Denbighshire approves 2.95% increase in Council Tax

Denbighshire County Council has approved its budget for the 2022/23 financial year.

At a meeting yesterday the financial package, which includes raising Council Tax by 2.95%, was agreed.

As part of the budget process the council’s draft settlement announced by Welsh Government suggests Denbighshire’s budget will rise 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 rises, 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: “We have now completed the budget process for the 2022/23 financial year.

“It comes after a second difficult year dealing with the coronavirus pandemic, which has put an additional strain on resources.

“We took a balanced approach to this year’s budget which aimed to recognise and remedy service pressures in order to build resilience, to ensure services were challenged to deliver efficient services, to minimise the impact of proposals on services users while keeping Council Tax increases as low as practicable.

“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.”

Your chance to become a North Wales tourism ambassador

* Paul Hughes is one of those who have a tourism ambassador.

A scheme providing people with training and knowledge about tourism in North Wales is proving popular.

With over 2,000 people signed up, there are over 1,350 who have become Ambassadors for at least one of the regions in Wales - including Denbighshire Tourism Ambassadors - and this continues to grow.

The Denbighshire scheme offers 12 online training modules on a variety of themes including walking, cycling, towns, history, arts, coast, Welsh language and food tourism. 

There are three levels of awards – bronze, silver and gold, depending on the number of modules completed.

Leader of Denbighshire County Council, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, said: “We know continuous learning can have a positive impact on people’s lives. Whether you are looking to learn more about the area, improve job prospects or meet new people, becoming a Denbighshire Ambassador is a great way to start the year. 

"The scheme aims to deepen people's knowledge and understanding of the area as well as giving them the opportunity to attend events and visit some of our key sites across the county.”

Denbighshire was the first to launch an online scheme of its kind in Wales. 

It’s totally free and open to everyone. Residents, volunteers and local community groups are particularly encouraged to become Ambassadors to learn more about the special qualities of Denbighshire. 

Resident Wendy Davies said: “After booking 2 weeks off annual leave I discovered I had to self-isolate for 7 of them. Bored with watching the television, I couldn’t concentrate on books and being as I couldn’t leave my house for my usual hobbies of walking, gym, cycling, I decided to do the online modules. I loved it. 

"The videos and information is mind blowing, so much knowledge and information has been put into it. It really opened my eyes to looking at Denbighshire in a different light. Looking forward to moving onto gold level.”

Paul Hughes, walking group leader for the Vale of Clwyd Mind, commented: “I chose to become a Denbighshire Tourism Ambassador because it gives you more information, it’s always handy to have more knowledge when you’re leading people on walks and taking people around the different areas. The course is free as well which always helps. And you can do it at home over a couple of evenings a week, so it’s brilliant. You can’t have enough knowledge as they say, it’s always nice to learn something new.”

Richard Hughes, from Bracdy Holidays in Llandyrnog and Gold Tourism Ambassador, said: “Many of our visitors to Bracdy Campsite have never stayed in the area before. They are amazed by the beauty of The Clwydian Range behind the site and the stunning views across the Vale of Clwyd. 

"We’re here to answer questions about Denbighshire and so to improve our local knowledge we’ve become Ambassadors. We love our visitors to ask questions and we like to have the answers and with 2000 years of historic events to talk about, the wide open spaces and the bustling market towns there’s always plenty going on.”

Snowdonia National Park and Conwy County Borough Council have since launched similar schemes and Gwynedd, Flintshire, Anglesey and Pontcysyllte World Heritage Site are busy preparing to launch their schemes during 2022. Ambassadors are actively encouraged to sign up for all courses to extend their learning about North Wales and be part of a wider community.

* For more information on the scheme and to sign-up please visit www.ambassador.wales

Work on the 2020 project for the week ahead

Work planned on the Llangollen 2020 project for the coming week is:

• Complete the paving on Castle Street east
• Finish the excavation on Market Street south
• Pave Market Street south

Electric SUV with famous name that ticks all the boxes

MG5 EV LR drive by Steve Rogers

There were raised eyebrows and a few gasps at the price of the Volkswagen ID.3 electric car reviewed last week but like it not this is generally the going rate.

Electric cars are expensive because production is still small compared to petrol and diesel models.

Cast the net wider and there are cheaper electric cars, VW has a £30,000 ID.3 but it loses spec and range as does the lightweight Mazda MX-30 (£28,490 ) with a modest 124 mile range but the best electric car I have driven.

So where can we find something less salty with a reasonable range, plenty of kit and big enough for a family? Lift the curtain on the MG5 EV estate, a car with a famous British name that ticks all those boxes.

MG died decades ago but has been resurrected by the state owned Chinese company SAIC which is gradually building a range of keenly priced cars that are built abroad but assembled in Britain. The brand reminds me of Kia 20 odd years ago which started small and then burst into our lives with good looking cars and a ground breaking seven year warranty. MG offers that same warranty.

The company is still feeling its way but has already built two electric models. MG5 is the largest, a family estate around the size of a Ford Focus, VW Golf or Vauxhall Astra, with an electric range of 250 miles and a starting price of £27,945 making it one of the cheapest electric cars on the market.

It is certainly the best equipped for the money with the entry Excite toting all round electric windows, reversing camera, navigation, auto dipping headlights, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, adaptive cruise control and emergency braking.

It hardly seems worth paying an extra £2,500 for the top Exclusive model that adds keyless entry, leather style trim, heated front seats, rain sensing wipers and a couple of USB ports in the back.

But how does it fair on the electric front? Compared to the ID.3 the range is similar, the battery output a little higher at 61.1kWh, the power and torque lower, and it is slightly less frugal although the two cars were identical in our hands at 3.6m/kW, and the MG matches the VW in off the line acceleration.

The MG5 reached 228 miles from my wall charger, short of its maximum which is not uncommon with the majority of electric cars, and only lost 11 miles with the heating running a lot better than the ID.3 which dropped 24 miles.

Getting the car up to temperature takes a while so we were thankful for the Exclusive’s heated front seats which looked as if they had only one setting but are thermostatically controlled. Clever.

Staying with the front seats they are set too high. The powered driver’s seat doesn’t go low enough while the passenger seat has no height adjustment even on the Exclusive, a corner that should not have been cut.

But if low price suggests low quality think again. There is hard plastic atop the dashboard and door cappings but it doesn’t look cheap and there are plenty of soft touch coverings and smart trim finishes to compensate. The MG cabin quality is a lot better than expected.

Dashboard layout is a bit dated. Most new cars have switched to iPad style central screens but the MG’s 7in screen is flush within the centre console and suffers badly from glare. It is not that quick switching between applications either.

MG5 is a family estate and drives accordingly – keeping the family comfortable. It is a true five seater with a reasonably sized boot although an unfortunate ramp is created when the back seats are dropped and needs to be addressed.

These are just rough edges and can be pushed aside when considering the price and impressive spec list.

Let’s give the last word to the wife.

‘If the MG5 and ID.3 were the same price then the Volkswagen with its modern cabin and slick technology wins hands down. But the VW is silly money and by comparison the MG is more affordable for an electric car.

I wasn’t a fan of the layout, some fonts in the driver’s display are too small and the central screen hard to read when adjusting the heating even when the sun isn’t shining. But, and it is a big but, these niggles pale into insignificance compared to the MG’s value for money’.

She has spoken...sounds like MG5 is a hit then.

Fast facts

MG5 EV LR Exclusive

£30,445

Electric motor 153bhp

Battery output 61.1kWh

Range 250 miles

3.6 miles/kWh

Zero emissions

0-62mph 7.3secs; 115mph

100kW rapid charge 40mins to 80 per cent

7.2kW wall charger 9h 30m

Boot: 576-1456 litres

Insurance groups 27-32

Call for more funding to help Covid-hit businesses

* Sam Rowlands MS, far left, on a recent visit to Llangollen Railway. 

Sam Rowlands, Welsh Conservative Senedd Member for North Wales, is calling for more funding to help the struggling hospitality industry in the region. 

Speaking in virtual plenary the Shadow Minister for Local Government said he wanted to see more done to help this sector.

He said he welcomed the announcement of further financial support from the Economic Resilience Fund following more restrictions put in place over Christmas and the New Year but didn’t feel that this went far enough.

“However, because of the level and lengths of these most recent restrictions, for many it is simply not enough," he said.

“For example, the Night-time Industries Association, have estimated that, on average, their members have lost around £45,000 over the festive period and into the New Year.”

Mr Rowlands asked the Economy Minister, Vaughan Gething, whether businesses were lying when they said that support that they are likely to receive from the Welsh Government was not enough to cover their losses.

The Minister said the Welsh Government was doing everything it could within the resources available to support businesses.

Mr Rowlands said in response: “Hospitality all over Wales suffered when Wales moved to Alert Level 2 with Covid-19 restrictions and my region, of North Wales,  was particularly hard hit. 

“We had the strictest regulations in the UK  which was a clear overreaction to the situation. Many businesses in this sector are still struggling and I want to see more support for them from the Welsh Government.”

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)