Latest news with #DenbighshireCouncil
Rhyl Journal
5 hours ago
- Science
- Rhyl Journal
Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog pupils visit Bodelwyddan allotment
The Innovators class from Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog spent the day exploring the Bodelwyddan site on June 18 as part of their termly topic, Garddio Gyda'n Gilydd (Gardening Together). During the visit, pupils were given a tour by committee members and learned about the wide range of plants, fruits, and vegetables grown at the from Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog's Innovators class tour the Bodelwyddan allotments (Image: Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog) Laura Martin, headteacher, said: "A huge thank you to the committee members who gave up their time to support the children's learning, these real-life experiences are invaluable." The children also met Barry, who shared his knowledge about bees and offered advice to help the school continue working towards Bee Friendly school's visit ties in with plans to build a community garden (Image: Ysgol Cefn Meiriadog) READ MORE: Denbighshire Council throw out plans for village home likely worth £1m Pupils took part in a treasure hunt, planted seeds to take home, and tasted some of the produce grown on site. Ms Martin said: "It was wonderful to meet some of the committee members and to see their passion for growing their own produce, something the school is working hard to achieve too." The visit supports the school's plan to develop a community garden at the village church.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Three key roads earmarked for upgrades in Denbighshire after £4.8m spending boost
Three key roads in Denbighshire have been identified for improvements using money accessed from the Welsh Government. A similar exercise in Gwynedd has seen more than 60 roads and footpaths earmarked for upgrades. Denbighshire Council has secured £4.8m from Cardiff's Local Government Borrowing Initiative (LGBI) to boost its road maintenance programme. The local authority is now planning 'significant investment' to resurface three roads. They are the A525 Nany Y Garth Pass near Ruthin; the A547 Abergele Road near Rhuddlan; and Ty Newydd Road, a key conduit in Rhyl. Denbighshire's Highways aims to start work 'straight away' during the 'optimum time for carriageway surfacing works'. READ MORE: Three popular beaches in North Wales where common activity now frowned upon READ MORE: Cause of sisters' death in Watkin Path pools confirmed Cllr Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport, said: 'We know the improvement of the county's road network is a topic that comes up regularly from our residents. The work that will be carried out on our roads over the next two years will really help improve the network and driving experience for both residents and visitors to Denbighshire.' The LGBI funding runs for two years with Denbighshire saying improvements are planned on a 'number of roads'. Details of other highways to benefit from the funding will be released in due course. Cyngor Gwynedd received £7.8m through the LGBI scheme – it has a two-year target list that extends to more than 60 roads, paths and structures such as bridges and retaining walls. The local authority said these span the entire county from 'Llanrug to Llanystumdwy and from Tudweiliog to Tywyn'. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here's how to sign up Council leader Cllr Nia Jeffreys said: 'The condition of the roads is of concern to a large number of local people, but due to the dire financial situation of local authorities we have not been able to invest in the network as we would have liked. 'This investment will make a huge difference and target the areas most in need in terms of potholes in roads, resurfacing, footpaths, and other structures.' The LGBI initative was announced in March by Ken Skates, cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales. It provides an extra £10m of revenue funding to enable local councils to unlock £120m of additional capital funding. A similar scheme was rolled out successfully in Wales between 2012 and 2014. Cllr June Jones, Cyngor Gwynedd's cabinet member for highways, said the extra cash will enable a broader programme of work to be carried out on the country's roads. 'It also means the council will be able to plan spending much better,' she said. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox 'For example, this past financial year, £750,000 was spent on filling potholes on our network here in Gwynedd. This is not the best use of our road maintenance revenue funding as it is completely responsive. 'Through this investment over two years, we are confident that we will reduce our emergency spending on filling potholes in roads and spend more on programmed resurfacing work.' Find out what's happening on the roads near you
Rhyl Journal
05-06-2025
- General
- Rhyl Journal
Denbighshire criticised for not being tough on fly-tipping
Cllr Chris Evans has urged the local authority to take stronger enforcement action against fly-tippers. He separately called on them to address concerns over rubbish accidentally spilling from council bin wagons. Cllr Evans says some residents are dumping household rubbish next to public bins, only for seagulls and foxes to tear open bin bags, harming both wildlife and farm animals. The Tremeirchion councillor said he has sent emails to Denbighshire Council's heads of service, reporting problems in the village, as well as at St Asaph, Rhuallt, Denbigh, Sodom, on a rural lane between Clawdd-Newydd and Pwllglas, and Moel Famau. 'What we are having a problem with, especially around Rhuallt and rural areas, is that people haven't got enough room in their bins. 'We're seeing people putting household waste in bags by the public bins, and foxes or seagulls are ripping the bags open,' he said. 'Somebody has dumped three mattresses down by the roadside in a rural area. 'Two people were prosecuted from Ruthin. The bin bags are full of rubbish, one of the worst things for rural areas. 'It's disgusting. It is mostly household waste: bread wrappers, cartons. 'A couple of farmers have come to me complaining that their animals are actually digesting the rubbish.' MORE NEWS: Darren Millar: Clwyd West MS to appear on episode of BBC Question Time Prestatyn Pride to be held for first time this weekend: what to expect Rhyl's Queen's Market 'starting to take shape' as signage installed Cllr Evans called on Denbighshire to get tough on offenders. 'We need better enforcement of this, to stop animals ripping the bags open and to find the till receipts to identify the people who are doing this, because it is not right,' he said. Cllr Evans said he found multiple debit and credit card receipts in one bin bag for the same household after it had been ripped open by seagulls. 'When I looked, there was a receipt in one of the bags,' he said. 'What are your receipts doing in the bin bag? OK, it might be a fluke finding one receipt in the bag, but two or three?' Cllr Evans also raised concerns about council bin wagons and recycling trucks. 'I've also been seeing a lot more bin wagons and recycling trucks contributing to rubbish falling out of recycling trucks,' he said. 'I've written to the heads of environment at Denbighshire County Council. 'What's happening is they're driving from village to village at 50mph, and the wind is blowing all the rubbish out the back.' He added: 'I had a resident follow a recycling truck from Henllan all the way back to the station in Denbigh a couple of months ago, and the back doors were open.' Denbighshire County Council was contacted for a comment.
Rhyl Journal
04-06-2025
- Business
- Rhyl Journal
Concerns over legal challenge after Denbighshire relaxes taxi rules
Councillors, though, were warned their decision could result in a legal challenge – if taxi companies catering to the able-bodied argued they should also be able to use older vehicles. Following a consultation with around 300 hackney carriage taxi drivers and private hire vehicle licence holders, the committee met today (Tuesday) to discuss relaxing the rules and instead introducing stricter vehicle testing. Under the old rules, all taxis over 12 years old had to be removed from the fleet. But following a vote, wheelchair accessible vehicles (WAVS) will now instead be required to meet 'Euro 6 emissions standards' and undergo three compliance checks per year once they reach 12 years old. MORE NEWS: Rhyl children 'very upset' after 'unacceptable' stay at park near Prestatyn Councillor complaints to be discussed behind closed doors in Denbighshire Meliden teenager is a British boxing champion after winning gold medal The temporary change in the rules will stand until June 2026 when a review will assess whether WAV availability has improved – with the option of making the move permanent. Cllr Alan James proposed councillors backed the move. 'I actually think this is a good proposition,' he said. 'It will enable, possibly, the availability in the normal public arena for more disabled people to get out and about, so it isn't just about Denbighshire's view of the expense of school transport.' He added: 'So I think this is a good opportunity. We've got a proposal here. Let's see how it works in a year's time. 'We'll come back, evaluate any information we've got, and make some decisions.' But Cllr Gwyneth Ellis had legal concerns. 'I'd be interested in a legal opinion that if we change the requirements for these cars, could that open up a possibility that other operators will be able to say, 'Hang on, if those cars are safe enough for disabled people, then surely they are safe enough if people don't have a wheelchair?'' she said. Denbighshire Council's legal advisor Nashwan Fazlani responded: 'Invariably, whatever the decision the local authority is going to make, there is always going to be a legal risk. So it would be impossible to mitigate a legal risk with any decisions to zero; however, as a public body we have a public-sector equality duty, so if we don't, we get the risk from the wheelchair community, who might say we discriminated against them because we are making their life a bit more difficult in terms of access and taxis and other forms of transport for them to get around. 'So we are probably in a situation where you have to decide what's the least worst option in terms of legal risk.' Committee members at the meeting at the council's Ruthin County Hall HQ had heard how the county has only 14 WAVs available – six hackney carriages and eight private hire vehicles. Only a small number of these vehicles are available for school contracts, which led to concerns about availability and rising transport costs. The committee heard that while demand for wheelchair transport has remained relatively stable, supply has shrunk due to vehicle costs, insurance, and tight licensing regulations, leading to fewer bids for council contracts and less competition, driving up prices. Cllr Ellie Chard seconded Cllr James' proposal, and the vote was unanimous.
Wales Online
03-06-2025
- General
- Wales Online
Evacuation after 'potentially harmful chemical' discovered at high school
Evacuation after 'potentially harmful chemical' discovered at high school Pupils and staff were ordered to leave to 'safeguard all members of the school community' Denbigh High School (Image: North Wales Live ) Hundreds of pupils were evacuated at short notice from a Welsh secondary school. Denbigh High School issued an "important notice" sent to parents warning historical chemicals had been found on the premises. Students were asked to leave classes quickly on Tuesday afternoon on the advice of experts. The Denbighshire school, which has around 500 pupils, said it ordered an evacuation to safeguard everyone at the facility. It caters for pupils aged 11-18 years from Denbigh, St Asaph and surrounding villages. The youngsters travelled home as usual. In a statement issued via its social media media pages, the school said: "We have had to evacuate the school building early this afternoon on advice due to the discovery of historical chemicals within the chemical store cupboard in the science department. "This decision has been made to safeguard all members of the school community. "Learners will be travelling home as normal (in 10 minutes) at the end of the school day." Article continues below School staff have not disclosed what chemicals were involved. A Denbighshire Council spokesperson said: "During a routine collection of chemicals at the science department at Denbigh High School, a potentially harmful chemical was discovered. "After seeking advice, and in conjunction with key partners, it was decided that disposal experts would be sourced to ensure the secure and proper disposal of the chemical. "Council staff sourced professional advice during each step of the process, and both staff and students are evacuating the school safely." Last October the school's students and staff were evacuated after a gas leak was detected. On that occasion the school remain closed the following day. Article continues below No information has been given about the length of closure following today's incident.
