Council frustrated at lack of Superfast broadband information

Denbighshire County Council has expressed concern about a lack of information from Welsh Government about the Superfast Cymru broadband roll-out in the county.

During a meeting of Denbighshire’s Performance Scrutiny Committee in April, the Council was assured by BT that the Welsh Government had a ‘not-spot’ map in place that the Council could access.  This map would identify the areas and residents that will not be able to access superfast broadband after the roll-out.

Despite requests to Welsh Government, the Council has yet to receive the information requested.  The Council had invited Welsh Government to attend the Scrutiny Committee in April, to provide a full picture, but they declined. If they had attended, the Council believes it would be in possession of better information by now.

Superfast Cymru is a project between Welsh Government and BT to deliver fibre broadband to parts of the country not covered by a commercial roll-out of broadband. The project aims to ensure 96% of premises have access to broadband with speeds upwards of 30 mbps. The most recent figures for Denbighshire from Welsh Government show that the roll-out in the county is 69% complete, with take up at 25.4%.

Leader of Denbighshire, Councillor Hugh Evans OBE, who is also Cabinet Lead Member for the Economy, said: ”Improving broadband connectivity is an important strand of our corporate priority to developing the local economy.

“It’s an issue that’s raised by businesses and residents on a regular basis, particularly in rural areas. Broadband access is critical to the success of local businesses, providing them with an opportunity to be competitive in the customer market.  It is also vital for residents from a social and wellbeing aspect.

"Despite the requests to Welsh Government, the information on the ‘not-spots’ is not forth-coming. We feel that we are being repeatedly ignored.

“All we want is information that we can share with residents and businesses who may need to think about alternative means of getting reliable broadband.  The fact that the information is not being provided makes it difficult for residents to make those alternative arrangements.

"I am now urging the Minister to work with us to make sure we are not left behind in the digital backwaters”.

Get behind the #LoveLiveLocal campaign

We are urging you to get behind our new campaign to support local businesses in the county and to get more people shopping locally!

We want your support for the #LoveLiveLocal campaign! We are inviting residents  to show their support for local businesses by using the hashtag on Twitter and Facebook to promote good experiences they’ve had and promote products and services locally that they have ‘loved’ across our county.

We also want Denbighshire businesses to engage with the campaign and use the hashtag to promote their fantastic goods and services and to help spread the word about the diverse range of products and services that are available in our local towns and villages.

Leader of the Council, Hugh Evans OBE who is also Cabinet Lead Member for the Economy said: “We are calling on the people of Denbighshire to show support for local businesses.

“There are so many fantastic businesses here in Denbighshire in all sorts of areas from food and hotels, to shops selling uniquely made crafts and providers of unique services and experiences. We need to get the word out and make sure people use them. 

"They also help create a thriving local economy and support our communities by providing jobs for local people. We really want the people of Denbighshire to share their positive experiences of engaging with local businesses by shopping in them and taking the pledge to love shopping locally.”

Chairman of the Clwydian Range Food Trail and one of Denbighshire’s Tourism Ambassadors, Dave Jones said: “I think this is a really positive campaign from the Council. Local businesses need to support each other, build networks and promote each other. Engaging with social media is a great way to do this.

“It’s also really important that communities get behind their local businesses and support them too. We have a wealth of fantastic businesses in this county and we need to get the message out that buying locally is good for everyone in so many ways.”

Check out the hashtag and follow us on Facebook or Twitter for more information and the chance to win excellent prizes!

       

 

Gearing up for the Tour of Britain

Denbighshire is gearing up for the excitement of the Tour of Britain as the race returns to the county again this September.

The fourth stage of the event will be the longest day for the riders but will also see them tackle the most climbing, with a total ascent of 4,133m, as they feel the force of the Welsh mountains with the stage heading through the Clwydian Range and Cambrian Mountains. Starting in Denbigh the race will head first into Flintshire and Mold before heading south to Corwen and crossing into Powys, running along the outskirts of Snowdonia National Park. The peloton will then continue south, passing through Rhayader, before the fast run in to Builth Wells and the finish on the Royal Welsh Showground in a day that will surely prove crucial to the destination of the leader's yellow jersey.

Denbighshire is putting plans in place to celebrate the event, in partnership with Flintshire County Council.

Councillor Huw Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Tourism, Leisure and Youth, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have secured the start of the North Wales stage this year, as we feel it will have great benefits to the tourism industry here in Denbighshire, as well as showcasing what the region has to offer.

“North Wales is fast earning itself a reputation for hosting and staging major events, with the Tour of Britain a prime example of how councils and event organisers work closely together to deliver these spectacular events. The support shown by our communities in recent years has well and truly added to the event’s success and we look forward to welcoming the sights and sounds of the event to Denbighshire and Flintshire in September”.

For further information, please visit: www.thetour.co.uk

A festival of cycling is also being arranged.  Watch this space for further details.

 

 

RNLI lifeguard bosses and councillors issue safety advice as peak summer season kicks off

Denbighshire and RNLI lifeguard bosses are urging summer beach-goers in the county to stay safe as the charity’s peak lifeguard season kicks off this weekend.

From Saturday (2 July) the lifeguard service on beaches in Rhyl and Prestatyn will increase from a weekend only to a seven-days-a-week service ready for the busy summer school holiday period.

RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor for Denbighshire Matt Jessop, who is predicting a busy summer season, is urging beach visitors to Respect the Water and always visit a lifeguarded beach.

It is the first season RNLI lifeguards have been on the beaches of Denbighshire in a new seasonal service run in partnership between the charity that saves lives at sea and Denbighshire County Council. Since May the lifeguards have been providing safety advice and assistance on Rhyl and Prestatyn beaches on weekends and have been involved in a number of incidents, including a joint rescue with Rhyl RNLI lifeboat volunteers earlier this month of a swimmer who had drifted about 700m offshore. From Saturday (2 July) lifeguards will be on the two beaches daily between 10am and 6pm until the end of the season on 4 September.

Matt said: ‘We’re really pleased to be working with Denbighshire County Council and it was great that Cllr Simmons and Cllr Mellor came and met our team today.

‘We are coming towards the busiest period of the year on the beaches and our lifeguards will be on hand every day throughout the summer to provide information and advice on safety to visitors.

‘We advise people to choose a lifeguarded beach and to always swim between the red and yellow flags. We’ll also be working closely with the RNLI’s volunteer crew at Rhyl lifeboat station and other agencies to keep people safe.’

Councillor Huw Jones, Cabinet Lead Member for Community Development, added: ‘Both Rhyl and Prestatyn’s coastal resorts get extremely busy during the summer months, and we are pleased to be working in partnership with the RNLI to ensure that visitors have a fun and safe environment in order to enjoy our beaches.’

The RNLI operates a lifeguard service on 39 beaches across Wales and more than 220 across the UK. In 2015 the charity’s lifeguards responded to 815 incidents and assisted 901 people on Welsh beaches.

For more information and advice on all aspects of beach and coastal safety visit the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign website at rnli.org/RespectTheWater.

Illegal Tobacco

Trading Standards have launched a campaign to encourage residents to report sales of illegal tobacco.  

Sales of illegal tobacco are often seen as a victimless crime, however, there are proven links to organised crime which, in turn, impacts on people’s lives and the local community.

Illegal tobacco sales are made at lower prices therefore making it easier for children to start smoking, resulting in addiction.

Common brands of illegal tobacco to look out for are Jin Ling, Raquel, and Richman, which cannot legitimately be bought in the UK. Products displaying foreign health warnings and not displaying English health warnings are also illegal and cannot be sold in the UK.

Examples of illegal tobacco seized by Trading Standards

              

              

Current controls in relation to tobacco sales are undermined by illegal sellers. The availability of illegal tobacco bears no restrictions therefore it is accessible to children, there will be no taxation paid and sales will not conform to the point of sale display bans.

Trading Standards are working hard to keep illegal tobacco off the streets and it’s important that we gather as much information as possible.

Reports of illegal tobacco can be made by in confidence by contacting Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 03454 04 05 06.  The service is open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.  Alternatively reports can be submitted on their website.

This service works in partnership with Trading Standards.  Reports can be made anonymously, this will then be sent to the relevant Trading Standards department for consideration and possible further investigation.

County Conversations

Denbighshire is currently embarking on the early stages of developing a new Well-being Plan for the term of the next Council (which begins in May 2017).

A series of discussions have been organised with different groups of people in the county, and three public discussions are also planned.

The discussion will be around aspirations for the future in terms of your community, yourself, your families, and what can be done now to help us achieve these aspirations.

These sessions will be really important for helping not only the new Council agree its next set of priorities and Corporate Plan, but also the newly established statutory Public Services Board (PSB), so your attendance and participation is valuable. It’s likely that PSB colleagues from Natural Resources Wales, Fire and Rescue, and Health will also be in attendance to share in the learning (this will be confirmed nearer the time).

The sessions will be held in the evening.  Refreshments available from 6pm for a 6.15pm start and are planned as follows:

• Thursday 7 July, Trefnant Village Hall
• Tuesday 12 July, Carrog Village Hall
• Wednesday 27 July, St Melyd Golf Club, Prestatyn

If you’d like to attend, please register your interest by emailing strategicplanningteam@denbighshire.gov.uk, or calling on 01824 706291. This helps us greatly with planning the sessions.

If the dates above aren’t suitable for you, you’ll also be able to fill in a survey online at www.denbighshire.gov.uk/consultations, on paper at any Denbighshire library.

To stay up-to-date with progress and news you could follow Denbighshire at www.facebook.com/denbighshirecountycouncil or www.twitter.com/denbighshirecc