Meet the new Chief Executive

Meet the Chief Executive in her first vlog ..........

£90 million in investment in Denbighshire’s schools

A £90 million investment in Denbighshire’s schools has seen more than 3,500 pupils benefit from improved facilities.

The first phase of the Council and Welsh Government funded 21st Century Schools programme has seen new schools built, as well as major re-developments of existing sites with a quarter of the county’s pupils having their educational experience transformed.

The first phase of the programme has seen a new £24m replacement school of 1,200 places for Rhyl High School and Ysgol Tir Morfa, a £16.5m extension and refurbishment for Ysgol Glan Clwyd in St Asaph and a new £10.5m joint site for Rhos Street School and Ysgol Pen Barras in Ruthin.

Other work includes a £3.5m seven-classroom extension and refurbishment with new reception area and hall at Bodnant Community School, Prestatyn as well as a £1.4m three-classroom extension and refurbishment at Ysgol Bro Dyfrdwy, Cynwyd.

Work has now started on the last three projects of the first phase, a £5m new school building for Ysgol Carreg Emlyn, Clocaenog, a £5.3m new school building for Ysgol Llanfair D.C. along with the new £23m 3-16 Catholic school in Rhyl.

The second phase of the national programme, scheduled to start in April next year, is currently in the development stage after the outline was approved by Welsh Government in November.

The focus will now be on developing individual projects for funding.

Councillor Huw Hilditch-Roberts, the Council’s lead Member for Education, Children and Young People, said: “This investment has radically altered the learning environment for thousands of pupils. They are no longer being taught in outdated classrooms, they are now in state-of-the-art, bright and fit for purpose areas.

“The evidence is already showing this has changed pupils’ approach to learning and helping them achieve even more at school.

“Making sure young people have the right skills is a key priority under our Corporate Plan and we will continue to invest in the county’s school as we look towards the next phase of the 21st Century Schools programme with the Welsh Government.”

Contractors working on the schools, Willmott Dixon, Reed Construction, Wynne Construction and Kier Construction have been using local supply chains and employees for the work. 

As part of this there has been an emphasis on seeking a high percentage of spend within the local area and a large number of local sub-contractors based in North Wales have been employed to assist in the delivery of these projects. 

Decision made on future of Hafan Deg Day Centre

The operation of a Rhyl day-care centre has been transferred to a care provider.

Cabinet met on April 24 to transfer the running of Hafan Deg Day Centre, which provides activities and groups for the elderly, to the preferred bidder for the contract, KL Care.

The Council undertook a tender process to find a contractor who could demonstrate how services from Hafan Deg could increase the number of people being able to remain in their homes for longer and increase the number of older people having social interaction as well as the types of services available.

Councillor Bobby Feeley, Denbighshire’s Lead Member for Well-being and Independence, said: “Securing the future of Hafan Deg and increasing the opportunities and benefits for older people using the centre is a priority for the Council.

“Transferring the site to the preferred bidder will allow the continuation of day care services within the building and, in addition, enable third sector agencies to provide early intervention activities for older people that reduce social isolation, support independence and promote resilience.

“Under our Corporate Plan, the Council has made it a priority to support individuals to develop resilience, enabling them to remain at home, connected to their communities and supported in an attractive environment and securing and enhancing services at Hafan Deg helps residents achieve that.”

The contract is due to start from September.

KL Care Limited is a Care and Social Services Inspectorate Wales approved domiciliary provider in the Denbighshire and Conwy areas.

Great parking news for blue badge holders

If you are a blue badge holder living in Denbighshire, you will now be able to park in the Council’s public car parks for an additional hour.

We are granting the additional hour on top of the expiry time printed on your pay and display ticket.

The extra hour is deemed as a “reasonable adjustment” under the Equality Act 2010 and has also been implemented by some other councils who charge blue badge holders for parking.

Civil enforcement officers working in a car park will allow an additional hour to the time displayed.

It is not essential for blue badge holders to park in a disabled bay to receive the extra hour. The majority of blue badge holders usually park in disabled bays as there are usually spaces available and they are generally located closer to pedestrian accesses. However if there are no spaces and they need to park in other parking bays, the additional hour will still be applicable.

We look forward to getting this scheme underway and will be monitoring its success.

For more general information on the blue badge scheme, please visit our website.

 

Residents Survey – a big thanks

We would like to offer a huge thank you to those of you that completed our residents survey.

More than 2,500 of you responded and had your say on a range of issues, including the quality of council services, living in communities and feedback on your experiences of dealing with the Council.

The results are now being analysed and we will be announcing the findings after the summer.