Volunteer's first riverside litter collection is a success

* Dwysan with the donated litter collection bag.

The conscientious Facebook user who called for something to be done about the “huge” amount of litter in Llangollen had her first successful outing yesterday afternoon.

llanblogger revealed how Dwysan had asked earlier in the day if anyone was interested in doing something constructive about the litter explaining: “Tourism is really important to Llangollen and I don't want to bring negative attention to it. However, there is a huge litter problem here and in all other tourist spots.” 

The post then went on to suggest people should write to the county council asking them to provide more litter bins for the town, particularly by the riverside and put some signage up asking people to use the bins and/or take their rubbish home. 

Dwysan also suggested people could go to the river area yesterday afternoon armed with waste bags to collect litter from tourists after handing out notes asking for co-operation.

“I am looking to do this in a gentle and proactive way - simply handing out bin bags with a smile - no blaming, no arguing just asking,” Dwysan said.  

Later yesterday Dwysan told llanblogger: “I've been out. I was donated some bags from Keep Wales Tidy. A volunteer up the road dropped them off. I was very polite. 

“Most said they had their own bags but the ones that took them said they were really grateful and what a good idea it is. 

“I was by the river opposite the park - the rocks. It was mostly families and they seemed a bit more set up. Also lots were swimming so it was hard to talk to them. Maybe it's best to go later on in the day. I will have to think of some initiatives. 

“Someone has commented that paddlers clean the river twice a week so there's a few things going on. Just need to add to it.”

New Chief Executive for Denbighshire County Council

Denbighshire County Council has announced the appointment of its new Chief Executive.

Graham Boase (pictured), currently Corporate Director of Economy & Public Realm, has been appointed to the role.

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: “This is a fantastic appointment for Denbighshire and, on behalf of our staff and residents in the county, the elected members and I would like to congratulate Graham and welcome him to the new role.

“There was an extremely a rigorous selection process with a number of strong contenders in the running who all performed to an extremely high standard.

“Denbighshire County Council is one of the best performing councils in Wales and we are now looking forward to working with our new chief executive to continue that success into the future.”

Mr Boase said: “I am very excited about becoming Chief Executive of this fantastic council, having started working for Denbighshire as far back as 1996.

 I’m so grateful to the elected members for showing their trust and faith in me, it gives me a lot of confidence to know that they have backed my progress from Head of Service, to Corporate Director and now to Chief Executive.

“I think I know the council well and I’m really looking forward to getting stuck into the job, talking to our excellent leadership team, dedicated elected members and our residents about our future Vision for the Council.”

Mr Boase starting working for Denbighshire at its inception in 1996, initially as a Senior Planning Officer, in 2003 he became Head of Planning & Public Protection and in 2017 was promoted to Corporate Director: Economy and Public Realm. He will begin as Chief Executive on 1st August.

Action planned to deal with town's litter

* A typical scene, taken a few years ago, of litter left behind in Riverside Park.

A conscientious Facebook user is calling for something to be done about the “huge” amount of litter in Llangollen.

In a post this morning which is picking up support from other social media users, Dwysan says: “I wondered if anyone is interested in doing something constructive about all the litter. 

“Tourism is really important to Llangollen and I don't want to bring negative attention to it. However, there is a huge litter problem here (and in all other tourist spots). 

“I thanked the guy working for Denbighshire CC who was picking up litter this morning and he told me he spent two hours on the rocks alone picking up litter and filled up bags of rubbish.

“Yesterday I met a woman who was picking it up herself, all the bins were full and this morning I met Jim who was kindly picking up litter in his own time. 

“I really value people spending their free time picking up litter but personally I'm already working 40 hours a week in very busy NHS practice and I feel it's more important that we need to help people take responsibility for themselves.” 

Dwysan goes on to suggest: “There's a couple of things we could do. Firstly, can you write to Denbighshire County Council, their email is customerservices@denbighshire.gov.uk 

“Please can you ask them to provide Llangollen with more bins (particularly by the riverside) and put some signage up asking people to use the bins and/or take their rubbish home. 

“Secondly, I wondered if anyone would volunteer to go to the river (starting point we could perhaps go to other areas depending on volunteers) at midday (ish) and take some bin bags with a note and hand them out. 

“I'm going to write some notes that say, ‘Thank you for visiting Llangollen, we like to see our town busy and that everyone has such a lovely time here. Please could we ask you to use this bin bag and put any rubbish in it before you leave. You can take the bin bag home or you can leave the bin bag next to the bins in the park. We really appreciate you helping to keep our beautiful town of Llangollen tidy! Thank you/Diolch.’ 

“We'd only need, initially, two volunteers daily to go down for twenty minutes or so about midday at the busiest time. 

“I am looking to do this in a gentle and proactive way - simply handing out bin bags with a smile - no blaming, no arguing just asking! 

“It might make a difference, it might not but if you are interested in helping and trying to make a difference, I'm happy to provide the bin bags and the note attached to them, just need some help in distributing them!” 

In the Facebook post, Dwysan says the campaign would be hopefully be starting this Saturday but told llanblogger later: “I'm not arranging litter picking, I'm simply going to hand out some bin bags but thinking about it I'm not sure it'll be sunny on Saturday so might go down there this afternoon at 1pm outside Home Bargains. Strike while the iron is hot!

“I'm trying to create something that will generate some positive action rather than bashing people or name calling. It feels like something simple that we could try that doesn't cost too much and shouldn't cause offence to anyone.”

Welsh NHS staff to get 3% pay rise

Health Minister Eluned Morgan, pictured left, has agreed a 3% pay rise for all NHS staff in Wales, as she accepted the recommendations of the pay review bodies in full.

The recommendations from the NHS Pay Review Body and the Doctors and Dentist Review Body apply to staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions, which includes employed nurses, cleaners, porters and health support workers. It also applies to consultants, doctors in training, pre-2021 speciality and associate specialist (SAS) doctor contracts, salaried GPs and dentists.

The pay rise will apply retrospectively from April 2021.

Eluned Morgan said: “Once again, I want to thank our Welsh NHS staff for their extraordinary efforts over the course of this pandemic. Many staff have worked extremely long hours under enormous pressure.

“This pay rise recognises the dedication and commitment of hardworking NHS staff and the enormous contribution they have made. It is also a recognition of how valued they are by Welsh communities.

“For our lowest paid staff, this means we have gone above the Living Wage recommendation of £9.50 an hour, demonstrating our commitment to NHS Wales being a Living Wage employer.”

The Welsh Government says the UK Treasury has not yet provided any information about whether any additional funding will be provided to cover the cost of the recommended uplift above the 1% cap previously announced but the Health Minister said current budgets will be prioritised to enable this the deal to be implemented.

The pay increase will be made in addition to the NHS and social care bonus payment which was announced by the previous Minister for Health and Social Services in March 2021. 

The one off payment of £735 acknowledged the compassionate care provided by our NHS workforce to the people of Wales when we have been at our most vulnerable.

Government plan to help food and drink firms

A new plan to help food and drink companies across Wales get their products on the shelves of major retailers is being launched by the Welsh Government.

The Food and Drink Wales Retail Plan has been developed alongside an industry expert group and aims to see the turnover value for the food and drink industry in Wales grow proportionally more than the UK as a whole.

It has eight key objectives including creating a stream of new entrepreneurial food and drink businesses and accelerate the growth of companies with a turnover of more than £10m in the retail sector.

Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths launched the Retail Plan during a visit to Samosaco in Pontyclun.

Samosaco are currently listed in Morrisons stores in Wales and Costco across the whole of the UK. The company recently relaunched both their brand and packaging as well as a range of retail focussed products.

The plan will support Welsh companies to aspire to a UK level of distribution and help build closer working relationships across supply-chains and retailers.

It will also be key in nurturing the next generation of companies to access new market routes and help them respond to new demands from consumers.

Minister for Rural Affairs and North Wales, and Trefnydd, Lesley Griffiths said: “We have fantastic food and drink producers here in Wales and I am committed to helping them see their products enjoyed by more people, not only here in Wales, but across the UK.

“The new retail plan will be key to this by helping develop greater strength and resilience within the industry and put in place the building blocks to support companies in their next phase of growth and development.

“I would like to thank the Retail Expert Group for their work in helping create this plan. The group has been specifically established to assess Wales’ position within the UK retail sector and respond to the demands of evolving food markets.

“We have a real opportunity, through this new plan, to help Welsh food and drink businesses reach new and potentially game changing markets.”

Co-founder of Samosaco, Tee Sandhu said: “We are delighted to welcome the Minister here today to launch such an important initiative for Welsh Food and Drink.

“We have recently refreshed our brand and have developed a number of new Vegan and Vegetarian ready meal and snack lines and have had excellent support from the Government’s Trade Development Programme and the Fine Food Cluster.

“Our products including our famous ‘Onion Bhaji Scotch Egg’ are already widely distributed across Wales and will soon be available across most of GB through a significant online retailer. We look forward to building closer ties with the major retailers and expanding our position in the market.”

Chair of Food and Drink Wales Industry Board (FDWIB), Andy Richardson said: “Welsh Food & Drink has a tremendous opportunity to develop sales across retailers both in Wales and the UK. I genuinely believe consumers value the quality, sustainability and provenance of Welsh Food & Drink which, when combined with some excellent point of sale branding, should lead to good growth in this sector in the coming years”.

* The Food & Drink Wales Retail Plan can be found at: Retail Plan Summary_0.pdf (gov.wales)

New Honda e is packed with tech but still pricey

Honda e drive by Steve Rogers

So now we know. Come 2035 and production of petrol and diesel cars will end for good.

Joe Public won't be able to buy a new conventional engined car after 2030 and the only exception to electric will be hybrid or plug-in hybrid models which will have a five year grace period until the shutters finally come down.

Honda will have all its models electrified by next year, having decided to chop three years off its original 2025 deadline a move that will have big consequences for its biggest star, the Civic Type R.

Production of the current super quick bad boy is about to end but there will be a hybrid version next year which might not be a bad thing as electric motors boost horse power. You can just imagine the clamour to snap up a Type R the closer we get to E Day.

For now the Japanese company's only electric offering is the pint sized Honda e, a five door city car with a modest range of 125 miles. A larger electric model will arrive next year and although Honda is keeping schtum it is likely to be a Civic or HR-V sized car. The new hybrid HR-V hits our showrooms in November, ahead of mainland Europe which will have to wait until next year.

As for Honda e it is ahead of its time when it comes to styling. At first sight it is a car that looks unfinished, there are no visible door handles, and then you think 'there is something odd here'. It has no door mirrors and the answer to that conundrum is an even bigger surprise. Get inside and take in a new take on dashboard design. Everything is minimalist with clean surfaces, and then there is this strange full width black box stretching the full width of the dash. Futuristic or what?

All becomes clear with a press of the starter button when two 12 inch screens light up with a wing camera screen at each end taking the place of a door mirror. It is a world first and works perfectly well, in fact it gives a wider field of vision than a conventional door mirror. There is also the option of a remote camera view from the driver's mirror but I found that a bit weird and flicked to a normal view.

The main screens provide information and plenty of connectivity options and, of course, personal devices can be synced so you can plug your whole life into the car. It's all a bit mind boggling at first but pretty straight forward once you get the hang of it.

At 3895mm long Honda e sits between a city car and supermini, or to give a bit of context a Ford Ka and Ford Fiesta, but with rear wheel drive and the wheels plonked in each corner it is surprisingly roomy with space for four although I would not be planning any big holidays given the size of the boot. Shall we just say it is good for a few shopping bags.

Like all electric cars acceleration is brisk, even very brisk, and with 315Nm of torque on tap there are never any worries about quick overtaking. It is not the sharpest tool in the box when it comes to driving dynamics, wallowing slightly through sweeping bends and roundabouts but the car is about convenience and clean motoring, not rally driving!

My test drive was mainly around busy Surrey commuter roads and it was a case of e for easy, relaxing and, in the main, with silent running.

For now the stumbling block with Honda e, and every other electric car, is the price. No matter how much kit you pack into these cars, and the Honda has a more than generous spec, they are just too expensive and that is because volumes are still low and they are costly to build. All we can hope is that the price gap reduces the closer we get to 2030.

Fast facts

Honda e Advance

£31,265

Range 125 miles

Battery: 35.5kWh

Charge time 3h 30mins

0-62mph 9secs; 100mph

VED: Zero

Insurance group 29

 

2020 plan is recommended for approval - with amendments

 

* An artist's impression of the finished 2020 scheme.

Members of Denbighshire County Council's powerful cabinet have been advised to approve the £1.7 million plan to re-shape Llangollen town centre's road system.

The 2020 scheme is due to be considered by the cabinet next Tuesday and agenda papers for the meeting show that officers have recommended it goes ahead with some amendments to the original proposals.   

The scheme is intended to improve the public realm along Castle Street by replacing the existing kerbs and footway paving with high-quality materials.

Also proposed was the removal of on-street parking from Castle Street and from the Abbey Road/Castle Street junction to enable the adjacent pavements to be widened and reduce parking-related congestion on Castle Street. 

Other proposals included introducing a number of pedestrian dropped kerbs along Castle Street and to reduce traffic speeds by raising the road surface at some side road junctions as well as providing two loading bays for businesses on Castle Street, together with two disabled parking spaces near to Castle Street. 

It was also proposed to make Market Street one-way in a westerly direction between Castle Street and East Street and introduce a loading bay on the south side of Market Street where the temporary loading bay is currently located. 

The Castle Street improvement is part of a phased-approach to improve parking and to improve walking and cycling routes in the town. 

In his report to next week's cabinet Councillor Brian Jones, Lead Member for Waste, Transport and the Environment, recommends members approve 2020, including a list of amendments which result from the recent three-week public consultation exercise. 

The report reveals that a total of 507 questionnaire responses were received in response to the recent engagement. 

These were comprised of 322 online questionnaires and 185 paper questionnaires.

Of the 507 responses, 95 were from business owners, 358 were from residents, 32 from visitors, and 16 from people who work in the town but live elsewhere.

The questionnaire asked respondents whether they agreed or disagreed with the main proposals contained within the project.

Of the responses received, the number of people who agreed with the various proposals generally ranged from between 60% and 68%, except for 48% of respondents who agreed that the project would make them more likely to walk or cycle.

The number of people who disagreed with the various proposals generally varied from between 25% and 36%, except for the 22% of respondents who disagreed that the 20 mph speed limit and speed reduction features would make Castle Street safer.

A total of 64% respondents said the project is generally a good idea, with some of those saying the project could be improved further.

A total of 36% of respondents said that the project isn’t generally a good idea.

The report adds that the main issues of concern raised were the proposed width of Castle Street is too narrow; the loss of on-street parking; the proposed loading bays being goods-only; the proposed closure of Short Street; the proposed width of the Bridge Street junction and the proposed Bridge Street loading bay.

It goes on: "The public engagement feedback has been carefully considered and discussed with the Lead Member and local elected members. This has led to some design changes proposed for the project."

The report details the proposed amendments, followed by the council's comments on each one. They are: 

1. Change the two proposed loading bays for Castle Street to general loading bays. This is proposed in response to concerns raised by business owners about them not being able to use their own vehicles to unload goods.  

The council says: "It will also allow customers to move heavier items. Main negative impact of this is that the loading bays will be occupied more frequently which will reduce their availability and result in more interruptions to the flow of traffic. Will also increase need for regular enforcement."

2. Consider placing time limit on Castle Street loading bay from 0930 until 6pm.

The council says: "This would make the bay an unrestricted length of road outside of these hours. This would allow anyone to park prior to 0930 in the morning subject to the availability of a space.

"Negative is that bays could be taken up by overnight resident parking i.e no guarantee that they’d be available."

3. Change the proposed loading bay for Market Street to a general loading bay.

The council says: "This is proposed in response to concerns raised by business owners about them not being able to use their own vehicles to unload goods. It will also allow customers to move heavier items. Main negative impact of this is that the loading bay will be occupied more frequently which will reduce its availability. Will also increase need for regular enforcement."

4. Inset proposed Castle Street loading bays (This means that the existing pavements won’t be widened where they are adjacent to the proposed loading bays).

The council says: "This will mean that the loading bays won’t extend out as far into the road as would have been the case. Only negative impact of this is that the pavements won’t be widened where adjacent to the loading bays."

5. Withdraw proposal to close Short Street.

The council says: "Reconsider options for Short Street as part of Phase 2 including potential for one-way with left turn only restriction In light of opposition to closure of Short Street it is recommended that it is reopened and a traffic camera survey is undertaken to monitor the use of Short Street and any road safety or congestion-related issues."

6. Consider amendments to East Street/Parade Street 90 degree bend Consider scope to improve the existing “pinch-point” issues that have been reported.

7. Consider and, if possible, provide additional short stay parking on Market Street one way section One-way restriction may provide sufficient width to provide 2 no. on-street parking spaces.

The council says: "This needs to be checked to ensure it won’t interfere with the swept-path of large vehicles turning into Market Street off Castle Street." 

8. Undertake traffic assessment and consider options for re-routing of HGV through traffic 

The council says: "Evaluate and quantify HGV through traffic, is it same local hauliers using the route for example."

The cabinet reports can be viewed at: https://moderngov.denbighshire.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=281&MId=6272&LLL=0

Next Tuesdays' meeting, to be held online, can be viewed on the same web link.