County council wants to hear views of Llangollen people

* County Hall at Ruthin.

Denbighshire County Council wants to hear from Llangollen people about services it provides, and how they feel about the county and their local area. 

The council says: "Whether you live or work in Denbighshire, complete our stakeholder survey to tell us what you think.

"The results from the survey will be used to help us improve services that are important to you, as well as monitor the progress of our Corporate Plan. 

"To take part and have your say, please visit countyconversation.denbighshire.gov.uk or scan the QR code." 

* To review the county's current Corporate Plan, visit www.denbighshire.gov.uk/corporateplan. 

To keep up to date, visit the county conversation portal at http://countyconversation.denbighshire.gov.uk, and sign up for Y Panel.

 

Local MP reappointed to ministerial assistant role

* Simon Baynes MP at the Department for Digital, 

Culture, Media and Sport Offices on Whitehall.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes MP has been reappointed by the Prime Minister as Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to the Ministerial team at the UK Government’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).

A PPS is selected from backbench MPs to act as an assistant to a minister or team of ministers in the House of Commons. The role is unpaid. 

The DCMS helps to protect and promote the UK’s cultural and artistic heritage, as well as sport and digital technology.

It helps businesses and communities to grow by investing in innovation and highlighting Britain as a fantastic place to visit, as well as giving the UK a unique advantage on the global stage, striving for economic success. 

Mr Baynes will work alongside all of the DCMS Ministers, including Julia Lopez MP (Minister of State for Media, Data, and Digital Infrastructure), Paul Scully MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Tech and the Digital Economy) and Rt Hon Stuart Andrew MP (Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sport, Tourism, Civil Society and Youth), as well as Paul Bristow MP, as the PPS to the Secretary of State, Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP. 

Mr Baynes said: “I am very honoured and delighted to have been re-appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Ministerial team at the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. 

"The work of the Department covers many areas of UK Government policy which are extremely important for Clwyd South. And I am looking forward to delivering on the Government’s commitments and continuing to work hard for the people of Clwyd South as their local Member of Parliament.”

MS raises concerns over DWP ‘security incidents’

A Member of the Senedd has raised serious concerns about the handling of personal information by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). 

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates (pictured above) found there had been more than 6,000 data breaches – termed ‘security incidents’ – by the UK Government’s biggest public service department since April 2019. 

Mr Skates submitted a Freedom of Information request to the DWP, which is responsible for all benefits and state pensions, after being contacted by a recently bereaved constituent who had received letters containing the personal details of two other individuals. 

He said: “My constituent had just lost her husband and was having to deal with the DWP regarding his pension. She had numerous issues from the outset, which is the last thing anyone needs when they’ve just lost a loved one, but it culminated in her receiving two letters with the names, addresses, dates of birth and National Insurance numbers of two complete strangers.” 

Mr Skates’ constituent, who lives in Bangor-on-Dee, said: “I couldn’t believe it – two other people’s personal information there in black and white. It made me think that if I’ve received those letters then is my or my husband’s information being sent to other people? How many other people has this happened to? It’s extremely concerning. 

“After I contacted the DWP to tell them I was told over the phone it had been ‘dealt with’, whatever that means. How was it dealt with and how can they assure people it won’t happen again?” 

Mr Skates raised his concerns urgently with the DWP and asked how the errors occurred, how the breach had been dealt with and what action has been taken to ensure similar incidents don't happen again. In his representations to the DWP on October 7, Mr Skates also asked whether those whose details were mistakenly shared had been notified of the breach. 

He said: “I submitted a Freedom of Information request to the DWP, and it transpires that there have been thousands of what they refer to as ‘security incidents’ in the past few years. That works out errors like this happening around five times every single working day since April 2019.”

The figures provided to Mr Skates show there were 1,795 recorded incidents in the 2019 financial year; 2,242 in 2020; 1,426 in 2021 and a further 756 between April 1 and October 18 this year. 

Mr Skates added: “People will be rightly worried by these numbers, so I sincerely hope the UK Government is able to offer strong reassurances that appropriate action will be taken to make sure that in future people’s personal information is treated with more care and respect.” 

Mr Skates received a formal response from the DWP on November 7. 

It stated: “The mistake occurred through human error. The member of staff printing and posting the home worker letters on that day had included several pieces of correspondence in one envelope. 

“We have regrettably been unable to identify an individual responsible for issuing this particular letter as several staff covered this role. We are reviewing our home worker letter process and it is being improved to enable us to identify who issued specific correspondence. 

“A meeting has been held with Team Leaders who have been appraised of the issue. Team Leaders have been asked to speak with their team members about the breaches, impact and consequences, and the need to be vigilant when issuing correspondence.” 

On the question of whether those whose details were shared had been notified of the breach and received apologies, the DWP said: “This is being taken forward and all actions to identify other parties and offer apologies will be completed within the week.” 

The letter added: “I would like to sincerely apologise for the mistake in the correspondence from us, and for any concern and inconvenience this may have caused. We aim to provide excellent service to all our customers, and I am very sorry that on this occasion we fell short.” 

Mr Skates said he would also write to the UK Government’s new Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Mel Stride, with his concerns.

Roadworks alert for Hill Street

Latest local roadworks alert from one.network is:

Hill Street, Denbighshire 11 November - 02 December   Roadworks, Delays possible   Traffic management: Traffic control (multi-way signals)   Description: – Road re-alignment including new kerbline and new line markings (removal of existing pedestrian isl...   Works location: Hill Street;;;;;;;;;; mouth of A51...   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 Denbighshire County Council.   Responsibility for works: Denbighshire County Council   Current status: Forward planning   Works reference: QR015S000000001854

Two from Llangollen receive fire service awards

* North Wales Fire and Rescue staff at the awards evening in Rhyl.

North Wales Fire and Rescue staff – including two from Llangollen - were recently honoured at their 2022 awards evening.

The ceremony in Rhyl saw members of the service recognised for their long-standing service and commitment.

Lord Lieutenant of Gwynedd, Edmund Seymour Bailey presented Long Service and Good Conduct Medals as well as 30 and 40-years clasps to operational staff from the service.

The Long Service and Good Conduct medals are awarded to firefighters by His Majesty’s Representatives to recognise 20 years of service, whilst the clasps are issued in recognition of 30 and 40 years’ service.

Awards recognising 50 years of operational service as well as community awards to recognise members of staff and the community who have worked hard to improve community safety in North Wales were also presented by Dawn Docx, chief fire officer, and Councillor Dylan Rees, chair of the North Wales Fire and Rescue Authority.

A Long Service and Good Conduct Medal was awarded to Adam Clubbe, crew manager at Llangollen, while an Employer of the Year Award was presented to Morris Cook  of Llangollen.

Dawn Docx said: "Receiving a medal or clasp is an important occasion for every firefighter and this ceremony demonstrates the degree of commitment and dedication each one of the recipients has given to the Fire and Rescue Service in North Wales.

“All recipients can take pride and satisfaction in receiving their Long Service and Good Conduct Medals or clasps.

“I was also delighted this year that we were able to celebrate the community awards for the first time since the pandemic. 

“My heartfelt congratulations go to all those who attended, as well as to the staff who opted to receive their medals or recognition privately. Your service is truly appreciated, both by me as chief fire officer, your colleagues and by the communities we all serve.”

Latest Citizens Advice column

Latest column from Denbighshire Citizens Advice is: 

Q: Last year I fell for a scam when I was doing my Christmas shopping. The scam was clever. I thought I was getting a good deal but didn't realise I was being scammed until it was too late. How can I avoid the same thing happening again this year? 

A: Scammers’ tactics become more sophisticated every year, making scams tricky to recognise, but there are things you can look out for. 

If it seems too good to be true, it probably is. For example, tickets to an event that are much cheaper than they’re being sold elsewhere, or a holiday that’s a lot less than you’d expect to pay. 

Be wary of people contacting you out of the blue on social media sites or via text and email offering an item for sale or deal on something. 

Do your research. If you’re buying from a website you haven’t used before, spend a few minutes researching it. A good place to start is finding a website’s terms and conditions. You should also look up the company’s address, this can normally be found in the website’s ‘contact us’ section and should have a street name, not just a post office box. If it’s a registered UK company you can check its details on the Companies House website. 

Check to see what people have said about the company. It’s worth looking at different review websites to see other people’s feedback – don’t rely on reviews the company has put on its own website. 

Scammers will often ask you to pay in an unusual way, or very quickly. For example, you’re asked to send money through a transfer service like MoneyGram or Western Union or pay via vouchers. 

Remember never give away your personal information like a password or PIN and never click on or download anything you don't trust. 

To find out about scams across the country, you can sign up to the Trading Standards email alert on their website. 

If you've been scammed, there are organisations you should report the scam to.  

If you’ve transferred money in the last 24 hours, speak to your bank and the police. You should also contact the police if the scammer is in your area or you feel unsafe. You can also report the scam to Citizens Advice and Action Fraud. 

Don't feel embarrassed about reporting a scam – scammers are clever and it can happen to anyone. 

Reporting a scam helps track down and stop scammers, helping to prevent it from happening to others too. 

Audi A4 brings a touch of class to the estate

Audi A4 Avant drive by Steve Rogers

There was a time when the go to car for hauling luggage, furniture, anything really, was an estate.

Go back 30 odd years and the car of choice was a Volvo 850, the ‘box on wheels’, which counted for half the UK’s estate market, but come the new millennium the ‘boxes’ turned into stylish machines with names like Sportwagon, Touring, Avant and Shooting brake.

Leading the way was Alfa Romeo with the 156 Sportwagon, so sleek it looked better than the beautiful saloon. That said it was not at all practical and very much style over substance.

Now you feel sorry for sales people trying to shift an estate because everyone wants to buy an SUV, yet an estate is much nicer to drive and there are some cracking examples on the market.

If an estate with a posh badge still takes your fancy then head for an Audi showroom and seek out an Avant. A6 is the big boy, A4 a little more compact and there is an abundance of models although the emphasis on sporty has dwindled. Audi is putting the lion’s share of its efforts into electric models.

Not that the German marque has completely turned its back on performance. You can still get the RS badge and a reminder of the power crazed days when Audi battled for bragging rights with BMW. In the game of speed every fraction of a second counts and the four rings nearly always edged it.

Now the focus is on heavyweight horse power from smaller engines and this A4 Avant is a case in point. Normally I would favour diesel - Audi will still supply a diesel model - but with the spiralling cost gap over petrol, along with a general reluctance, the 2-litre petrol is a sensible and rewarding alternative.

Performance is on the money with a sprint to sixty taking around seven seconds but, more significantly, so is economy. Who would have thought 50mpg was achievable from a 200bhp motor? Well I got 51mpg on a round trip and averaged 46mpg over a week’s driving.

As an estate A4 fairs well on space against its premium rivals although none can match the incredible Skoda Superb which comes from the same family and is easier on the bank account.

Avant has a low sill, wide aperture with the powered tailgate open, minimal wheel arch intrusion, flat load area, reversible boot floor (handy for muddy boots or a wet dog) and an excellent retractable boot cover. That pretty much covers everything you want from a load lugger.

How many times over the last four decades have I written ‘no one can trim a premium car like Audi’, and nothing has changed. The cabin is dripping in quality, has superb build quality with every detail meticulously executed.

Audi’s mantra Vorsprung durch Technik (keeping ahead through technology) lives on particularly with the multi media interface, that’s the bag of tricks that controls navigation, Bluetooth, phone app connections, you name it, it does it.

The updated system is touchscreen, a sophisticated piece of kit with lightening response and ultra sharp graphics, you can even use a finger to scribble a navigation postcode, but I still believe ditching the rotary controller a backward step. Why not have both, like BMW and Mazda?

Audi would probably suggest using voice control for radio and navigation commands which, I admit, is very efficient. At least the separate climate control functions are neatly laid out with tactile switches.

It is hardly a surprise that A4 is a comfortable place for driver and passengers even if those in the back are a bit tight on legroom, something that has never been adequately sorted. There is barely any wind or road noise and ride comfort is now spot on.

This is the Sport edition with a choice of drive modes but don’t get too excited as there is little benefit switching to the sport setting. If sharper handling is your bag then go for S Line or an RS model.

As a premium brand you pay premium prices for A4, but once on the road you get the satisfaction that it is worth it.

Fast facts

A4 Avant Sport 40 TFSI

£40,840

2-litre 200bhp; 7sp S tronic

0-62mph 7.3secs; 130mph

43mpg combined

148g/km. 1st tax £230

Boot: 495-1495 litres

Insurance group 27