Official sources comment on rumours of housing asylum seekers at White Waters hotel

* The White Waters Country Hotel on the A5.

The local MP and the county council have commented on rumours that asylum seekers could be housed in Llangollen’s closed-down White Waters Country Hotel.

There has been speculation this week on social media that the UK Government might be planning to accommodate refugees in the former four-star hotel in Berwyn Street that closed in 2019.

One Facebook post suggested the building might soon be taking in “international visitors,” while another said: “Does anyone know about supposed plans for the White Waters Hotel in Llangollen regarding being used as accommodation for 'asylum seekers', please?”

It is understood that the Home Office would have to notify the local Member of Parliament well in advance if it had any plans to accommodate asylum seekers within their constituency.

But Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes said this week: “I have not been informed by the Home Office of any such proposal.”

The Home Office would also need to notify the local authority. However, a spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said:  “The council is not aware of any hotel in Denbighshire accommodating asylum seekers and we haven’t had any notification through official channels.”

White Waters, which stands of the main A5 and has a commanding view of the River Dee, has stood empty since closing down four years ago.

In 2021 it was on the market for £1.5m.

Also in 2021 an advert appeared on social media for a chef for what seemed to indicate a take-over by new owners but which came to nothing.

Stolen beehives located just a few miles away, says story

Beehives that were stolen from a Llangollen business have been found just three miles away, according to a story in the Leader.

* For the full story, see: Stolen beehives from Llangollen business have been found | The Leader (leaderlive.co.uk)

Council slammed in row over free PPE for vulnerable people

 

* Mario Kreft, chair of Care Forum Wales. 

A council has been blasted for refusing to supply vulnerable people with free personal protective equipment even though it’s been paid for by the Welsh Government.

Denbighshire County Council has been accused of a “gross dereliction of duty” by social care champions Care Forum Wales (CFW) after it sent an email to care providers – including those in the Llangollen area - informing them it would no longer distribute PPE to them.

At a time when Covid was still a health risk with a rising number of cases again, CFW chair Mario Kreft MBE said the blatant disregard for the safeguarding of vulnerable people was a further demonstration that the authority was not fit for purpose.

Mr Kreft spoke out after the council sent a message to providers on July 25 blaming the Welsh Government for failing to fund the storage and the distribution of the PPE, including face masks, latex gloves and disposable aprons.

The message added: “On the basis that the funding has ceased and Denbighshire is experiencing significant budget pressures, we are now unable to continue with the storage and distribution of PPE and this is with immediate effect.”

The PPE is provided free by the Welsh Government to all local authorities in Wales at a time when Covid-19 is resurgent again.

Over 108 people in Wales tested positive for the virus last week when there were seven deaths linked to the disease but those figures are expected to rise in the autumn and winter.

Mr Kreft said: “Denbighshire is a council which pays the lowest residential care fees in Wales, £101.69 a day and that’s considerably less than their councillors get as a day rate for expenses.

“They’ve been given this PPE free by the Welsh Government and they’re not prepared to make any effort to get that to vulnerable people and the registered staff who are caring for them.

“Care homes and home care companies are supposed to be able to have the PPE free of charge.

“The cost of providing it themselves has not been factored into the fees they receive from Denbighshire so the council should either review the decision or recalculate fees to take account of costs of PPE. 

“It’s shocking and a dereliction of duty by the authority and they should be held to account for it.

“Local authorities have a statutory duty to provide services and here where they’re paying the lowest amount for care in Wales and they’ve got the chance to assist the private care sector they show their institutional prejudice.

“It’s just not acceptable and people are entitled to ask the question, ‘Is Denbighshire the right organisation to ensure these vulnerable people are properly protected?’.

“Whoever has made this decision needs to be held accountable if this leads to illness and death.

“We know Covid infections are going to go up and everyone over 65 is going to be offered a vaccine – that tells me this virus hasn’t gone away and it is going to kill people.

“It’s a safeguarding matter and what Care Forum Wales will do is ensure that whoever is responsible for that decision is held accountable for not passing on vital PPE.

“If there was partnership working they would be co-operating with care providers to ensure vital, life-saving equipment was getting to where it is needed.

“This is an example of a system of social care where the Welsh Government says one thing and a local authority like Denbighshire says another and the care providers and vulnerable people are left in limbo.

“It’s an indictment of the current system and the public have a right to ask if vulnerable people are safe in the hands of a local authority which pays its councillors more in expenses than it pays for the care of vulnerable people.

“You would think people would expect local authorities would do everything they could to support the providers looking after some of the most vulnerable people in the community rather than treat them with contempt.

“It’s an example of the broken system of social care in Wales and shows it’s not safe in the hands of authorities like Denbighshire.”

Denbighshire is one of three councils in Wales to announce they can no longer afford to store and distribute PPE provided free by the Welsh Government - the others are Merthyr Tydfil and Newport.

A spokesperson for Denbighshire County Council said: "Denbighshire County Council has been involved in discussions, along with representatives from Care Forum Wales and the National Commissioning Board regarding the continued provision of PPE. 

"During those many meetings, whilst advocating for the provision of PPE, the council was very clear that continued funding would need to be provided to Local Authorities to enable them to cover the additional costs of storage and distribution. Unfortunately, Welsh Government only secured the funding for the provision of the PPE and Local Authorities were asked to cover the additional costs. 

"There is a mixed picture across the region – the other Local Authorities across North Wales are continuing to store the PPE from Welsh Government with most asking providers to collect themselves from storage facilities. Across Wales the picture is also varied with a number of Local Authorities ceasing the storage and/or distribution of PPE altogether.

"Denbighshire has taken a decision not to store and distribute PPE to its care providers based on the fact that there is no funding from Welsh Government to support this and unfortunately the financial pressures that the council is under as a local authority has led to it having to make this very difficult decision. The amount of PPE the council was delivering to care providers has reduced significantly over the last 12 months and whilst it recognises that many of its providers utilised the service, others haven’t. Without any additional Welsh Government funding Denbighshire County Council is simply not in a position to continue renting a storage unit and staffing it.

"Care providers have expressed to the council that they are disappointed that Welsh Government was unable to continue the funding for storage and onward distribution, but also added their thanks for the support they have received over the last 3 years and they have taken the opportunity to collect PPE from the amount the Council has left."

MS hits out at 'bonkers' new 20mph speed limit

Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales, has added his voice to protests against the controversial blanket 20mph in his region. 

Mr Rowlands, Shadow Minister for Local Government, who has campaigned with residents in Buckley, against the proposals, said he fully understood the frustration of motorists who have started to tie red ribbons on their car bonnets and grills to protest against the soon to be imposed new speed limit. 

He said: “For the past 18 months I have been supporting campaigners in Buckley, who are totally against this scheme which comes into force across the whole of Wales on September 17.

“It is completely bonkers and will have serious consequences for people who live, work and travel in North Wales and not in a good way.

“Despite the vast majority of people being totally against the move and thousands signing a petition against it Welsh Government blithely carried on punishing motorists.

“It is a real shame that people feel they have to resort to these measures to be heard by Welsh Government and I am not surprised that drivers have become frustrated and feel they need to protest and I am sure we will see a lot more red ribbons as we approach the launch date for the blanket 20mph speed limit.

“Like most people I am not against introducing 20mph in certain areas and support letting councils put these limits outside schools, hospitals and other areas where evidence shows it’s a benefit, but a blanket 20mph speed limit across urban roads in Wales is just not right.

“I would really like to see the Welsh Labour Government  make a u-turn on this ludicrous policy but as we all know they are not interested in the views of the electorate.

“I make no apology for once again expressing my concern over the detrimental impact this default limit is going to have on people going about their daily lives and businesses.

“Instead of slowing Wales down, Labour should grip the wheel and get Wales moving again with a pro-growth, pro-business, pro-worker programme that works for those who need to drive.”

Pengwern Hub celebrates first birthday with Mexican-style fiesta

 

To mark its first birthday the Pengwern Community Hub is hosting a summer street party fiesta on Saturday, between noon and 3pm.

It will include a range of attractions plus Mexican vibes and food, including chilli and nacos. 

Executive producer made redundant as eisteddfod faces 'dire' financial position

* The International Pavilion where tonight's 'ideas' meeting was held.

llanblogger exclusive

The executive producer of  Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has been made redundant amidst what has been described as the “dire” financial situation facing the 76-year-old festival. 

At a meeting in the Pavilion earlier tonight (Monday) at which grassroots members and supporters of the eisteddfod were invited to come up with ideas for its future survival vice-chairman Chris Adams revealed this year’s event had led to a loss. 

Another eisteddfod official later explained to llanblogger that the actual amount was yet to be verified but was "substantial".

Later it was announced that executive producer Camilla King has been made redundant. 

An official statement says: “Camilla is leaving with the thanks of all Board Members and Chairs of the Committees.  

“She has been Executive Producer since September 2021 and steered the festival since the COVID-19 pandemic.” 

Chair of Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod Sarah Ecob said: “The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod has been severely impacted by the aftermath of the Covid pandemic and by the current cost of living crisis.  

“Like many other cultural organisations, the Eisteddfod is facing an extremely challenging future due to our financial situation.  

“The Board and the Committee Chairs have met to discuss emergency actions to try to stabilise our organisation.  We have taken the very sad decision to make our Executive Producer redundant and we will shortly be launching a major fundraising campaign to safeguard the Eisteddfod’s future.  

“We’d like to thank Camilla for her outstanding work at our festival and wish her well for the future.  We would like to thank our customers, volunteers, staff, competitors, performers  and funders who make the Eisteddfod such a special event every year…with their help we can ensure the Eisteddfod continues to be central to cultural life in Wales and continue its role in promoting peace in an uncertain world.” 

The festival statement adds that several new board members have been appointed “who will work with the staff and hundreds of volunteers to make sure the Eisteddfod continues”. 

It is believed that Camilla King has five days in which to appeal the decision.

At tonight's meeting Chris Adams told around 60 supporters gathered in one of the Pavilion’s meeting rooms and others who had joined via Zoom that the financial situation was “frankly dire” with inflation, the cost of living crisis and the aftermath of the pandemic all taking their toll on last month's 2023 eisteddfod. 

He added that the people running the eisteddfod knew they must now "move very quickly" to ensure that enough money was generated to keep it trading. 

He said that a number of small specialist groups within the organisation were already working on plans to see that next year’s festival went ahead on a firm financial footing, explaining: “There’s a lot to be done but I see this is as an opportunity as well as a challenge.” 

The supporters split into small groups to discuss key factors of the eisteddfod such as fundraising, competitions, concerts and events on the field. 

The large number of suggestions they put forward were then collated and discussed before being taken back for further consideration by the board.

Council asks dog owners to be responsible during summer holidays

Denbighshire County Council and the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB are urging dog owners to act responsibly as more prepare to visit the area’s countryside hotspots during the summer holidays.

Both bodies are sending out advice to keep pets on leads whilst walking through the countryside following incidents already reported on land around Moel Famau this year.

Livestock worrying, where dogs disturb and chase sheep, is illegal. Any caught worrying livestock can be destroyed and owners can be prosecuted.

Visitors should be aware of what restrictions and guidelines are in place and to keep themselves and others safe. People should also check ahead to see if facilities are open and also park responsibly in designated areas.

Councillor Win Mullen James, Denbighshire Cabinet Lead Member for Local Development and Planning, said: “Many dog owners visiting our countryside areas are respectful and do keep their pets on a lead and I would like to thank them for doing this.

“However there is a minority who do not follow the rules and we want to remind them that they ultimately responsible for their dog while walking through the countryside.

“Owners who ignore the rules and let their pets worry livestock in the area can be prosecuted and their dog legally shot if caught in the act. This is distressing to all and an outcome we want to prevent.

“Please always plan ahead if visiting our countryside, know the land you are going to walk through, respect the countryside code and always keep your dog on a lead.”

Extra countryside rangers will be at Moel Famau, Loggerheads and Horseshoe Falls to provide information and support for visiting members of the public.

* For more information, visit https://www.clwydianrangeanddeevalleyaonb.org.uk/ and follow the Clwydian Range and Dee Valley AONB on Facebook and Twitter.