New web pages show how county council is funded

Denbighshire County Council has launched new web pages to inform residents about how it sets its budget to deliver local public services with a focus on providing value for money.

Local authority funding is complex and technical and while many believe that council tax pays for delivering all the council’s services, this is far from the case. 

In fact, only a quarter of Denbighshire County Council’s funding comes from council tax.

The council's net budget is funded from three main sources:

1. 62% - Revenue support grant from Welsh Government
2. 13% - Business rates which are a property tax paid on business and non-domestic properties to pay for services
3. 25% - Council tax, which is the annual fee that residents pay to Denbighshire County Council

Gwyneth Ellis, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets said, “We think it’s vital that residents understand how their council, and therefore, its services are funded. There are lots of misconceptions about where the money comes from, and we want residents to understand how their money is spent.

“To address this, we have developed new web pages with information about how Denbighshire County Council spends its money. The aim is to set out in a clear way where we get our funding, how we spend the money, give an overview of the council’s budget, and explain to residents how the council tax bill works.”

* To find out more about council spending, how the Council is funded and your Council Tax bill, visit Denbighshire County Council’s new website pages on the link below.

How the Council is funded

You can also check how much you know about the Council by completing a quick quiz on the following link:

Quick quiz

 

Warning about door-to-door mattress sales

Denbighshire County Council’s Trading Standards Section is warning residents to be on their guard as more reports of doorstep sellers come in. 

The authority has received information about attempted sales of mattresses out of the back of a white Van by a trader cold calling at consumers' homes and whilst walking down the street. 

And trading standards officers say residents must be on their guard, as it is unknown at this time where these mattresses are manufactured, whether they bear the correct safety labelling or if they are genuine branded product. 

The sellers are claiming that the mattresses are on sale due to a family business closing down, liquidation of stock and cancelled hotel orders. 

It is understood that the mattresses have been described as memory foam, luxury etc. However, they are carefully wrapped, making it difficult to inspect them before buying. 

The sellers do not provide any paperwork or invoices and are currently operating under false business names and addresses. 

More importantly, the seller is not complying with the law relating to Cancellation Regulations, which entitles the consumer when entering into a contract in their home, to have a 14-day cooling off period where they can change their mind and cancel the contract at no charge. 

Councillor Win Mullen-James Lead member for Local Development and Planning said: “We are urging the public not to deal with these sellers, you really do not know who you are buying from and if things go wrong, there is no way of identifying the seller or rectifying the matter. If an offer seems too good to be true, in most cases it is."

If you are unsure about such traders or receive a visit, contact the Citizens Advice Customer Service on 03454 040506 or alternatively contact the police on 101. 

And, if you feel intimidated or threatened by any doorstep seller you should shut the door and call the police emergency number 999, advise trading standards.

Food Share featured in Rotary's next social event

The Vale of Llangollen Rotary Club's next community speaker event will be taking place at St Collen's Community Hall on Wednesday  August 16 and will feature the town's Food Share group. 

Running from 7.30-8pm, it is a free social event where you can meet others from the community and learn more about this important initiative and how it operates in Llangollen.

Skoda Karoq is clever contender for top of the SUVs

Skoda Karoq drive by Steve Rogers

Decisions, decisions, decisions, and if it concerns choosing a family SUV then you are in for a hard time.

Why? Because there are around 20 to choose from and they are all good. Make that very good.

But I am going to take a punt on the Skoda Karoq making the top three for a lot of buyers. 

Yes a Skoda, once the butt of all jokes so much so that Skoda joined in the fun happy to take the mickey out of themselves in some brilliant TV adverts. That is ancient history although there are still people of a certain age who will not give the badge garage space, like my neighbour’s wife. 

He has come to like them having looked at many on my drive down the years but got short shrift from his wife when he suggested taking a look around a Skoda showroom.

So what is it that makes Karoq so appealing? For me it is a well thought out family SUV, making good use of space and packed with thoughtful odds and sods. Simple things like elasticated straps in door bins and boot wall pockets to stop things rolling around, sliding hooks for shopping bags and the like, a reversible boot mat, rubber one side, carpet the other, chilled glovebox, ice scraper in the fuel filler cap and, of course, the now famous umbrella secreted under the passenger seat.

Children, and no doubt adults, will appreciate the mobile phone holder that slots into the front seat head rests along with the flip up trays in the seat backs, all part of the company’s Simply Clever philosophy. Rivals could take a leaf out of that book.

It is no surprise that Karoq is the third best seller in the range, or that SUVs account for 50 per cent of Skoda sales. Yet it is not a car that stands out. It’s not bad looking but nowhere near as eye catching as a Peugeot 3008 or the latest Kia Sportage. Inside is pretty ordinary as well although everything flows seemlessly and now has high end tech and infotainment upgrades in this second generation model.

The line up is simple, just three models SE Drive, tested here, SE L and Sportline with a choice of two diesel and three petrol engines. Some will think the three cylinder one litre engine too small for a car this size, well think again.

It is no flyer but has a satisfying amount of pull at low revs so you are not dropping a gear for every overtake, and it scoots along sweetly at motorway speed. Small three cylinder engines have been the stars of the 21st century surprising everyone with their performance and economy and Karoq’s tiddler is a another fine example.

It is no class leader on economy but mid forties should be a ball park for most drivers. I managed 47mpg over 450 miles of mixed driving with a best of 48mpg on a 120 mile round trip. It would do a lot better with hybrid power, look what it does for Toyota and Honda hybrids, but Skoda has no plans to go down that road. If Karoq has an Achilles heel that is it.

The entry SE Drive has a reasonable amount of equipment with a fast response touchscreen for radio, navigation and other bits of car info, LED headlights, front parking sensors (go up a level for a rear camera) electronic parking brake, and pleasing physical buttons for heating controls.

It has a speed limiter and cruise control, but working out how to use it took a bit more time than usual.

There good adult size space all round and at SEL level the back seats can be removed providing even more carrying space although Karoq is up there with the best for boot space even with the seats in place.

A hybrid engine option would certainly widen the Karoq’s appeal but it still stays in my top three for a family SUV.

Fast facts

Karoq SE Drive

£27,470

1.0 litre TSI 109bhp

0-62mph 11.3secs; 118mph

46-48mpg combined

132g/km. 1st tax £255

Boot: 521-1630 litres

Insurance group 10

MP meets two of the area's youngest councillors

* From left, Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam, Simon Baynes MP and Cllr Will Martin. 

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has met with two new councillors from his constituency.

Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam was co-opted on to Llangollen Town Council in June, making him one of the youngest councillors in Denbighshire. 

Since becoming a councillor he has been assigned to the council's Climate, Ecology and Cittaslow Committee. 

He is one of 11 members of the council, which meets on the third Tuesday of the month at 6pm in the Council Chambers in Llangollen. 

Cllr Damon Richards-Gwilliam said: “I would like to thank Mr Baynes for taking the time to meet with me. I am determined to serve the people of Llangollen where I live and delivering for them.”

Further details of Llangollen Town Council can be found on its website at: https://llangollentowncouncil.gov.uk/

Mr Baynes also met Cllr Will Martin who was co-opted on to Brymbo Community Council on July 6, making him one of the youngest elected officials within Wrexham County Borough. 

Cllr Will Martin said: “It is an honour to be able to represent my community of Brymbo on our Community Council. 

"Going forward, my main priorities will be to focus on ensuring the development in Brymbo is completed and that the people of the village have their voice heard.”

 

Brymbo Community Council represents the Brymbo, Bwlchgwyn and Tanyfron communities and is comprised of 11 members in total. 

They meet once per month on Tuesdays, with the dates of their meetings available on their website: https://www.brymbo.org/

Mr Baynes said: “It was a pleasure to meet with two of our newest councillors and learn about their ambitious plans for their local communities. 

"Both Damon and Will are two of the youngest councillors in Denbighshire and Wrexham respectively and it is great to see young people coming forward to serve their communities. I look forward to working with them.”

Police warn over fraud on WhatsApp groups

Large community and religious WhatsApp groups are being targeted by scammers who infiltrate them to try and deceive their members into sending them money.  The warning has come from North Wales Community Alert who say that since January of this year, 268 people have reported falling victim to this scam.  The fraud often begins when a member of the group receives a WhatsApp audio call from the fraudster, pretending, or claiming, to be a member of the group.  This is done in order to gain the individual’s trust, and often the scammer will use a false profile picture and/or display name, so at first glance it would appear to be a genuine member of the group. The fraudster will then call the victim and say they are sending a one-time passcode which will allow them to join an upcoming video call for group members.  The scammer then asks the victim to share this passcode with them so they can be “registered” for the video call. What’s really happening is that the scammer is asking for a registration code to register the victim’s WhatsApp account to a new device where they then “port” their WhatsApp profile over. Once the fraudster has access to the victim’s WhatsApp account, they will enable two-step verification which makes it impossible for the victim to access their account.  The scammer will then message other members of the group, or friends and family in the victim’s contacts, asking them to transfer money urgently as they are in desperate need of help. Oliver Shaw, Detective Chief Superintendent and Head of Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) said: “WhatsApp continues to be a popular platform for community and religious groups, but sadly also for fraudsters. Here, the scammers rely on the goodwill of group members and their intrinsic desire to help others in distress. “We urge people always to be wary when receiving contact via WhatsApp or other messaging platforms. This is particularly the case when being asked to provide account information – despite the fact that you may recognise the individual’s profile picture and / or name. “Never share your account information with anyone, and if you think it’s a fraudulent approach, report the message and block the sender within WhatsApp. To make your account more secure, we advise setting up two-step verification to provide an extra layer of protection. This makes it increasingly more difficult for fraudsters to gain access to somebody else’s WhatsApp account." Analysis of Action Fraud reports indicate that victims targeted by this scam are often part of large WhatsApp community, alumni and academic, work groups, and religious groups (such as church or prayer groups). What can you do to avoid being a victim? ·  Never share your account’s two-factor authentication (2FA) code (that’s the six digit code you receive via SMS). ·  Set up two-step verification to give an extra layer of protection to your account. Tap Settings > Account >Two-step verification > Enable. ·  THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity. ·  You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions.  If you have been a victim of fraud or cybercrime, report it  at www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040. In Scotland, victims of fraud and cybercrime should report to Police Scotland on 101.

Tendering begins for town's 4 Great Highways project

* Artist's impression of how Lower Dee mill Park could look. 

Llangollen’s 4 Great Highways project has begun its tendering process to find a contractor to undertake the work.

The Denbighshire County Council scheme aims to enhance the landscape and improve accessibility, interpretation and signage in the town.

The project is part of investment by the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund that was secured through a joint application between Denbighshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council for the Clwyd South Constituency. The application was supported by Simon Baynes MP. 

£3.8 million was allocated to Denbighshire to invest in the communities of Llangollen, Llantysilio, Corwen and surrounding areas.

In recent months, the council has undertaken a number of consultation activities to gather feedback from the public about what improvements they would like to see as part of this project. 

These have included walkabouts in the project area to hear from residents about their thoughts on the plans, opportunities to submit feedback via County Conversation, the council’s online consultation portal, a drop-in session at Llangollen Town Hall and an opportunity to express views on preliminary designs through a public display of the artwork at the library.

* How the Wharf area could look.

Based on this feedback, the council has finalised designs and published the artist’s impressions for what the area will look like once the project is complete. The detailed plans will be available on the council’s dedicated 4 Great Highways webpage shortly.

The council says it hopes to appoint a contractor to undertake the works by early to mid-September, which the tendering process is currently underway for.

A further public consultation will also be held soon to gather feedback on people’s preferred design options for the new signage that is due to be installed as part of the project.

Cllr Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport, said: “Following a comprehensive public consultation process to ensure that the final plans for Llangollen’s 4 Great Highways project reflect local thinking, we are pleased to now have initiated the tendering process to find a contractor to complete the works.

“We look forward to appointing a suitable candidate to bring these plans in to fruition. Once completed, we hope that these improvements enhance the resident and visitor experience and help to encourage people to spend more time in the town.”

* The latest information about Denbighshire County Council’s 4 Great Highways project can be found here: https://www.denbighshire.gov.uk/four-great-highways