New Year's Honours List

We would like to congratulate Councillor Ann Davies following the announcement that she will be honoured with a British Empire Medal (BEM) as part the 2024 New Year’s Honours List.

Councillor Davies has been awarded the medal for services to Local Government, the NHS and to the community in Rhuddlan.

How do you think the Council are doing?

There is still time to have your say!

We want to know what Denbighshire residents, businesses, staff, elected members and partners think of the work we are doing here at the council.

The survey is a great opportunity for the council to understand and learn from what people think so we hope you’ll help us by answering a few questions. It’s also a great way for you to find out more about the themes that make up the council’s current Corporate Plan. There is more general information about our Corporate Plan on the Council's website.

To take part and have your say, please complete the survey by visiting countyconversation.denbighshire.gov.uk

Closing date: 29 February.

County wide roll out of Absorbent Hygiene Products collections

The Council’s Absorbent Hygiene Products (AHP) collections will be rolled out throughout the county from June 2024.

This follows a successful pilot scheme for residents in the LL16 and LL17 postcode areas last year.

The new AHP collection service will be available to households with babies or children in nappies, and individuals who use incontinence products.

Registration for the service is now open and will close on Friday, 1 March with collections starting from June 2024. Another registration window will open later in the year.

Further information about the new service, including how to register, is available on the Council’s website.

Denbighshire properties benefit from new fibre installations

Properties in Denbighshire have recently benefitted from new fibre installations through the Fibre Community Partnership project.

The Fibre Community Project offers residents and businesses the opportunity to access better broadband with Openreach, despite not being a part of their current rollout plans.

The properties in Southwest Llandegla successfully applied for the Gigabit Voucher Scheme - which provides up to £4,500 worth of funding from the Welsh and UK Governments grants to improve broadband connectivity, through the Fibre Community Project.

Residents and businesses in Denbighshire can benefit from free advice and assistance from the Council’s Digital Officer who can find the best solution for internet issues they may be experiencing.

Philip Burrows, Denbighshire’s Digital Officer said: “Some communities may experience problems which require intervention by Openreach, the company which maintains and provides the major telephony and internet network system around the UK.

"However, individuals cannot contact Openreach directly, and that’s where I come in as the Council’s Digital Officer.

“I can be the go-between to hopefully take the stress out of sorting these types of problems. I can also advise on how to source funding to set up Fibre Community Partnerships if there are specific communities who are all experiencing similar problems.

“I’m happy to advise any resident or business in Denbighshire on any topic related to their internet connection.”

Councillor Emrys Wynne, Lead Member for Welsh Language, Culture and Heritage said: “I’m pleased to hear about the successful installations to remote properties in Southwest Llandegla, as ensuring better digital networks is essential and supporting communities to achieve this is a key priority in the Council’s Corporate Plan.

“I encourage anyone who wants to learn more about the various funding available or is experiencing difficulties with their internet to contact Philip, who will be able to advise on the best course of action.”

If you want to learn more about the Fibre Community Partnership project, or you’re experiencing slow internet speeds in your home, contact the Council’s Digital Officer on communitydevelopment@denbighshire.gov.uk.

Make it flipping sustainable this pancake day!

This year, Pancake Day is on Tuesday 13 February.

Reducing Waste

• Only buy ingredients and toppings that you know will get used or investigate recipes that can use the toppings in another way e.g. left over lemons or lemon juice for a lemon cake or biscuits
• If you have pancake batter left over but no space in your belly, still make the pancakes but freeze them for another day
• Remember that any food waste produced needs to go in your food waste caddy and not your normal waste bin

For more tips see the Love Food Hate Waste website.

Sustainable ingredients:

• Pancakes can be made egg free for anyone who is vegan or for anyone who has an egg or dairy allergy. There are many simple recipes online which only use flour and dairy free milk
  Make the day palm oil free! Palm oil is found in a lot of chocolate spreads and other cooking items because of its consistency at room temperature. Unfortunately, a lot of palm oil plantations are fuelling deforestation and damaging the habitats of animals which live in those spaces. You can find out more about palm oil on the WWF website.

Pupils across Denbighshire have worked with Chester Zoo to look at the impacts of deforestation. This picture was drawn by Lily from Ysgol Caer Drewyn.

What to give up for Lent:

• Why not pledge to switch some car journeys to walks where possible? It would be healthier for you and the planet.
• Cutting the normal ingredients found in pancakes from your diet during Lent will have a great carbon benefit.
• Towards the end of Lent as thoughts turn to Easter celebrations, consider finding sustainable gifts rather than Easter eggs which contain a lot of plastic and other waste materials. There is more information on the Eco Church website.

New project launches to provide Digital Inclusion support to Denbighshire residents

                                                                   

Digital Confidence Denbighshire will be delivered by Cwmpas and will run until December 2024. The project has received £515,106 from the Council’s allocation of UK Government Shared Prosperity Funding to support residents to get online by delivering drop-in sessions, workshops and essential digital skills courses in the area.

Digital inclusion can be empowering and help people to participate in day-to-day life and will support people to use online and digital services where they may lack a device, live in an area with poor connectivity, or have low skills or confidence.

Other benefits include saving money, reducing loneliness and isolation, increasing skills and knowledge, and even increasing employability skills.

Digital Inclusion Alliance Wales (DIAW), a group of 90 organisations working to make Wales a digitally-inclusive nation, found that as more vital services move online, including NHS appointments and benefits portals, there is a real danger that older people, those with additional needs and Welsh speakers will be at risk of missing out on accessing vital services.

And according to the National Survey for Wales, 7% of the population of Wales are not online. Just 41% of those over 75 years old are online and there are less people with disabilities or long-term health conditions online. It also highlighted that efforts are required to ensure that Welsh speakers are able to confidently access online services.

Digital Confidence Denbighshire will work with all of the groups affected, as well as those who are socially isolated, families with lower incomes and people experiencing homelessness to ensure they can safely and confidently access digital services.  

David Madge, Regional Programme Lead at Cwmpas said: “Digital inclusion and digital literacy are essential rights and skills in a modern world. More and more essential services are delivered online, from council tax, banking and finance, gas, water and electricity services to many aspects of health care. It’s vitally important we enable and empower people to use digital services, which can massively improve their quality of life”.

Councillor Jason McLellan, the Council's Leader and Lead Member for Economic Growth & Tackling Deprivation, said: "Digital technology has become a major part of everyday life for most of us, but for some people these technologies are not as easily accessible.

"The Council is pleased to be able to support Cwmpas with this grant from the county’s allocation of Shared Prosperity Funding to help support people in our local communities to get online and feel confident using digital technologies to access the services they need.”

If you are a resident of Denbighshire, or know someone who can benefit, you can get involved in the project by emailing dcdenbighshire@cwmpas.coop, visiting https://cwmpas.coop/digital-confidence-denbighshire/, or by being referred by a relevant agency.

Warm Hubs (Previously Warm Welcome)

Temporary partial car park closure in Llangollen

Mill Street car park in Llangollen will be partially closed for a 5 month period to provide a site compound for contractors to undertake construction work for the Council’s Four Great Highways project.

The Levelling Up funded project aims to enhance the landscape and improve accessibility, interpretation and signage in Llangollen.

Last month, the Council were pleased to announce that OBR Construction Ltd., who also recently completed work for another Levelling Up funded project at Wenffrwd Nature Reserve, had been appointed to complete the works.

A section of the Mill Street car park will be closed to facilitate the contractor’s site compound once the work commences on the 5 February and will remain so until the end of June 2024.

The public will still be able to access a section of the car park during this period as some parking spaces will still be available for use throughout the works. Disabled parking will also be available at the car park during this time.

OBR Construction will endeavour to scale down the compound as the scheme progresses towards completion to relieve more spaces where possible.

Residents and visitors wishing to use the car park during this period are advised that heavy plant vehicles will be entering and exiting the car park throughout the day between the hours of 8am and 5.30pm. Pedestrian routes within or accessing the car park will also be kept clear at all times and, in instances where this may not be possible, alternative pedestrian routes will be provided.

While car parking at Mill Street will still be possible during the construction period, in the event that the car park is full, alternative car parking facilities are available nearby at:

• East Street, Llangollen, LL20 8PW
• Market Street, Llangollen, LL20 8RB
• Llangollen Pavilion, Llangollen, LL20 8SW

The Four Great Highways 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.

You can learn more about the project on the Council's website.