Kronospan safety raised in Senedd by AM

Questions about community safety following the fire at the Kronospan plant have been raised in the Senedd by Plaid Cymru North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd.

Mr Gruffydd raised the matter and urged the Business Minister to ensure that the relevant government minister made a statement regarding the recent fire in Chirk, which he said had caused great concern in the local community.

He added: “There are health and safety concerns there after the third fire in three years. This time, the fire burned for a week causing pollution across the town and surrounding areas. It took 48 hrs before monitoring equipment was in place – missing the worst of the pollution. But this monitoring equipment has detected Formaldehyde, a carcinogen, in the air. In the wake of this, what is the Welsh Government doing to ensure this doesn’t happen again?”

Mr Gruffydd also questioned the response of the various agencies involved in dealing with the fire’s aftermath. While praising the work carried out by the fire service, he went on to call for “an independent inquiry with community representation to establish why the fire raged for so long and why the response from agencies was so sluggish.

“Will you also support my call for independent air-quality monitoring equipment to be based permanently there – the current temporary equipment had to be moved from Swansea?”

The Business Minister has pledged to respond to his request.

County to vote for business improvement scheme

* Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms, left, speaks on the BID at the cabinet meeting.  

The county council is to vote for Llangollen’s planned Business Improvement District (BID) on behalf of the properties it owns within the area the scheme covers.

On March 19th 200 local businesses will be balloted on whether they wish to be part of the BID which aims to raise cash to pay for projects aimed boosting their trading potential.

If the vote goes in favour of the scheme each business will be asked to pay a levy to help raise £88,000 a year, or a total of £440,000 over the five years it will last.

It is proposed that all eligible businesses will pay a banded levy towards running the BID.

Smaller businesses with a rateable value of less than £2,500 and businesses that fall into the industrial, manufacturing, storage, and workshop sectors will be exempt from paying the levy as will the two schools, according to a report on the BID which went before the county’s cabinet at its meeting yesterday (Tuesday).

Members were asked to consider voting “yes” to the scheme on behalf of the properties it owns in the BID area and to approve the payment of the levy contribution on each of them.

Officers have said there are 10 county-owned properties involved.

Introducing the report to cabinet its chair, Cllr Hugh Evans, said there had been “an awful lot of consultation and engagement” on the BID proposal in Llangollen.

And he made the point that what it could achieve for businesses was “over and above” what the county council could provide for them.

He added: “This is clearly about the business community investing it what they consider are the priorities they hope will move their businesses forward.

“Llangollen has always been an ambitious and busy town and if the BID does take off it will help to deal with some of the pressures from a business perspective.”

Cabinet member Cllr Tony Thomas said he had heard Llangollen businesses had been very supportive of the BID, the benefits of which he described as “excellent”.

Llangollen county councillor Graham Timms, who was allowed to speak on the matter as local member although he doesn’t sit on the cabinet, said he and fellow local member Melvyn Mile were “very keen supporters” of the BID.

He added: “I don’t have a business in the area so I shan’t be voting or anything but certainly it is something we think is very exciting.

“I have to declare an interest as chairman of the Llangollen 2020 Committee and some of the things they might be supporting are some of the things that are involved in that [the BID].”

Cabinet members went on to give the go-ahead for the council to vote in favour of the BID on behalf of its properties in the area and to pay the appropriate levy if the March 19 vote goes in its favour.    

The maximum possible levy cost to the council would be £9,980 a year and as schools are excluded then the cost would be £6,230 a year.

The council report says: “For the BID to be established, two conditions must be met. Firstly, a majority of those voting have to vote ‘yes’ and secondly those who vote ‘yes’ have to represent more than 50% of the total rateable value of all votes cast.

“If both majorities are met then the BID can be established and all businesses within the defined boundary are liable to pay the levy irrespective of whether they voted “yes” or “no” at ballot.

“If established, a BID runs for a maximum of five years. Beyond that if the BID wishes to continue then a new proposal must be developed and another ballot held.”

The report goes on: “In June 2018 the council’s Economic & Business Development (EBD) Team were invited by a group of businesses in Llangollen to discuss the idea of a BID and the potential for a Welsh Government grant for BID exploration.

“A grant application was lodged and was successful in securing grant aid.”

Consultants Mosaic Partnership were appointed to work with business in Llangollen to undertake a study into the feasibility of establishing a BID and to develop a proposal to take to ballot.

A task group to oversee the project was formed and, according to the report, has since been undertaking consultation with businesses, market research and project planning to develop the BID Business Plan. This has involved face to face discussions, an online survey, presentations and consultation in the town centre.

If the vote goes in its favour the BID will commence this summer and its initial term will run for five years.

An incorporated Company Limited by Guarantee will be established to deliver the business plan/proposals. It will be responsible for the delivery of the BID services and it will employ staff as appropriate to implement the BID board’s programme on a daily basis.

The council report adds: “Businesses could vote against the BID. To minimise this risk the Task Group are developing a robust business plan that has had engagement from businesses and demonstrates value for money to all potential levy payers.”

MP calls for independent monitoring of Kronospan

* Chirk residents at the MP's surgery last Saturday.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes has called for the independent monitoring of air quality and noise levels at the Kronospan factory in Chirk.

Mr Baynes held a walk-in surgery at the Parish Hall in Chirk last Saturday which was attended continuously by local residents from 9am – 5pm either in groups or individually. 

He says the main topic of discussion was the recent fire at Kronospan and people’s concerns about air quality and noise levels at the factory.

Mr Baynes said: “There is huge concern locally about the recent fire at Kronospan and how it started so it is vital that an open and transparent investigation is conducted into the causes of the fire and that the full findings of the report are made available to the public. 

"Residents of Chirk and the surrounding area also spoke on Saturday about their ongoing concerns about air quality and noise levels from the factory and these issues need to be addressed urgently by Kronospan by independent monitoring.

"I am working with Chirk Town Council and Wrexham Council and look forward to these matters being progressed with Kronospan.”

Welsh society to host St David's Day concert

Llangollen Welsh Society are hosting a St David's Day Concert at St Collen's Community Hall on Friday, February 28th at 7pm.

The concert features Lleisiau Ceiriog/Ceiriog Choir.

Tickets are £7 including a light buffet or £5 for members and are available from Elizabeth Benjamin or Eirwen Jones before February 26.

Eisteddfod to host dance workshop at Ty Pawb

Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod will be hosting a free International Dance Day workshop for all ages and abilities at Wrexham’s Ty Pawb on Saturday February 1, from 11am-1pm.

NEW Dance, the community dance organisation, will be leading the workshop and will explore dance traditions from Spain, Greece, Russia and the UK.

The aim is to give a taster of the week-long International Eisteddfod and its mission of bringing peace and harmony through music and dance. 

Participants will have the opportunity to learn three or four dances in a fun session for all ages, from grandparents to children, and share their work at the end of the workshop in the People’s Square at Ty Pawb.

There will also be an opportunity to find out more about the International Eisteddfod’s concert programme, and the new dance and solo competitions for 2020.

* If you would like to join in the dance workshop reserve your place by booking your ticket through Eventbrite here.

Warning to petrol station staff about scam

North Wales Police are advising petrol station owners and employees following recent fraud offences. 

A petrol station on London Road, Valley was targeted over the weekend and a forecourt in the Wrexham is recently believed to also have been a victim.

Offender(s) are purporting to be area managers of franchises, and convincingly asking employees to send pump meter printouts to management via a mobile phone number. 

The offender(s) acting convincingly will then request for stock details, and request that the stock be transferred to other branches.  The callers are then utilising local taxi companies to transport the stock

Area Support Sergeant for Anglesey, Ian Roberts said “This is clearly a well organised scam that targeted a local business.  Financially, the loss is considerable to the victim and we are urging other retailers to be aware of any suspicious calls. 

I would encourage forecourt staff to challenge any suspicious calls, and if needed to call representatives back on authorised telephone numbers. 

“If persons attend forecourts and assert they are management, suitable identification checks should be carried out. 

“Additionally, taxi and courier companies should be aware if a request to transport goods from petrol stations is received.”

Anyone with  information please contact Crimestoppers in confidence on 0800 555 111.

Advice on fraud prevention is also available via https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/business-protection

AM calls for inquiry into Kronospan fire

Plaid Cymru’s North Wales AM Llyr Gruffydd (pictured) has called for an independent inquiry into the fire at Kronospan in Chirk.

He said that safeguarding local residents’ health was paramount in order to move forward. 

And he called for permanent independent air-quality monitoring equipment to be located around the plant.

Mr Gruffydd said: “This latest fire is the most serious in a series of recent incidents at the plant. The plant's chairman Mike McKenna conceded in last Thursday’s town council meeting that there had been three separate fires within the past three years, all in different parts of the plant.

“Despite numerous fires and the concerns of local residents, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) only brought in mobile air quality monitoring equipment on January 15th and the town council heard that Formaldehyde had been detected in initial samples.

“This is very concerning given that initial reports stated that only virgin timber had been affected rather than any treated timber. Thermal imagine cameras designed to prevent overheating timber in the logyard clearly didn't work. Both these issues should be investigated independently.

 “Reports of children and a pregnant woman being hospitalised because of breathing difficulties are also very worrying and I would like clarity on that from the agencies involved."

He added: “The health and safety of local residents and workers at the plant is paramount. Providing real reassurance for the community would also be the best way to safeguard the hundreds of jobs at the plant and the impact the plant has on the local economy.

“NRW and Wrexham council are responsible for monitoring the plant and they, along with other agencies, confirmed that wood smoke alone can cause health problems. This is causing air pollution in the surrounding areas and rightly a cause of great concern for the health of vulnerable people, including children, the elderly and people with respiratory problems.

“It's important that both residents and workers are reassured after this incident. That's why we need a thorough and independent inquiry with community representation so that we can move forward. It's also vital that permanent air-quality monitoring is in place around the plant, not least because of the combination of large quantities of timber and chemicals on site.”

Mr Gruffydd said a petition calling for an independent inquiry had been set up at https://www.wrexhamplaid.cymru/kronospan_safety