Local roadworks notified by one.network

The following local roadworks have been notified by one.network:

Market Street, Llangollen 24 January - 24 January   Delays unlikely - Some carriageway incursion   Description: Disconnect and Remove Kiosk...   Works location: OPPOSITE NUMBER 4, MARKET STREET, LL20 8PT...   Public facing description: one.network has automatically assigned a category of Unclassified works to this Works based on the information available. Please note: Works Descriptions are not published by BT.   Responsibility for works: BT   Current status: Advanced planning   Works reference: BC005PP25W00001978861982

Grants available for businesses hit by Covid

 

Businesses in Wales impacted by the rapid spread of the Omicron virus can now apply for emergency financial support from the Welsh Government’s Economic Resilience Fund (ERF).

Economy Minister Vaughan Gething (pictured) previously said £120 million would be available for retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism business and their supply chains affected by the move to alert level 2 announced by the First Minister on Wednesday 22 December. Eligible businesses can apply for grants of between £2,500 to £25,000, with grants dependent on their size and number of employees. The application window will be open for two weeks, with payments starting to reach businesses within days. Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, said: “This Welsh Government has pulled every lever possible to support businesses across Wales since the pandemic hit, and we continue to act to ensure needs are met. “Following positive engagement with businesses, trades unions and other partners, we recently changed the eligibility criteria for the ERF support. The ERF grant is a Wales-only top up payment that currently supports eligible businesses who have seen a 60% drop in their income between December and February compared with the same period two years ago. The new criteria means that businesses in these sectors who have seen a 50% reduction in their turnover will now also be able to access the ERF. “This means more businesses will receive more support from the Welsh Government.” Non-essential retail, hospitality, leisure and tourism businesses in Wales can also receive support from the Non Domestic Rates (NDR) linked grant which is being administered by local authorities. Businesses will be entitled to a payment of £2,000, £4,000 or £6,000 depending on their rateable value. Local authorities are also administrating a discretionary fund for sole traders, freelancers and taxi drivers and businesses that employ people but do not pay business rates. Last week this was doubled to £1,000. The Welsh Government has provided in excess of £2.5bn funding to Welsh businesses since the start of the pandemic. Focused particularly on backing small businesses and Welsh communities, it’s targeted approach has helped protect in excess of 160,000 Welsh jobs which might otherwise have been lost. * Apply for Economic Resilience Fund support here: COVID-19 Support for Business | Business Wales (gov.wales)

Wales back to level zero by next Friday, says First Minister

Wales will complete the move to alert level zero on January 28, First Minister Mark Drakeford confirmed today, unless the public health situation changes for the worse. 

He said the phased plan to gradually relax the alert level two measures and move back to alert level zero will continue. 

The latest public health data suggests Wales has passed the peak of the omicron wave and coronavirus cases are falling back to levels similar to those seen earlier in the autumn. There have also been reductions in the number of Covid-19 patients in hospital. 

From today (Friday January 21) Wales will move to alert level zero for all outdoor activities. 

This means: 

• Crowds will be able to return to outdoor sporting events.
• There will be no limits on the number of people who can take part in outdoor activities and events.
• Outdoor hospitality will be able to operate without the additional measures required introduced in December, such as the rule of six and 2m social distancing
• The Covid Pass will continue to be required for entry to larger outdoor events attended by more than 4,000 people, if unseated, or 10,000 people when seated.
• The Covid Pass is required in all cinemas, theatres and concert halls which are currently open.

Mr Drakeford said: "The latest figures show we have passed the omicron peak and we can continue to lift the alert level two protections as part of our careful and phased plan. 

“We will lift the limits on the number of people who can gather for outdoor events. We remain cautiously confident the public health situation is heading in the right direction and next week we will be able to complete the move to alert level zero, unless the situation changes for the worse. 

“We are in this position thanks to the efforts of everyone in Wales and our fantastic vaccination programme. It is important that everyone continues to follow the rules and the guidance to help keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including taking up the offer of a booster vaccine if they haven’t already done so.” 

On Friday January 28, Wales will complete the move to alert level zero. 

This means: 

• Nightclubs will re-open.
• Businesses, employers and other organisations must continue to undertake a specific coronavirus risk assessment and take reasonable measures to minimise the spread of coronavirus.
• The general requirement of 2m social distancing in all premises open to the public and workplaces will be removed.
• The rule of six will no longer apply to gatherings in regulated premises, such as hospitality, cinemas and theatres.
• Licensed premises will no longer need to only provide table service and collect contact details.
• Working from home will remain part of advice from the Welsh Government but it will no longer be a legal requirement. 

The Covid Pass will continue to be required to enter larger indoor events, nightclubs, cinemas, theatres and concert halls. 

The self-isolation rules for everyone who tests positive for Covid and the face-covering rules, which apply in most public indoor places will remain in force after January 28.

The next three-weekly review of the coronavirus regulations will be carried out by 10 February, when the Welsh Government will review all the measures at alert level zero.

Ifor Williams helps cancer charity recover from affects of pandemic

* Ifor Williams Trailers staff donating clothes, bric-a-brac, toys and books to Tenovus Cancer Care, From left, Rob Small, Joe Pardoe, Ben Whitby and Carole DeRosa from Tenovus.

A cancer charity with a shop in Llangollen is hoping that a green revolution in fashion will help boost their finances after their fundraising efforts were badly hit by the pandemic.

According to Tenovus Cancer Care, which has shops across north Wales, more and more people were ditching fast fashion and buying pre-loved clothes.

As a result, the new generation of bargain hunters are snapping up designer outfits for rock bottom prices.

Carole DeRosa, a retail manager at Tenovus, was speaking during a visit to Ifor Williams Trailers which have established collection points for the charity at each of their six sites in Denbighshire and Flintshire.

Big-hearted staff at the trailer firm are donating their unwanted items so that they can be sold by Tenovus in their shops.

The organisation was established by 10 Cardiff businessmen in 1943 – hence the name, Tenovus (Ten of Us).

It is now one of the leading cancer charities in Wales, helping patients with care, treatment, support and research.

The charity also has three mobile support units so that people don’t have to deal with the stress and costs of travelling miles to hospital.

Carole DeRosa said: “Tenovus is here from the moment of diagnosis and through people’s cancer treatment. We understand what it is to live with cancer and how it affects families and friends too.

“We’re here with information, advice, practical and emotional support. We’re here for you.

“We’re on the end of the phone and we have counsellors and financial advisors who can take that burden away from you.

“We’re here 365 days on the end of a phone to support people and answer questions about treatment, its effects and the things that matter to you.

Carole added: “The retail side of things contributes significantly to ensuring that our services can be here for everyone affected by cancer.

“The shops are also part of the community and lots of people use them to buy what they need.

“The past couple of years have been a struggle in terms of fund-raising because we haven’t had the donations we would usually receive.

“During the pandemic people were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and consequently our services have been in even greater demand.

“When I got in touch with Ifor Williams Trailers they immediately said they would be able to give us a hand which was just a relief. 

“The other benefit is the green aspect of recycling clothes, re-using clothes rather than them going to landfill.

“You’ll often see four or five students shopping together and they can buy a designer outfit for the price of a garment from Primark which is nice to see.”

Among the Ifor Williams Trailers staff who have contributed unused clothes to Tenovus Cancer Care is Ben Whitby, Genuine Parts Manager.

He said: “Unfortunately, cancer touches so many families and everyone here has been doing their bit.”

Joe Pardoe, a member of the distributor management team, added: “It’s always good to give to charity and Tenovus is a particularly good cause. They do fantastic work so it’s great to be able to support them in this way.”

It was a sentiment endorsed by the Group Head of Sales  Rob Small who said: “Ifor Williams Trailers is very much a community based company and we are proud to be able to support Tenovus in this way.

“The practical support and succour they provide in people’s hour of need is invaluable while the research they have helped to fund has already saved countless lives.

“It’s also great to hear that more and more people are now adopting a green approach to shopping, with sustainability taking precedence over fast fashion. That’s something that benefits all of us.”

Skates raises concerns about "paralysed" UK Government

Clwyd South Senedd Member Ken Skates (pictured) has raised concerns over the "paralysed" UK Government’s ability to work with Wales amid the current "crisis engulfing" Downing Street. 

During First Minister’s Questions he asked Mark Drakeford for an update on the functioning of the relationship between the Welsh and UK governments. 

The First Minister said: “We need a UK Government capable of discharging its responsibilities rather than one paralysed by the unfolding crises of a deeply dysfunctional Downing Street.” 

Mr Skates continued: “Governments can only operate effectively if they are stable and focused purely on serving the public good. 

“It's been disturbing to read about the parties, the lockdown law-breaking, and the Prime Minister's precarious leadership position, all of which I fear risks, as you said, paralysing the UK Government and therefore undermining inter-governmental relations until there is a new leader. 

“First Minister, are you able to offer us any reassurance that the UK Government is able to discharge its functions responsibly given all that has happened during the course of the pandemic?” 

Addressing the Presiding Officer, the First Minister said: “Llywydd, I’m afraid I don't think I can offer such a reassurance. The UK Government, it seems to me, is trapped in the headlights of the events that it has brought upon itself by its utter disregard for the rules that the rest of us are bound by. 

“And in an attempt now to escape from the dilemmas that it itself has created, everything it does is seen through that lens. Every statement that is made, any policy initiative that is put forward, is not motivated by the needs of the country or the importance of addressing the key challenges that we face. Every one of them is seen through the lens of how this Government can escape from the mire into which it has plunged itself. 

“And in those circumstances, I'm afraid, on the things that Ken Skates pointed to – the need for stability, the need for a government focused on serving the public good – I can't offer any assurances that the current state of the UK Government is conducive to those sorts of qualities.” 

A YouGov poll earlier this week revealed 60% of people in Wales thought the Welsh Government’s handling of the pandemic was better than England’s. The Sunday Times this week declared Mark Drakeford "comfortably the UK’s most popular leader".

Councillors 'delighted' as 40mph limit on Horseshoe Pass is approved

* From left, County Councillors Graham Timms, Martyn Holland and Melvyn Mile on the Horseshoe Pass in 2017. 

Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms says he and colleagues are "delighted" that a controversial 40mph speed limit on the Horseshoe Pass has been approved by Denbighshire County Council.

He said: "County councillor Melvyn Mile and I were delighted to receive notification that the proposal for a 40mph speed limit on the Horseshoe Pass has now been approved. 

"We discussed the speed limit with road safety officers, along with Cllr Martyn Holland of Llandegla Ward, back in 2017. Our support for the speed limit has been unanimous."

He added: "The process for introducing a new speed limit is rigorous and has to be supported by evidence.

"The time taken to approve the limit was delayed by a report in Motorcycle News which resulted in many objections from all over England and Wales being received by the council. 

"Denbighshire County Council had to be certain that the limit was justified and that the objections should be over-ruled.

"I spoke to the mother of one of the two young men from Ruabon who tragically died on the Horseshoe Pass in 2012. 

"She told me that the speed limit order was signed the day after the 10th anniversary of the accident and that the speed limit had been promised at the inquest into his death in October 2012. 

"Whilst she has had to wait a very long time for the limit to be approved, she is delighted with the recent decision.

"Whilst the vast majority of drivers 'follow the rules'", we now need to ensure that the North Wales Police support the county in enforcing the speed limit when it starts, hopefully, later this year."

Back in 2017 when the speed limit campaign began Cllr Timms said: “We can’t just sit back any longer whilst road users continue to get injured or killed. Something has to be done to make the area much safer for everyone.

“Over the last two months the air ambulance has visited the pass on two occasions to support seriously injured casualties in accidents on the bends on each side of the summit.” 

Royal Mail blamed for non-delivery of vital public consultation reminder

Royal Mail has been blamed for failing to deliver almost 1,500 postcards reminding every household in the town to have their final say on Llangollen’s People’s Plan.

And the leader of the organisation which has prepared the blueprint for how life and work in the area can be improved over the next four years has therefore decided to extend the deadline for feedback by a further two weeks.

Known as Caru Llangollen, the plan has been prepared by a team of volunteers from Shape My Llangollen (SML), under the auspices of the town council, with the aim of providing a comprehensive vision for the town between now and 2026.

The suggestions in it are based on what the group was told by the people of the area in a series of pre-pandemic public consultation sessions when they were asked about what they liked or didn't like about the town and how they reckon it could be improved.

These consultation sessions generated over 1,700 separate answers.

And, based on what they were told, the volunteers produced the final draft of the plan which contains around 90 proposals for improving Llangollen and its quality of life and work up until the year 2026. 

SML is now in the process of putting the People's Plan back to the people for the last time before producing the final version.

This will then go before the Town Council - which set them the original task in 2018 - for approval and adoption a little later this year.

During the first week of December the group successfully completed their round of face-to-face comment gathering on the plan outside the Town Hall.

Originally the public had until December 31 last year to have their say on Caru Llangollen.

But feedback was so enthusiastic that the group decided to extend the deadline for comments by another month, until January 31, so even more people can take part in the process. 

To ensure as many people as possible could have their say SML asked town clerk Gareth Thomas to arrange for a mail drop of 1,450 specially- printed cards to every household in the town reminding people how to leave their feedback through written or emailed responses. This was at the town council’s expense.  

But yesterday (Monday) he discovered that Royal Mail had failed to send out any of the cards.    

He said: “I agreed with Royal Mail that the delivery would take place over the course of the two weeks commencing January 3, and I arranged for a courier to deliver the cards to the Royal Mail delivery centre in Warrington on December 23.

“I have a note signed by one of the centre’s staff, confirming they had been received.

“I learned yesterday that the cards have not been delivered and have now started the formal non-delivery complaints procedure.

“I will be claiming recompense from Royal Mail for the cost of the exercise, which includes £200 for the contract itself plus the £50 cost of printing the cards and the £80 cost of hiring the courier.”

Phil Robinson, who chairs Shape My Llangollen, said: “We are particularly angry because this is a major setback to the public consultation process and its is impractical to start the delivery exercise again as the cost of doing so, while waiting for recompense from Royal Mail, is beyond the resources of the town council.

“We have therefore decided we have no alternative but the extend the deadline for feedback again, this time until Monday February 14, and I urge as many people as possible to have their say on this extremely important exercise which looks at every aspect of our town’s future.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Our postmen and women work extremely hard to deliver mail to over 31 million addresses across the UK, six days a week, in all weathers. The vast majority of items are securely delivered to customers. We are sorry that this was not achieved on this occasion, and have been in touch with the customer about putting matters right.”  

* To look through the plan online - and turn it over page by page - go to: https://pubhtml5.com/gaql/ahfd

* Send in your comments by emailing the Town Clerk at: townclerk@llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk by January 31.

* Hard copies of the plan are available in Llangollen library as well as online.