Ysgol Dinas Bran people talk about learning under shadow of Covid

* Ysgol Dinas Bran headteacher Mark Hatch has spoken to the BBC about Covid restrictions.

The thoughts of students and staff at Ysgol Dinas Bran about coping with the Covid-19 situation as they return to face-to-face learning have been shared with the BBC.

In an article on the news website there are interviews with headteacher Mark Hatch and a number of pupils about the situation they find themselves in.

Mr Hatch tells says in the story: "It's hugely upsetting how much impact it's having on the students."

And an 18-year-old pupil says: "It feels weird to be back with more restrictions. It's frustrating in a way to come back to more [restrictions] than there were before." 

* For the full story, see: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-59945062

Denbighshire businesses urged to apply for funding

Further funding is available for businesses impacted by the latest restrictions arising from the coronavirus pandemic.

Denbighshire County Council is helping to administer the Welsh Government’s Emergency Business Fund - January 2022.

Under the latest package of support, retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses who pay Non Domestic Rates will be entitled to a payment of £2,000, £4,000 or £6,000 depending on their rateable value.

Applications for this element of the fund open from January 13.

A discretionary portion of the fund is also available to sole traders, freelancers and taxi drivers who are able to apply for £500 and businesses that employ people, but do not pay business rates, will be able to apply for £2,000.

Applications for this element of the fund open from January 17.

Businesses will need to re-register their details through an online process with Denbighshire County Council to receive their payments.

An eligibility checker from Business Wales is available to help businesses gauge how much they can expect to receive under the new support package.

Cllr Julian Thompson-Hill, the Council’s Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, said: “We are alerting businesses to the fund and encouraging those eligible to apply.

“We understand it has been a difficult period for businesses who have worked hard to support the local economy and local employment.

“We are working closely with the Welsh Government on administering this fund and have made the application process as simple as possible.

“Businesses should also be aware the Welsh Government is reopening the Economic Resilience Fund from January 17 to support businesses that have sustained a 60% or greater loss in trade, within the hospitality, leisure and supporting supply chain sectors and applications for this fund must be made directly to Business Wales.

“Businesses can qualify for both the Emergency Business Fund and the Economic Resilience Fund.”

To find out more or apply you can visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/en/coronavirus/emergency-business-fund-january-2022.aspx

 

Denbighshire to consider 2.95% council tax rise

Denbighshire County Council’s Cabinet is set to discuss the draft budget for the 2022/23 financial year.

At a meeting on January 18, members will consider a plan to raise Council Tax by 2.95% ahead of the proposals being put to full council for final approval at a meeting on January 25.

As part of the budget process the council has received the draft budget settlement announced by Welsh Government which suggests Denbighshire’s budget will increase by 9.2% for the 2022/23 financial year, with increases of 3.3% and 2.2% the following two years.

The increase in funding comes with a number of new responsibilities the council will be required to fund, including pay increases, ensuring the Real Living Wage for social care workers and mitigation for the end of the Covid Hardship Fund.

The council therefore has a funding gap of £2.623million to fill for the coming financial year. Proposals to fill this gap include operational efficiencies amounting to £634,000 and an increase in Council Tax of 2.95%.

Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Lead Member for Finance, said: “This budget comes after a second difficult year dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, which has put an additional strain on resources for example, continued pressure on social services, schools, children’s services and waste services.

“We have previously made a firm commitment to Denbighshire residents to try and protect services that the public value and expect as much as possible.

“The council has a strong track record of doing this and we have tried to lead by example by being as efficient and effective as possible, reducing our budgets and making savings through better ways of working.

“Councillors will continue to scrutinise the budget over the coming weeks before it is put to Full Council for discussion and final approval on January 25.”

Welsh Government to help people in arrears pay their rent

Minister for Climate Change Julie James is urging anyone who has fallen behind in paying rent because of the pandemic to contact their local authority to find out if they can receive financial help to avoid eviction. 

The call is in a bid to keep people in their homes and close to their social networks to avoid the devastating impact that homelessness can wreak on physical, mental and social wellbeing. 

First announced in July last year, new changes to the £10m Tenancy Hardship Grant just announced  mean that anyone facing arrears due to covid-related reasons from the start of the pandemic in March 2020 right up until December 2021, can apply. 

This means that tenants in rent arrears because they lost their jobs following the removal of the Furlough scheme in September, or who suffered a significant decrease in income when the Universal Credit uplift was removed by UK Government, may now be eligible under the new criteria. 

Other examples of rent arrears as a direct result of the pandemic include a loss of income due to lockdowns or because of becoming ill with Covid-19. 

Also now able to apply are tenants in social housing who are not in receipt of housing-related benefits. Tenants in private rented accommodation are still encouraged to apply. 

Julie James said: “I am urging anyone who is facing eviction or who has fallen behind on their rent because of the pandemic to contact their local authority today to find out what help is available to them.

“Our £10m Tenancy Hardship Grant will help prevent eviction and support tenants to remain in their homes. The impact of being made homeless on people and families is huge – including support networks being lost, children having to move school, and families’ mental health and well-being suffering. We want to do all we can to help avoid that situation. 

“The grant should provide significant cost savings to each local authority in preventing homelessness and supporting people to remain in their homes and maintain their tenancies.” 

Ruth Power, CEO of Shelter Cymru said: “We welcome the changes to the Tenancy Hardship Grant announced today. Widening the eligibility criteria will mean more people, who are struggling during the pandemic to pay their rent, are able to access support to keep their homes. Our advisors are working with people across Wales whose incomes have been seriously affected by the pandemic and who are really worried about the future. Getting money quickly to people in need will prevent families becoming homeless.”

* Applications are now open, with the final date for rent support being December 31st 2021.

Concerned parent criticises 'critically dangerous' roadworks

* A picture of the roadworks provided by the concerned parent.

A worried parent claims health and safety standards of the 2020 project roadworks in Llangollen town centre are "non-existent" making them "critically dangerous".  

The parent, who wishes not to be named but has a child attending a local school, said: "Healthy and safety standards none existent. 

"Schoolchildren, parents with prams, elderly, and the general public have to walk on busy main road to get past the pavement works. 

"There are trip hazards (feet of traffic cones and barricade feet) on the road. A accident waiting to happen.

"Last year three people where injured as they tripped into the busy road due to inadequate pedestrian road safety barricades. 

"How long will it be until our schoolchildren is hit by traffic due to the site staff and Denbighshire county council allowing this to stay unsafe and critically dangerous?

"The workforce is safe from harm as they are barricaded in and have hi-vis."

The parent added: "I have contacted the Denbighshire county council three times since Monday morning. They said they would contact the manager of the project to make it safe. Nothing has been done. 

"There was a pedestrian walkway before the Christmas break but nothing has be put in place since work resumed on the 4th January."

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: “We will be installing today at the Church Street/ Castle Street area improved signage to inform the public about the closed footpath and to direct them to an alternative pedestrian route.

“Temporary tar ramps are to be installed at the suggested crossing points to cross the road to avoid the closed footpath.

“The walkway in place before Christmas is no longer possible to maintain due to the removal of the Traffic Management resulting in not enough room in the carriageway to safely route pedestrians.

“The alternative to this small pedestrian diversion would have been to install an additional set of traffic lights which would have caused additional delay for traffic”.

“Our site management team will continue to work closely with the contractor to monitor the temporary traffic management arrangements.”

Campaigners hopeful of further funding to repair landslip damage

* Ken Skates, centre, at the site with Cllr Frank Hemmings (left) and Cllr Derek Wright (right). 

Member of the Senedd Ken Skates says he hopes work to repair a collapsed road between Cefn Mawr and Chirk will get under way soon as Wrexham Council prepares a bid for further financial support. 

The Welsh Government has already awarded Wrexham Council £175,000 for ‘ground investigation and detailed design of remedial works’ for the B5605 at Newbridge, which suffered a landslip following severe storms last year.

The council is awaiting a final report, due in early February, and will then put together a business case for more major funding from the Welsh Government.

Mr Skates, the MS for Clwyd South, said he hopes to see ‘spades in the ground’ as soon as possible. 

“Before Christmas I raised the issue of the closed road at Newbridge once again with the Welsh Government after the announcement of a £175,000 grant to help Wrexham Council carry out the initial work required,” he said. 

“These investigations will shape the application the council will submit to the Welsh Government for further funding. I hope it’s successful and that we can see spades in the ground as soon as possible.” 

Mr Skates said he had been in contact with Wrexham Council’s lead member for the environment, David Bithell, a number of times on the issue. 

He added: “Sadly, there has been misinformation circulating about this issue over recent months and an element of mischief-making. However, I would like to thank Cllr Bithell for the way he has gone about trying to resolve this issue and sought to work with other elected members for the benefit of the communities we represent. 

“I spoke to him on this issue again this week and we are both hopeful things will progress quickly once the council submits its funding bid.” 

Mr Skates wrote to the Welsh Government last month after being contacted by local councillors Frank Hemmings (Chirk) and Derek Wright (Cefn). 

Cllr Wright said: “We’ve been continually bending Ken’s ear about this as local people are frustrated and they want to see action. Although this is a B-road, it is a vital link between our communities and some people have been without a bus service for nearly a year. It’s the council’s responsibility to carry out the repairs, but obviously for something on this scale they need help. 

“All Ken can do is try to make sure the Welsh Government knows exactly how important this is for the people of our area. We have done all we can to get things moving on this.” 

Cllr Hemmings said he had been in contact with both Welsh Water and BT, who have subsequently redirected sewers and fibre cables. 

Cllr Hemmings added: “Funding for major projects like this isn’t just signed off – there is a process that has to be followed. I know people in Chirk are fed up of waiting for the work to be carried out, but the grant from the Welsh Government has really got the ball rolling. 

“That has paid for the surveys to be carried out, and significant progress couldn’t have been made until that is done. It is important to know the cause of the landslip and how it should be repaired. 

“Hopefully, the council will be able to get this application in soon and it will tick all the boxes, and then it will just be a matter of time before work get under way to reopen the road.” 

Mr Skates added: “I think we are all frustrated that progress on this hasn’t been quicker, but all public bodies need to go through the same process when public money is being spent – it isn't given out for projects of this magnitude without due diligence being carried out. 

“I look forward to Wrexham Council submitting a successful funding application as soon as possible, and I hope work can then get under way as a matter of urgency.” 

A written response to Mr Skates from Lee Waters, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, said: “The Welsh Government has awarded funding of £175,000 for 2021-22 from the Resilient Roads Fund to Wrexham County Borough Council (WCBC) for ground investigation and detailed design of remedial works for the B5605 at Newbridge. These works will inform any future application by WCBC for funding for the construction of the remedial works.” 

Updates on Covid-19 from Welsh Government

Latest Covid-19 updates from the Welsh Government, dated yesterday) are: 

• Help us to help you this winter urges Health Minister Eluned Morgan as more funding to relieve pressures and help the NHS and social care this winter is announced: https://gov.wales/help-us-help-you-winter-minister-health-and-social-services-eluned-morgan
• Watch the Health Minister’s press briefing: https://mobile.twitter.com/WelshGovernment/status/1480871914037919745
• Written Statement: COVID-19 Vaccination – Progress against Strategy: https://gov.wales/written-statement-covid-19-vaccination-progress-against-strategy-4
• Vaccination programme weekly update: https://gov.wales/covid-19-vaccination-programme-weekly-update-11-january-2022
• The Chief Statistician Stephanie Howarth has published a blog article about understanding Covid-19 infection rates in Wales following changes to testing policing in Wales – most people who have a positive lateral flow test no longer need to take a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result: https://digitalanddata.blog.gov.wales/2022/01/11/chief-statisticians-update-understanding-covid-19-infection-rates-in-wales/
• School performance reporting updates: Covid-19 update: https://gov.wales/school-performance-reporting-arrangements-covid-19-update
• Technical Advisory Cell summary of latest advice: https://gov.wales/sites/default/files/publications/2022-01/technical-advisory-cell-summary-of-advice-7-january-2022.pdf
• Travelling to Wales – testing and isolation: https://gov.wales/travel-wales-covid-19-testing-and-isolation

 

• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has today published statistics on provisional weekly deaths, including deaths involving Covid-19, for the week ending 31 December 2021. These figures will have been affected by the Christmas bank holidays.
• The total number of deaths involving Covid-19 since the start of the pandemic was 9,222.
• Of these, 24 deaths involving Covid-19 were registered in the latest week. This was 4% of all deaths, and 25 fewer than the previous week.
• The numbers reported by ONS are different from those from Public Health Wales because of different reporting methods and timing. The ONS figures are higher because they include some extra cases.
• https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins/deathsregisteredweeklyinenglandandwalesprovisional/latest

 

Coronavirus in numbers

• The latest figures published by Public Health Wales show there were 2,176 newly-reported cases of coronavirus, bringing the total to 729,662 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Wales since the start of the pandemic.
• Important note: On January 6, testing policy changed in Wales – people who test positive on a lateral flow test no longer have to take a follow-up PCR test to confirm the result. This is likely to reduce the overall number of reported cases by about 10%, based on analyses linking lateral flow tests to PCR positive episodes. See also: https://digitalanddata.blog.gov.wales/2022/01/11/chief-statisticians-update-understanding-covid-19-infection-rates-in-wales/

• There were four deaths reported by Public Health Wales. The total number of deaths reported by Public Health Wales is 6,654.
• These figures are updated daily at: https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection/viz/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary   

• The number of people who have received a Covid vaccine in Wales is published every weekday by Public Health Wales.
• The latest figures show 2,497,658 people have received their first dose.

• 2,328,295 people have had two doses of the vaccine.
• To date, 1,740,099 people have had their booster dose of the vaccine.
• https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/public.health.wales.health.protection/viz/RapidCOVID-19virology-Public/Headlinesummary
• For more information about getting your Covid-19 vaccine: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination
• Can you support the vaccination programme? More information for NHS staff and volunteers at: https://heiw.nhs.wales/jobs/nhs-wales-covid-19-vaccination-team-returning-healthcare-professionals/

What to do if you have symptoms of coronavirus

• The symptoms of coronavirus are a high temperature, a new, continuous cough and a loss or change in smell or taste.
• If you have symptoms of coronavirus, however mild, you must self-isolate at home for up to 10 days from when your symptoms started.
• Guidance about self-isolating: https://gov.wales/self-isolation
• You can book a test at https://gov.wales/apply-coronavirus-covid-19-test
• You should continue to isolate while waiting for a test result.
   

Where to find the latest information

• Wales is at alert level two. More information is available at: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2
• Alert level two: frequently asked questions: https://gov.wales/alert-level-2-frequently-asked-questions
• Our latest Coronavirus Control Plan, setting out the longer-term plan for Wales is at: https://gov.wales/coronavirus-control-plan-autumn-and-winter-2021-update  
• Information about coronavirus is available on the Welsh Government’s website at https://gov.wales/coronavirus and https://llyw.cymru/coronafeirws
• For more information about getting your Covid-19 vaccine: https://gov.wales/get-your-covid-19-vaccination
• Can you support the vaccination programme? More information for NHS staff and volunteers at: https://heiw.nhs.wales/jobs/nhs-wales-covid-19-vaccination-team-returning-healthcare-professionals/