Drakeford praises "phenomenal effort" of vaccination programme

First Minister Mark Drakeford (pictured) today praised the thousands of NHS staff and volunteers vaccinating people for their "phenomenal effort" as the first milestone in Wales’ vaccination programme was reached.

As the final appointments are arranged for the weekend, Wales will achieve the milestone of offering everyone in the first four priority groups vaccination, he said.

Arrangements were in place to make sure no one is left behind – if someone missed an appointment because they were ill or maybe they changed their mind about having the vaccine, a new appointment would be made for them.

Mark Drakeford said: "Vaccination is the number one priority for the Welsh Government and for the NHS in Wales.

"To have achieved this first milestone and offered vaccination to everyone in the first four priority groups – those who are most vulnerable to coronavirus – is a truly phenomenal effort. I want to thank everyone who has been working around the clock to reach this point.

"Of course, the hard work has only just begun – there are many, many more people to vaccinate yet and a lot of second doses still to give.

"The NHS has confirmed everyone in the first four priority groups has been contacted to be offered a vaccination appointment.

"If health boards have been unable to contact someone on the list, or if an appointment has been missed, systems are in place to go back and check and re-arrange a new appointment for anyone who wants to be vaccinated."

The latest available figures show 684,097 people have received their first dose of the vaccine.

Health Minister Vaughan Gething added: "Every vaccine given to someone in Wales is a small victory against the virus and we are already looking ahead to meeting our next milestone.

"The first milestone in our Vaccination Strategy set out that everyone in first four priority groups will have been offered their first dose appointment by mid-February.

"Not everyone in these groups will have attended their appointment yet, some will not have responded and some will have chosen not to have the vaccine.

"We would ask individuals to keep their appointments as allocated where possible.

"If people cannot attend their appointment for a genuine reason we ask them to let the health board know via the contact details provided in their invitation. The appointment can then be rearranged for a more convenient time or location.

"Once you have been vaccinated, you should continue to follow the guidance of staying at home, staying two metres apart, washing your hands and wearing a face covering to protect those around you."

The Wales vaccination programme in numbers:

• 13,988 care home residents have been reported to have had their first dose of the vaccine, as well as 33,832 care home staff
• 160,106 over-80s have been reported to have had their first dose
• 117,181 healthcare workers have been reported to have had their first dose
• 248,827 aged 70-79 have been reported to have had their first dose

Stuart Davies on why he is campaigning against social distancing measures

Former mayor Stuart Davies, who is standing for the vacancy on the town council next month, has issued a statement about why he is campaigning to have the temporary Covid-19 safety measures removed from Castle Street.

This follows a statement yesterday from Llangollen's two county councillors on llanblogger outlining why they think the measures should stay in place.

Stuart Davies says: "Many local people have expressed concerns from the outset about some aspects of the Traffic Restriction Order (TRO) that was introduced in Llangollen and the councillors' responses to them.

Since the introduction of the barriers, whilst they have been established for COVID measures, we have seen instances of public safety being out at risk by them with people falling over them and in one instance a member of the public breaking an arm.

The traffic lane created is so narrow that when two wide vehicles meet, we have witnessed vehicles mounting the pavement and vehicles' structure overhanging the pavement on the west side of Castle Street so endangering pedestrians on that side of the road.

The measures provide no additional queuing or social distancing for the west side of Castle Street, Oak Street, Bridge Street or Market Streets where shoppers and tourists will also congregate.

The barriers have transformed the “Jewel in the Crown” of Denbighshire into a barren and ugly streetscape and moved the hazards from one pavement across the road to the other.

The business interests and concerns of Castle Street shopkeepers have been largely ignored; 28 business representing 80% of Castle Street wrote to DCC registering their objections to this scheme. Some have shared the online petition via their social media feeds whilst 4 now have copies of the petition available for people to sign in their shops.

My decision to champion this and start a petition is in response to those democratic concerns being raised by members of the public, a fact highlighted by the response to the petition; 300 online signatures plus additional paper signatures have been gathered within 3 days and numbers are continuing to rise.

Denbigh and Ruthin, towns which both attract visitors, will not have these measures in place by the time a tourist season starts. Denbigh chose not to have them from the outset and Ruthin chose to remove them last week.

The councillors as elected representatives of the people of Llangollen appear to be unwilling to take note of the messages they are receiving from the public and there is a lot of disquiet being voiced by a sizeable sector of our residents.

The lack of ability to meet and discuss or consult has resulted in a lot of discussion on social media across all sectors of Llangollen’s population. Sharing information obtained by Freedom of Information requests and allowing the public to see how the process worked in Llangollen and who was involved is part of living in a free and democratic society. People need to be responsible and accountable for their actions and decisions to the public they serve. We should applaud and embrace that.

Shining a light on the way the Traffic Restriction Order (TRO) was put in place has shown that they were agreed without informing or consulting with the Town Council and that the Town Clerk wrote to DCC CEO to register concern that an unconstituted group had chosen to consult with Head Teachers and an ‘environmental lobby group’ but not advise the Town Council of the ideas they had put in front of Denbighshire County Council before advising the Town Council.

I have put myself forward for election to the Llangollen Town Council on a mandate that includes a thorough review of the 2020 Groups proposals. As the 2020 Group consulted with DCC and agreed the proposals going in before telling the Town Council I consider they are linked to this scheme.

Should another member of Llangollen’s community eligible to stand for election want to defend the bollards and oppose my position then I would suggest they stand in opposition and let the people of Llangollen decide what they want and the message they wish the winner to convey to the other Town and County Councillors."

Bill ensures safe Senedd elections during pandemic

An emergency bill to ensure the next Senedd election can happen safely, despite the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, has been approved by Members of the Senedd.

The Welsh Elections (Coronavirus) Bill introduces a range of measures to make it easier for those affected by the pandemic to vote.

It will also significantly address the risk of there being an extended period where the Senedd cannot meet that would arise if the Senedd dissolved as normal, on 7 April, and the election could not proceed on 6 May because of the pandemic.

The Welsh Government is clear that the election should go ahead on 6^th May 2021 as intended. Everybody should prepare on that basis.

But the Bill makes it possible to delay polling day should the pandemic present such a serious threat to public health and the conduct of the election, that it is not safe to hold the election at that time.

The Bill will become law following Royal Assent by Her Majesty the Queen, which is anticipated in the coming weeks.

Minister for Housing and Local Government, Julie James said: “I’m pleased Members of the Senedd have given their approval for the Welsh Elections (Coronavirus) Bill to become law.

“Given the unpredictable nature of the virus, there is significant uncertainty about what the public health situation will be like in May. That’s why we’ve acted now to respond to the potential risks to the election arising from the pandemic.

“The Bill Members of the Senedd have approved today, by a large majority, will help ensure people can exercise their democratic right to vote in the election, but to do so in a safe and secure way.

“The Welsh Government appreciates the huge efforts being made by the staff who run our elections to ensure it can be held safely on Thursday 6^th May.”

County councillors' statement on town's Covid-19 safety measures

* County councillors Melvyn Mile, left, and Graham Timms on Castle Street.

Llangollen's two county councillors, Melvyn Mile and Graham Timms, have made a joint statement about the Covid-19 safety measures put in place in the town centre late last year and which this week have sparked a petition by former mayor Stuart Davies calling for the removal of the bollards on Castle Street.

They say: "When the current lockdown is relaxed we can expect a record number of visitors coming to Llangollen. 

"The pandemic will not be over, but the extra freedom means that visitors will come in their thousands and the town will become busy and crowded once again. It will therefore be more important than ever to have extra space on Castle Street, and to ensure that the other Covid -19 changes stay in place until after the summer. 

"We are both fully behind the Llangollen Covid-19 scheme. Its introduction was to enable people to stay safe when they visit the town, providing space for social distancing and safe queueing outside shops. 

"The barriers on Castle Street are not pretty, but these lane protectors are the safest way to achieve this in the short term.  The decision to support the scheme was not taken lightly. We explored every possibility, and suggested changes based on comments received from residents and businesses alike. 

"The petition organised by Stuart Davies as part of his election campaign to join Llangollen Town Council is ill-timed and irresponsible.  

"This is the first World Pandemic of our time, and vitally important decisions made to protect residents and visitors to our town should not be dealt with like this. 

"As elected representatives we cannot ignore our responsibility for public safety based on online petitions or unpleasant and personal attacks on social media. That is why we stand firmly behind Denbighshire's Covid-19 changes. They are essential to protect everyone and in a major tourist town like Llangollen it would be a dereliction of our duty of care to call for the barriers to come down. 

"In these crucial few weeks and months we must all try to stay calm and patient with each other. Let's support each other as we have done over the last year, and come through on the other side together as a much stronger and united community. 

"Graham and Mel Can be contacted at graham.timms@denbighshire.gov.uk and melvyn.mile@denbighshire.gov.uk"

Tributes paid to ex-Wrexham and Wales goalkeeper Dai Davies

* Dai Davies being put through his paces during a 

physio session at Nightingale House last year.

According to a story which has just appeared on North Wales Live, tributes have been flooding in for ex- Wrexham and Wales international goalkeeper, Dai Davies, who has died.

Mr Davies, who ran a natural healing centre in Llangollen, had been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer earlier last year and had been spending time at the Nightingale House Hospice, in Wrexham.

* For the full story, see: https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/tributes-flood-welsh-goalkeeping-legend-19807921?fbclid=IwAR1wTCxUmp3qfZkkJHq-FNIVuoUWJnwcgnJqY1DX4LxNAw_eDszO9DJruZA

SM challenges First Minister over vaccination standby lists

North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has challenged the First Minister over vaccination standby lists following reports of people not in the national priority groups being offered the jab in North Wales.

Speaking during yesterday’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood provided numerous examples of people not in the national priority groups being offered the vaccine ahead of frontline police officers, teachers and other workers at risk of coming into contact with people infected with Covid, and asked the First Minister why this is happening.

He said: “Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board stated last Thursday  that no vaccines will go to waste as 'we are using a standby list created in accordance with the national priority groups’. 

"However, many Flintshire residents have contacted me stating otherwise.

“One said ‘A neighbour had a knock on the door from a new resident, who said everyday there are spare vaccinations as many people were not turning up, and if she was interested in a jab her contact at Deeside Vaccination centre would call her later in the day’.

“Another said ‘I have been made aware of a person, employed on IT duties, aged 26 with no underlying health conditions vaccinated at short notice, this is the third situation where I have heard of somebody that is outside of the roll out criteria being vaccinated on short notice’.

“Another said ‘there are people who are not frontline NHS staff/over 80 etc receiving appointments to have the vaccine - none had underlying health conditions’."

He added: "What, therefore is going on when surely any standby list should prioritise people like frontline police officers and teachers?”

In his response, the First Minister described Mr Isherwood’s comments as “a collection of random and unattributed anecdotes that really don't amount to a single piece of serious commentary” and said that “the health service across Wales, and in Betsi Cadwaladr too, is working as hard as it possibly can to deliver vaccination in line with the JCVI advice.”

He added: “Of course health boards have reserve lists, so that when people are unable, for all sorts of reasons, to take up an appointment at short notice, there are other people who can be called upon, so that vaccine does not go to waste. What could possibly be objectionable in that?”

Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood added: “I have been inundated with e-mails just like these, but was only allowed enough time to quote a few examples. 

"Of course we praise everyone involved in delivering the Vaccination Programme, but that doesn’t exempt this First Minister from scrutiny and his insulting dismissal of my constituents concerns is deeply regrettable.

“If the Welsh Government was following  JCVI advice, then the circumstances I described could not be happening. If they are, why won’t they admit it and instead prioritise on standby lists those whose employment means that they run the risk of coming into contact with people infected with COVID, when vaccines would otherwise go to waste?”

Prostate cancer support group gets its own website

* The support group's new website.

The Llangollen Prostate Cancer Support Group has started its own website to get its message of support across to the public during the pandemic.

This was announced on Facebook yesterday with a post which says: "The Group was established nearly 10 years ago to provide support and information to men diagnosed with prostate cancer and other prostate related problems.

"We used to meet every month at the Hand Hotel but because of the pandemic it has not been possible to hold face to face meetings for some time.

"Prostate Cancer UK, in recognising that this affected similar Support Groups up and down the country, paid for Zoom licences so that groups could hold virtual meetings with their members.

"Our Group in Llangollen took advantage of this and we now continue to hold Zoom meetings on the third Wednesday of the month.

"However, because of the pandemic it has been difficult to attract new members and make them aware of the Group and provide the support they and their families may need.

"We have publicity leaflets but, in the current circumstances, are unable to distribute them to Health Centres, GP Surgeries and the Urology Department of Maelor Hospital.

"Therefore we have now developed a website that provides a lot of useful information about the Group so if you know of anyone who has been recently diagnosed with prostate cancer or has had the disease for some time but who would like some support and someone to talk to then do tell them to visit: https://llangollenpcsg.co.uk