properties in the area and to pay the appropriate levy if the March 19 vote goes in its favour.    

The maximum possible levy cost to the council would be £9,980 a year and as schools are excluded then the cost would be £6,230 a year.

The council report says: “For the BID to be established, two conditions must be met. Firstly, a majority of those voting have to vote ‘yes’ and secondly those who vote ‘yes’ have to represent more than 50% of the total rateable value of all votes cast.

“If both majorities are met then the BID can be established and all businesses within the defined boundary are liable to pay the levy irrespective of whether they voted “yes” or “no” at ballot.

“If established, a BID runs for a maximum of five years. Beyond that if the BID wishes to continue then a new proposal must be developed and another ballot held.”

The report goes on: “In June 2018 the council’s Economic & Business Development (EBD) Team were invited by a group of businesses in Llangollen to discuss the idea of a BID and the potential for a Welsh Government grant for BID exploration.

“A grant application was lodged and was successful in securing grant aid.”

Consultants Mosaic Partnership were appointed to work with business in Llangollen to undertake a study into the feasibility of establishing a BID and to develop a proposal to take to ballot.

A task group to oversee the project was formed and, according to the report, has since been undertaking consultation with businesses, market research and project planning to develop the BID Business Plan. This has involved face to face discussions, an online survey, presentations and consultation in the town centre.

If the vote goes in its favour the BID will commence this summer and its initial term will run for five years.

An incorporated Company Limited by Guarantee will be established to deliver the business plan/proposals. It will be responsible for the delivery of the BID services and it will employ staff as appropriate to implement the BID board’s programme on a daily basis.

The council report adds: “Businesses could vote against the BID. To minimise this risk the Task Group are developing a robust business plan that has had engagement from businesses and demonstrates value for money to all potential levy payers.”

Church bells will toll for Holocaust Memorial Day

* The liberation of Auschwitz in 1945.

Next Monday, January 27, is Holocaust Memorial Day and is also the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, where more than a million people died.  

At 4.30pm St Collen's bell ringers will be making a small contribution to the international memorials by ringing a quarter peal, which is about 45 minutes of continuous ringing, with the bells half-muffled, as they are for Remembrance Sunday.