Get in touch ...

Know of something happening in
Llangollen?
Tweet
us on
@llanblogger

E-mail your contributions to: llanblogger@gmail.com

We are on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/llanbloggercouk/139122552895186



Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Anti-bollards campaigner hits back with his own statement


* The controversial bollards along one side of Castle Street.

Town councillor Stuart Davies, who organised the 500-signature calling for the controversial Castle Street bollards to be removed, has replied to yesterday's statement from County Councillors Graham Timms and Melvyn Mile explaining that they were to be taken away in the next few weeks and replaced with specially-designed planters.

Cllr Davies says: "I am pleased to see that the two county cllrs finally accept the fact that the bollard scheme that has been causing concern, with reports of trips and falls coming in since its inception, is harming people and needs to removed.      

"The statement that the council is 'making the area as safe as possible' is an indication that the scheme is recognised as unsafe. 

"My report to Denbighshire County Council of my own personal experience of a near-miss on the bollards over a month ago was not replied to by the Head of Service for Public Protection who is in charge of this scheme. 

"The question has to be asked: Why it has taken so long for the reality to be addressed whilst in that time a person has been badly injured?   

"The proposed new measures of leaving the bollards in place for four weeks and painting white lines as a means of control are still putting people in harm's way and the councillors seem desperate to keep this scheme in place at any cost. 

"Cllr Timms advised Llanblogger in November 2020: 'Unfortunately there are strict rules about this - it’s about safety for pedestrians. Planters would be dangerous if a vehicle collides with them as they would slide, possibly causing injury,' and yet today he is saying: 'The first one is to use specially designed planters instead of the current lane defenders along Castle Street.'

"Research shows that the bollards are cycle lane defenders not pedestrian barriers and it is believed that this is why people have been tripping over the bases of them.

"We are fast approaching one of the busiest weekends of the year. There will be thousands of visitors arriving, the trip hazard will still be there.

"The public have been asking, and quite rightly too, how much has this cost and how much more is it going to cost us and how much is it going to cost in the next four weeks in the price of human misery when, not if, someone else trips over these bollards?"                                                                                                                                    

Latest vaccination update from health centre

In its latest Covid vaccination update posted on social media around 10am today Llangollen Health Centre says:

"We have appointments available this evening for anyone aged 50 and above who has not yet had their first dose Covid vaccination.
"Please ring us on 01978 860625 to book.
"Anyone who thinks they have been missed from Group 6, please check eligibility criteria using the link below. If, after reading this, you think that you qualify please email us at
Llangollen.Clinical@wales.nhs.uk.

Roadworks alert for Market Street

Latest roadworks alert from one.network is:

Market Street, Llangollen, Denbighshire


01 April — 09 April

 

Delays likely - Road closure

 

Works location: Market Street, Llangollen...

 

Works description: Pedestrian management on Market Street to install posts and ducting...

 

Responsibility for works: Denbighshire County Council

 

Current status: Advanced planning

 

Works reference: QR007S000000000472


Denbighshire recognised for affordable housing provision

Denbighshire County Council has been recognised as the top performing North Wales authority for affordable housing for 2019-2020.

Statistics released this month by the Welsh Government on affordable housing provision between April 2019 to March 2020 placed Denbighshire at the top for affordable housing provision in North Wales and 11th nationally in Wales.

The council has pledged in the Denbighshire Corporate Plan to support the development of 1000 new homes in Denbighshire between 2017 and 2022, with 260 of those designated as affordable homes and 170 as council houses.

Between 2019 and 2020 a total of 119 affordable homes were delivered in Denbighshire.

The council also delivered 33 local authority owned social rented homes.

Denbighshire also came out top in North Wales for the key indicator of affordable housing delivered per 10,000 households and sixth overall in Wales.

Emlyn Jones, the council’s Head of Planning, Public Protection and Countryside Planning, said: “Housing is a priority in our Corporate Plan, we recognised there is an important need to make sure housing is available to suit the needs of Denbighshire residents.

“We are working hard with developers and in partnership with registered social landlords to continually deliver on our promise to provide a wide range of accommodation for our residents, of which affordable housing is an integral part.

“Providing more affordable homes in our communities is part of our ongoing work to ensure we can retain more young people in Denbighshire.”

Denbighshire says it is on course to deliver a minimum of 70 more affordable homes in 2020-21.

Other housing developments across the county involving the council include:

•       Awel Y Dyffryn Extra Care facility in Denbigh developed by Grŵp Cynefin providing 74 dwellings for vulnerable and older people, due to be completed June 2021

•       Adra Affordable development site in Meliden providing 44 homes of mixed tenure due to be completed December 2021

•       Cartrefi Conwy development site in Rhyl providing 18 social housing apartments due to be completed January 2022

•       Clwyd Alyn development site in Ruthin providing 63 affordable homes of mixed tenure due to be completed May 2023

•       Denbighshire are developing sites at Caradoc Road in Prestatyn and Tan Y Sgybor in Denbigh which will bring forward 26 social rent homes in 2022.

Tuesday, March 30, 2021

Castle Street bollards to be replaced by planters, say councillors

llanblogger exclusive


* The Castle Street bollards will be replaced by special planters.

Llangollen's two county councillors have today issued a statement in which they reveal that the Castle Street's controversial bollards are to go and be replaced with specially designed planters.

The lane defenders have split local opinion since they were installed late last year as part of a package of measures to help promote social distancing during the pandemic.

Earlier this month a 500-signature petition organised by Stuart Davies - now a town councillor - was handed in to the county council calling for the bollards to be removed.

The Llangollen Advocate group has also been posting on Facebook details of a number of accidents they say have been caused by the presence of the bollards. 

The statement, issued by County Councillors Graham Timms and Melvyn Mile says: "We have been seriously concerned about the continuing reports of trips and falls on Castle Street and have been working with the county council to discuss ways of making the area as safe as possible for everyone. 

"It is clear that the extra space to social distance has been appreciated by large numbers of people, but serious concerns have been raised about the trip hazard caused by the bases of the lane defenders that have been used along the road.

"We cannot ignore these concerns or the very nasty falls that have been so visually reported on Facebook recently. 

"As a result we have now agreed a way forward with Denbighshire which involves two major changes. 

"The first one is to use specially designed planters instead of the current lane defenders along Castle Street. 

"This will remove the possibility of tripping on the bases of the current bollards.  

"The second measure will involve painting a white line on the road both inside and outside the planters to help everyone to see clearly where the pavement ends and the road begins.

"Work will begin as soon as possible, hopefully with the lines being painted by this weekend.  

"Removing the bollards will take a little longer as contractors will need to be appointed and traffic control arranged whilst the work is carried out. The planters will replace the lane defenders as soon as possible after that.

"The revised method will allow for some planting to brighten up the area whilst keeping the extra space for active travel and pedestrians in the town centre, particularly as the number of visitors coming to the town is expected to reach record levels over the coming weeks as the lockdown restrictions are lifted.

"Let's hope that over the next few weeks and months we will begin to see a much brighter future.

"Llangollen is a special town for all of us and we need to continue to work together over this difficult time for everyone’s sake."

Covid vaccination update local and regional



Up to last Sunday 59,797 people in Denbighshire had so far received their Covid-19 vaccinations, according to the latest update from the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board.

And last weekend was another busy time for Llangollen Health Centre which gave jabs to 851 people.

In its update on the local situation the health centre posted on social media yesterday (Monday): “After the weekend we are now in the position where we have vaccinated the majority of our patients in groups 1-9.

“If you are aged 50 or above and have not yet had your first Covid vaccine please contact us on 01978 860625 to book an appointment.

“We strongly recommend that, if you do want to have the vaccine, you do this as soon as possible.

“We have tried to contact all the patients on our Group 6 list. If you think you have been missed, we are asking you please to double check the eligibility criteria (see link below). 

“If having done this, you genuinely feel you should be in this group, please send us an email (Llangollen.Clinical@wales.nhs.uk) and a GP will review your medical records. 

“We are contacting patients for their second doses on a weekly rolling basis. However, if you are concerned that you have been missed please email us at: June.Jones4@wales.nhs.uk. 

Giving the wider picture the health board update, also put out yesterday (Monday) said: “As of 15 February, we have begun vaccinating priority groups 5 and 6.  

“We have also begun administering second doses for some who received the Pfizer vaccine in order to manage supplies effectively as the programme continues.  

“We are currently validating data for groups 5 and 6 and also second doses and will include these data as soon as possible.” 

In an overview the board gave the following figures:

  • Number of vaccinations given yesterday: 3,847
  • Total number of vaccinations given to date: 418,983 (first and second doses of the vaccine combined) 
  • Total number of second doses of the vaccine given to date (cohorts 1-6): 102,027

Priority groups vaccinated to date:

Older adult, care home residents: 8,063, Care home workers: 18,830, Those aged 80 year of age and over: 50,584, Health care workers: 45,379, Social care workers: 16,745, All those 75 years of age and over: 41,596, All those 70 years of age and over: 63,730, High risk adults under 70 years of age: 20,142, All those 65 years of age and over: 39,497, Other: 114,416.

Vaccinations by Local Authority area to date:

Anglesey: 48,411, Gwynedd: 70,326, Conwy: 79,950, Denbighshire: 59,797, Flintshire: 80,380, Wrexham: 69,888, Other: 10,231.

New service to help parents abused by their children

 

* Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones with (from left) Sarah Wilkie and Siwan Lloyd-Williams. 

A pioneering service has been set up in North Wales to help parents who are abused by their children after a 70% increase in cases during the pandemic.

Break 4 Change is a new support project, backed by North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones, that’s been established with the help of cash confiscated from criminals.

The therapeutic support provided by the Domestic Abuse Safety Unit North Wales (DASU) aims  to break the cycle of violence and prevent young people from becoming abusers in adulthood.

The new programme offers support to abused parents – and to their young abusers - and has received a grant of £5,000 from a special fund distributed by the PCC.

The Your Community, Your Choice initiative is also supported by the North Wales Police and Community Trust (PACT) which is celebrating its 23rd anniversary this year.

It is the eighth year of the awards scheme and much of over £280,000 handed out to deserving causes in that time has been recovered through the Proceeds of Crime Act, using cash seized from offenders with the rest coming from the Police and Crime Commissioner.

The annual awards scheme supports organisations which aim to tackle antisocial behaviour and combat crime and disorder in line with the priorities laid out in the Commissioner’s Police and Crime Plan. 

There are 21 grants being allocated to successful schemes in 2021, with the winners being decided via an online voting system that has attracted more than 22,000 votes.  

The £5,000 grant awarded to Break 4 Change after new research revealed a 70per cent rise in child to parent abuse during the pandemic, prompting the number of families seeking help to soar.

It will support the delivery of three programmes over the next 12 months across the counties of Wrexham, Flintshire, Denbighshire and Conwy. Together, these will support 15 adults and 15 children/young people.

Sessions will be run by experienced support workers who have received special training on ‘child to parent’ violence and will aim to help young people manage their frustration, increase parental wellbeing and reduce isolation.

DASU support worker Sarah Wilkie said: “Child to parent abuse has always been there but it remains underreported because parents often feel ashamed and blame themselves.

“They don’t always recognise their child’s behaviour is not acceptable, instead believing it’s part of adolescence.

“As an organisation, we are seeing an increase in referrals for support from parents as a result of child to parent abuse, particularly during the pandemic.

“One parent came to us via the criminal justice system. Her 14-year-old daughter had become self-destructive, was drinking alcohol, becoming abusive to her parents, and the situation was escalating.

“The parents didn’t know what else to do. They had been passed from agency to agency. They wanted to protect their child and were worried about the impact on her future – would she become a criminal, if they reported it would the situation escalate and lead to more violence?

“The fear of judgement is huge. That is a massive reason why parents will not seek help. They fear being labelled a bad parent or a troublesome family.

“Before this programme, our response was very much reactive. We provided emotional support, checked on the family concerned and liaised with other agencies.

“This programme will allow us to take a preventative approach and equip the child and their parent with the tools to understand what a healthy relationship is.”

DASU said a high volume of calls received by North Wales Police related to children or young people being abusive towards their parents. Until now, however, there were no specific services to support families in this situation.

“Young people’s behaviour is a way of communicating. There’s often some kind of trauma or bereavement or stuff going on at school and it’s getting to the bottom of it,” said Sarah, who missed a large part of her own education as a child through illness and felt drawn to help other young people overcome their problems.

“I and my colleagues have seen parents affected by physical violence, verbal, emotional and even financial abuse. We have seen parents frightened of their child.

“As a parent, you feel that you should be able to manage your child’s behaviour and don’t understand what is happening.

“If a child has been through a lot of trauma or lived with domestic abuse, how do they know what appropriate behaviour looks like?

“They might not have had any role models. How can you expect someone to change their behaviour without the tools to do it? This programme will allow that to happen.”

Siwan Lloyd Williams, Head of Services for DASU, said: “We expect this to have a great impact.

“It will help reduce abuse and violence in the home, help young people learn to manage their frustration and give parents the tools and confidence to deal with their child’s abusive behaviour. It will also help repair fractured relationships between children and parents.

“It should reduce the number of children who become homeless or have to be taken into care, help keep them out of the criminal justice system and prevent them from becoming adult perpetrators, so reducing the cost to the public purse.

“We would like to thank everyone who took the time to vote for DASU. We would also like to thank the Commissioner for his continued support.

“This funding will help us meet the needs of victims of domestic abuse in North Wales.”

North Wales Police and Crime Commissioner Arfon Jones said: “It has been an extraordinarily challenging year for us all but I am delighted that my Your Community Your Choice fund continues to support community projects across North Wales for an eighth year.

“Providing support for vulnerable people who are victims of abuse is a key priority in my Police and Crime Plan.

“The problem of children abusing their parents is one that many people will not be aware of but it is very real and something that causes untold hurt and anguish.

“This pioneering project being run by DASU will help break the vicious circle of abuse and hopefully repair the damaged being caused to these families in North Wales so that everyone concerned can move on and enjoy a positive and more harmonious future.”

PACT chairman Ashley Rogers added: “Your community your choice is a really valuable way of supporting communities and putting the choice of which projects are supported in their hands.

“It’s a very democratic process which is why I think it’s been such a long running  and successful scheme.

“It’s lovely project to be involved with and you can directly see the benefits from the funding in strengthening our resilient communities.”

Assistant Chief Constable Sacha Hatchett said: “This money includes cash from assets seized from criminals under the Proceeds of Crime Act. This is a particularly vital message as through the professionalism of North Wales Police Officers and with the support of the Courts, we are able to hit the criminals where it hurts – in their pockets.

“Our operations target all types of serious criminality including cross border crime, armed robbery, criminal use of firearms as well as drug production, importation and supply.

“Our communities continue to play a part in this success with local intelligence information given to our officers that help us to bring these criminals to justice.

“It sends a really positive message that money taken from the pockets of criminals is being recycled. This is turning bad money into good that's being used for a constructive purpose.”

* Anybody needing support can contact DASU via their website www.dasunorthwales.co.uk/contact or by ringing 01244 830436 (Flintshire), 01745 814494 (Denbigh), 01492 534705 (Colwyn) or ​01978 310203 (Wrexham).