The Council’s catering service were nominated with five other local authorities for the award.

Following recent Cabinet approval, the Council has agreed to sell the authority’s office building in Denbigh to Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, subject to terms being agreed between both parties.

This move will allow the health board to develop a much-needed health and social care hub in the town which will be of significant benefit to the residents of Denbigh and further afield.

Plans for the site are still in development, but the new Hub is likely to include primary care, adult mental health services, a perinatal hub, midwifery service and space for the Community Resource Team.

As well as bringing valuable health and social care services to the town, this new wellbeing hub will offer significant social and economic wellbeing benefits to the area.

Councillor Gwyneth Ellis, Lead Member for Finance, Performance and Strategic Assets at the Council said: “Following an informal tender process a decision has been made to pursue the disposal of the Caledfryn building to the health board, subject to terms being agreed between both parties. It’s great to be able to keep this building in public ownership and even better that it will bring essential services to a local community.

“As part of the Council’s work to identify savings, the decision to close Caledfryn was made in December 2023, and since then, all staff have moved to remaining offices, which has already led to savings for the Council. I’m very much looking forward to seeing a new future for Caledfryn as a hub for the community in Denbigh and the surrounding areas.”

Councillor Elen Heaton, Lead Member for Health and Social Care at Denbighshire County Council said: “There are constant increasing demands on health and social care teams and the work that they carry out in the community is invaluable. This new hub will be a real asset to Denbigh.”

Gareth Evans, BCUHB’s Central IHC director, said: “I’m delighted to now be able to reveal this news, which I believe is extremely positive for people living in and around Denbigh.

“Most of our work takes place in the community, so I believe grabbing the opportunity to move from outdated premises to superior accommodation shows our long-term commitment to providing the services people need, closer to where they live.

“The development would mean we can relocate our teams in Trefeirian and Noddfa, which houses Tim Dyffryn Clwyd, to better, purpose-built accommodation once adaptations have been made.

“We are acutely aware this means Denbigh Men’s Shed will need to find alternative accommodation. We have made contact with the organisation ahead of this announcement and pledged any practical assistance we can give as they search for an alternative venue.

“We will keep all colleagues, partners and the public updated on the progress of the development. Following Ministerial agreement for Welsh Government to fund the purchase and subject to a successful planning application to Denbighshire County Council, the project is expected to be completed in the next financial year.”

The Local Planning Authority will be seeking to validate the recently submitted planning application and would then undertake a statutory consultation process.

The Council is excited to be expanding its Reablement Service in Adult Social Care, which helps residents do ordinary things such as dressing and cooking, by recruiting eight new reablement workers. This forms part of Denbighshire’s transformation to ensure a sustainable Social Care Service for the future, and also helps mitigate some of the financial pressures the Council faces.

The new staff will be supporting people who need a hand to regain the skills to do everyday activities like cooking meals, washing, dressing, moving about the home and going out.

There are a number of reasons why people may need this support, like following a period of illness or a hospital stay. This support can last for as little as one or two weeks, but can be offered for up to six weeks if it is needed.

In addition to this support, the Care and Support Team offer longer term domiciliary support when this is required.

Darylanne, a Senior Care and Support Worker at the Council said: “Our Reablement Service helps people to learn or re-learn the skills necessary to be able to engage in everyday activities, and to be as independent as possible. It is incredibly rewarding to see someone regain their independence and to start living their lives to the fullest.”

Ann Lloyd, Head of Service for Adult Social Care & Homelessness Service said: “Being able to live as they wish in their own homes is vitally important to our residents, and we want to do everything possible to help them with this. With the right support at the right time, we can help residents have a better chance of maintaining their wellbeing, as well as stay independent in their own homes for longer. We are looking for people who want to help residents gain skills, to help them to remain living independently at home, to come and join our team, and discover the rewarding role of caring for those who need our help”.

Councillor Elen Heaton, Lead Member for Health and Social Care said: “Residents who have just arrived home from hospital or treatment often need some support in adjusting back into domestic life, needing help with everyday tasks such as cooking, cleaning or maybe help with doing their shopping. A successful Reablement Worker has good communication skills, empathy and most of all a real commitment for helping those who need it. I’d urge anyone who feels this way to come and join our passionate and caring team.”

The full job description and details of how to apply can be found on our website. 

For an informal chat about these roles, candidates can visit Hafan Deg, War Memorial Court, Grange Road, Rhyl LL18 4BS between 4.30pm - 5.30pm on Thursday throughout January and February.

The Council were recently announced as runners-up in the Ystadau Cymru Awards 2024, following the completion of regeneration works in Corwen town centre.

The awards celebrated projects that displayed excellence in strategic management of the Welsh public sector estate by promoting collaboration and good practice.

The Council were recognised as runners-up for their collaborative works with Cadwyn Clwyd, Llangollen Railway Trust, Corwen Town Council and local members to deliver a range of projects that aimed to support local economic growth, job creation and support the sense of local pride to Corwen.

These projects were a part of a £13 million investment across the Dee Valley funded by the UK Government. The funding, which was secured in 2021 through a joint application between Denbighshire County Council, Wrexham County Borough Council and the Canal and River Trust, seeks to maximise the potential of the post COVID-19 visitor economy in and around the Dee Valley.

£3.8M of this funding was allocated for the investment of 9 projects across the Denbighshire communities of Corwen, Llangollen, Llantysilio and surrounding areas.

These projects included funding for the Llangollen Railway Trust to complete the new Heritage Railway into the town, funding for the social enterprise Cadwyn Adfywio to complete external renovations of the Canolfan Llys Owain building, and a range of public realm improvements delivered to the high street and car park in Corwen.

The public realm improvements consisted of the restoration and replacement of street furniture, a new bus shelter, the installation of ten new EV charging points and the refurbishment of the toilet block in Green Lane car park, which is now under the management of Corwen Town Council.

Officers at the ceremony were presented the award by Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government.

Councillor Jason McLellan Leader of the Council, and Lead Member for Economic Growth & Tackling Deprivation said:

“It is really pleasing to see that the hard work of our officers and partners has been recognised for the great work that they have done in Corwen. We worked with a range of partners over the past three years to bring exciting improvements to the local area and would like to thank everyone involved for their hard work throughout the project. I’d also like to thank the community for their cooperation and patience over the last three years during the completion of the project.”

For more information visit our website.

During last weekend’s storm, which saw strong winds and rainy showers, the Council responded to a number of fallen trees, as well as other disruptions on the County’s road network.

The Council’s highways teams were stationed ready on Thursday evening, working out of hours in preparation to respond to call outs.

A total of 29 call outs were attended to from fallen tree reports throughout Friday and the weekend, with the Council’s highways teams working with local partners to quickly clear roads around the whole County. Along with the 29 call outs for fallen trees, a number of more minor reports were attended to where needed along the road network.

Paul Jackson, Head of Highways & Environmental Services said:

“The highways teams were prepared for this recent spell of bad weather, and worked in very windy and unfavourable conditions to ensure that our road network stayed open and safe throughout the weather warning period.”

Councillor Barry Mellor, Lead Member for Environment and Transport said:

“I’d like to thank our highways teams, as well as the multiple partners we work with for their quick response to a number of fallen tree reports throughout the weekend. They help keep our roads safe and secure, making sure our roads are passable.”