Denbighshire is 'well-run and effective' says independent report

Denbighshire County Council is well run, exercises its functions effectively and acknowledges the challenges it has recently faced.

That's the positive verdict of the Panel Performance Assessment - a snapshot of how the authority is being run - approved by its Cabinet yesterday (Tuesday). 

The assessment, the first to be carried out in Wales, was held last September when a panel of independent experts evaluated key areas of the council’s performance.

 

It is a Welsh Government requirement that this evaluation is carried out every five years.

The panel interviewed Cabinet members, councillors, staff and a range of partners and in its findings concluded that overall, given the current context of significant demand and financial pressures, Denbighshire is a well-run council with key areas of strengths and innovation.

The report concluded that overall it exercises its functions effectively and also acknowledges the challenges it has recently faced. 

It also said the council has clear process in place to manage resources economically and efficiently and has navigated a decade of local government austerity well while protecting front line services where possible.

 

It found there are positive working relationships between staff and members and recognition among staff of the council’s ethos.  

Staff also demonstrated a "strong sense of pride in working for the authority" and showed a real commitment to making a difference to communities and a willingness to support staff from other council service areas when needed.

 

The panel noted areas of good practice and innovation, including a high degree of integration across social services and education and good engagement with staff and members and the Member Area Groups whereby members and officers meet in designated wards across the county to discuss residents’ local priorities and local impact issues.

Denbighshire’s Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets, Councillor Gwyneth Ellis, said: “The positive report is a reflection of staff’s efforts and commitment to the people of Denbighshire.

 

“As a council we welcomed the opportunity to participate and we have appreciated being given the chance to test ideas with impartial expert peers who can provide alternative perspectives. Having drawn up an action plan based on the recommendations, the Council will now work towards achieving these.”

 

Cabinet has recommended the report to council for approval to take forward action on key areas for improvement identified. 

* The full report can be found on the following link https://tinyurl.com/mr46f9k2

Ken Skates announces move from his Clwyd South seat after 14 years

* Ken Skates MS.

Ken Skates has said a fond farewell to the local constituency he has served on the Welsh Government for almost 14 years.

Large-scale boundary revisions mean that the next Senedd election in 2026 will be fought on a completely new electoral map under which his Clwyd South seat – including Llangollen – is due to disappear.

Welsh Labour member Mr Skates, who has his constituency office at the Malthouse on Regent Street, has therefore  announced his intention to seek selection for the neighbouring Wrexham constituency.

But the politician, who serves as Cabinet Secretary for Transport and North Wales, stresses he will continue to "give his all" to Clwyd South until the changes take place.

He said: “It has been the honour of my life to serve the people of Clwyd South since 2011, and I will be extremely sad to say goodbye to the communities and constituents I have worked alongside for more than a decade when the constituency ceases to exist next year. 

“I was born in Wrexham and studied for my NVQ in Wrexham. The city and county borough are a huge part of my life. I want to continue fighting for the interests of the area, and will be seeking selection to represent Wrexham. 

“I hope to be given the opportunity to help Wrexham continue on its upward trajectory and deliver for its communities, many of which I have represented as MS for Clwyd South. 

“In the meantime, and whatever else happens, I will continue to give my all to Clwyd South as I have done every day since May 2011. There are still a number of key priorities I want to see through, and I will do my utmost to help deliver them for local communities.” 

Under latest proposals announced by the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC) last year the country would be split into 16 large constituencies instead of the present 40 smaller ones. 

Ninety-six members, rather than the present 60, would represent each constituency, with six being elected in each one. 

Everyone of 16+ will now have one vote, choosing a political party or independent candidate. 

The DBCC proposes the new constituency to which Llangollen would belong should be called simply Clwyd and based around the new Clwyd East and the Clwyd North parliamentary seats. 

The new Wrexham constituency which Mr Skates aims to represent would be called Fflint Wrecsam and combine the present Alyn and Deeside and the Wrexham constituencies. 

The Commission will publish its final decisions report at the end of this March.

Lots to enjoy at auction with entertainment on Friday

This Friday, February 21, St Collen’s Community Hall is hosting a Sip, Savour & Bid evening in aid of much-needed church funds.

And organisers say it promises delicious treats, exciting auction items and live entertainment.

Guests can enjoy a selection of wine and cheese while taking part in a Promise Auction, expertly led by auctioneer Andrew Conde. A variety of items have been generously donated by local businesses and organisations.  

Lots include:

* Wild Pheasant Spar for two

* Llangollen Eisteddfod Family ticket 2 adults, 3 children

* Llangollen Eisteddfod 'Choir of the World' 2 adults

* The Bridge End Hotel £30 voucher.

* The Fish Stall on the Market £25 voucher

* Bottle of Tobermory Malt Whisky

* Royal Doulton Ornament

* 2 Trendy Lamps

* 2 tickets XX Club performance of The Importance of Being Earnest

* Lily Rose £10 Voucher

* Torch - donated by Watkin & Williams

* Ty Nook £20 voucher

* Llangollen Golf Club 4 Ball

* Fouzi’s £20 Gift Voucher

* Sunday Lunch for 2 @ The Hand Hotel

* 2 Framed Prints St Collen’s Church.

Adding to the evening’s enjoyment will be live entertainment from Angharad Watts, a talented young soloist from Llangollen, and Phil Robinson (llanblogger), well-known for his old time music hall performances with the Collen Players.

The event begins at 7pm and tickets are priced at £5.

* For more information or to book your place, email: stcollens@gmail.com or phone 01978 869285.

SEAT's Spanish maestro basks in supermini Indian summer

Seat Ibiza drive by Steve Rogers

There has never been a bad time to buy a Seat Ibiza and it could be heading for a bumper year.

The supermini pool is draining. The demise of Ford Fiesta is a thorn out of everyone's side, and Citroen has gone all electric with the C3 so relatively cheap to run cars like Ibiza are in for an Indian summer as punters dither over the right time to go electric.

The Spanish maestro has been charming us for 40 years and in that time more than six million have rolled off the production line.

It is the company’s most successful model, always punching above its weight and winning a shedload of awards as Seat established the brand to what it is today.

Here we have the FR Sport, a nod to the good old days of the hot hatch. Now this is no steamer but it does have a remarkable engine.

You would not expect much from a 1-litre three cylinder petrol, so prepare to be surprised. The credit has to go to parent company Volkswagen-Audi, they built it, and it is a belter feeling quicker than the 9.9 seconds to hit 62mph. Some of that is down to the seven speed DSG automatic gearbox that produces snappy, seamless changes. There are steering wheel paddle shifters and a sport mode to add to the fun.

Something to note is the FR Sport’s ride which is on the firm side, for obvious reasons, so if comfort is important go for one of the other Ibiza models.

The abiding memory of Ibiza is how easy it is to live with. Nothing is complicated; a car you instantly feel at home in. The layout is simple but effective, even the touchscreen is easy to master, while the heating controls are neatly laid out with physical buttons. Result all round.

FR Sport gets a digital driver’s binnacle with a choice of layouts and useful information in a no nonsense user friendly set up.

Ibiza might be small but is big on technology with plenty to find in the 9.2 inch fast responding touchscreen. Smartphone connections are a must these days and connecting my Android phone was simplicity itself. Voice control worked well finding navigation destinations and music searches.

At all but £25k FR Sport is at the upper end of the model range and does get a fair amount of kit including LED headlights with range control - that’s the next level up from auto dipping lights - navigation with real time traffic updates, fuel prices etc and an SOS button if you need urgent help.

It is reasonably roomy for a supermini with proper adult size legroom in the back seats. The boot is spacious for the size of car but could do with a false floor. Using all the boot space is a rare event and a false floor would avoid the fairly big drop when loading smaller items like shopping bags.

An emergency spare wheel is another bonus and far more reassuring than the bottle of sealing gunge which, by all accounts, hardly ever works on any car so good on you Seat.

Economy is hardly class leading, there is no hybrid option, and my average over the week just crept over 41mpg but you might manage 50mpg on a motorway run.

Seat has probably gone as far as it can with Ibiza but if there is one last hurrah they should think about reducing road noise which is pretty loud on FR Sport, fitting a reversing camera much earlier in the seven strong range, and popping in an auto hold button.

Apart from those minor infringements Ibiza is a solid buy, roomy, well equipped, relatively cheap to run and above all, great to drive.

Fast facts

Ibiza FR Sport

£24,620 (starts £19,725)

1-litre TSI; 113bhp

0-62mph 9.9secs; 123mph

48.7-51.4mpg combined

126g/km. 1st road tax £220

Boot: 355 litres

Insurance group 15

Young 'Uns rock with their killer Queen musical

* A scene from the Young Uns' We Will Rock You.

Review by llanblogger

Old rockers never die, so the saying goes.

But anyone who turns up at Llangollen Town Hall later this week will see that young rockers have quite a bit of life in them too.

Over three evenings plus a matinee the Operatic’s outstanding junior section, the Young ‘Uns, will be belting out their latest show, We Will Rock You, a jukebox musical based on the songs of legendary British rock band Queen with a book by Ben Elton.

The all-action piece tells the story of a renegade group known as the Bohemians who struggle to restore the free exchange of thought, culture and music in a vaguely Orwellian society.

And oh what music! For how could you fail to rock along to super-hits like Radio Ga Ga, I Want to Break Free, Killer Queen, Under Pressure, I Want It All, Who Wants to Live Forever, We Are the Champions and Bohemian Rhapsody?

Over the busy two acts  no less than16 of these glorious numbers come tumbling out and the cast of 21, aged from just eight to 18, do them all perfect justice.

Producer Dee Smith, artistic director Alison Ravenscroft and musical director Leigh Mason have ensured a strong line-up of principle players, including Kelsey Thornton as Galileo one of the disaffected rebel figures, Leri Roberts as sharp-witted misfit Scaramouche and Edie Langford as terrifying dictator Killer Queen whose voice is powerful enough to command people in the audience as well as those on the stage. Also impressive is Freddie Thornton who makes for the deliciously sinister secret policeman Khashoggi.

Backing up the leads is a powerful ensemble of Bots, Ga Ga Kids, Super Yuppies and Bohemians which seem to total hundreds but are actually nearer 20.

Young ‘Uns have done without the usual live orchestra and sing their songs to the accompaniment of backing tracks. But it works nicely and, anyway, how could any small group of musicians hope to recreate the rich sound that Queen made in the studio?  

Costumes are highly colourful and inventive thanks to a large team of backstage helpers, including the director who is also credited in the programme for set design, building and painting and props! That’s what you call above and beyond.

Following on from their successes of the past few years it looks like Young ‘Uns have another rockin’ great hit on their hands.

* Tickets for the show, which runs from this Thursday until Saturday at 7.30pm with a Saturday matinee at 2pm, are  available on line from: www.ticketsource.co.uk/llangollenoperaticsociety and also through four local outlets - Llangollen Tourist Information Office, Jades Hair and Beauty, Llangollen Oggie Shop & Fine Foods and The Clwydian Butcher.  

Funding available to improve open spaces

Funding totalling £318,970.09 is available to improve open spaces and play areas in Denbighshire.

Organisations that can apply for funding include:

•     City, town and community councils

•     Community and voluntary groups

•     Charities

•     Public sector organisations

•     Amateur sports clubs

•     Denbighshire County Council

The closing date for applications is 7 April 2025

* Further information and application forms will be available online here: www.denbighshire.gov.uk/commutedsums

Amounts available in each area of the county are:

Hope House’s Llangollen Canal Walk returns this March

* Hope House Hippo with event sponsors from Kronospan, CFO Ben Spruce and Group Secretary Mark Jones. 

Hundreds of walkers will be pulling on their boots and trekking a 10-mile route along the Llangollen Canal to raise money for Hope House Children’s Hospices this Spring. 

On Sunday March 23 supporters will take on the ever-popular annual walk, which starts at the Trevor Basin before heading over the world-famous Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and following the canal all the way to The Poachers pub at Chirk for refreshments before heading back to receive their special medals.

 

Last year the event, which is now in its 15th year, raised a massive £18,000 toward making sure Hope House and Ty Gobaith be here to help children with life-threatening conditions to live their best life.

 

Fundraiser Vicky Bradbeer said: “This wonderful event is guaranteed to put a smile on your face and a spring in your step this March. Bring along friends, family, colleagues and those four-legged friends and embrace the great outdoors.

 

“We have already well over half the places for the canal walk, which is absolutely incredible.

 

“This event is extremely popular and is always a sell-out, so make sure you sign up and get your tickets via the Hope House website to avoid disappointment.”

 

The event is sponsored this year by Chirk-based Kronospan who will also have a team walking on the day.

 

Ben Spruce CFO at Kronospan said: “It’s a real pleasure to be able to sponsor the event and continue our support for Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith. 

 

“We know several of our team are also planning to don their boots and join the walk, so we wish them and everyone else the best of luck in raising as much money as possible for Hope House and Tŷ Gobaith.”

 

* Tickets for the event are £15 for adults and £5 for children and all entrants will get a special bespoke 2025 medal and a goody bag at the halfway point. Get your tickets at www.hopehouse.org.uk/canal