Author Topic: North Wales News  (Read 57036 times)

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Offline Ian

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #105 on: December 18, 2020, 11:15:24 am »
It's hard to know what the benefit of yet another layer of bureaucracy could be. 
Nothing is so firmly believed as that which we least know.  ― Michel de Montaigne

Si hoc legere scis, nimis eruditionis habes.

Offline Cambrian

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #106 on: December 18, 2020, 11:16:46 am »
Interesting coming on the day we learn that AMs (or MSs as we must now learn to call them) are likely to have a 2.4% pay increase!

The Gwynedd councillors make some very valid points.  WG loves to have commissioners (a handy sinecure for favoured ex-councillors) and quango-type bodies usually populated by the nomenklatura or other folk from the Cardiff Bay Repertory Company.  This enables their surrogates to carry out WG bidding come what may. Devolution should not end in Cathays Park.


Offline Blongb

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #107 on: December 18, 2020, 01:28:08 pm »
What do you call 1000 bureaucrats chained together at the bottom of Cardiff Bay?

A very good start $hands$
Quot homines tot sententiae: suus cuique mos.
(There are as many opinions as there are people: each has his own view.)

Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #108 on: December 22, 2020, 10:09:53 am »
Tax hike of 1% (now 4%) on second homes in Wales approved - but some say it doesn't go far enough
The latest Welsh Government budget announcement will see people buying second homes or buy-to-let properties in Wales having to pay extra.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/tax-hike-second-homes-wales-19501689

Comment.........
“It does beg the question though, if the Welsh Government is so eager to take this step to help manage the second home market, why do they remain so reluctant to prevent second homeowners and holiday let owners from moving their properties from the Council Tax rate to the Business Tax Rate "

Online Hugo

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #109 on: December 22, 2020, 12:15:14 pm »
.https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/tax-hike-second-homes-wales-19501689
Comment.........
“It does beg the question though, if the Welsh Government is so eager to take this step to help manage the second home market, why do they remain so reluctant to prevent second homeowners and holiday let owners from moving their properties from the Council Tax rate to the Business Tax Rate "

I couldn't understand that either Steve, that loophole which I believe was instigated by a businessman with interests in Abersoch should be closed.     If the properties are a genuine business then hopefully HMRC should be aware of the fact

Offline Hammy

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #110 on: December 22, 2020, 02:23:11 pm »
Maybe one of the reasons for rejecting the transfer to business rates is because of the reduction in receipts which would ensue due to the Small Business Rate Relief Scheme;

'Small Business Rates Relief in Wales
The Welsh Government provides non-domestic rates relief to eligible small businesses.

eligible business premises with a rateable value of up to £6,000 will receive 100% relief; and
those with a rateable value between £6,001 and £12,000 will receive relief on a tapered basis from 100% to zero'

Online Hugo

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #111 on: December 22, 2020, 02:51:28 pm »
That's one of the reasons Hammy,     that guy in Abersoch spotted a loophole in the system and advised second home owners to change to the lower rate of the Business tax
The other thing is that they want to discourage people from buying second homes in the area as that action is inflating the prices of houses and making them out of reach of the local young people
It's not unique to Wales because Cornwall, the Lake District and other areas are facing the same problem

Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #112 on: December 23, 2020, 02:14:58 pm »
Leaving things a bit late ?..............

The Roadking truck stop in Holyhead and Bryn Cegin business park in Bangor have been identified as the two target sites for a new customs facility.
Proposals for a customs HGV facility on Anglesey Show’s existing park-and-ride facility on the Mona Industrial Estate were thrown out by the island's local authority in September.
This month North Wales Live revealed that traffic coming into Holyhead from Dublin is set to be directed to interim sites in Birmingham and Warrington for customs checks.
UK Government said it was progressing its hunt for a suitable site nearer the port and that two potential locations have been identified.

https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/roadking-bryn-cegin-uk-governments-19345718

Holyhead Roadking customs plan dropped by UK Government - with hope truck stop jobs can be saved
The site had been proposed for a new customs facility and workers already told they were being made redundant

“Investigations by both Welsh and UK Governments have established that there is no single site immediately available in Holyhead that is big enough to support both functions,  "This means that the operations will need to be split over multiple sites.   

cont https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/holyhead-roadking-customs-plan-dropped-19511247




Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #113 on: December 24, 2020, 01:02:46 pm »
Update on above......

The planned two new sites on Anglesey for customs facilities have been revealed after the proposal to take on the Roadking truck stop were dropped.

UK and Welsh Governments had entered into talks with the owners of the Roadking truck stop at Parc Cybi and staff told they faced redundancy due to the move.

But this plan has been scrapped and two new sites identified.

These are understood to be plots seven and nine on Parc Cybi.

It is understood HMRC will take on plot nine to deal with customs and immigration checks with Welsh Government responsible for ensuring compliance with DEFRA standards such as the SPS (Sanitary and Phytosanitary) checks and traffic management.

cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-planned-holyhead-customs-sites-19517631

Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #114 on: December 30, 2020, 09:43:32 am »
Super seven that can create hundreds of jobs in 2021
From construction to communications these firms can help boost the economy next year

Despite an incredibly challenging 2020 and the ongoing impact of the pandemic there are firms in North Wales gearing up to create jobs over the next 12 months.

There are hopes that 2021 will bring better times for the economy once vaccinations start to ramp up and Wales enters the warmer spring months.

In the region there are firms already planning on growth - from sectors as diverse as communications to construction.

cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/super-seven-can-create-hundreds-19536025

Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #115 on: December 31, 2020, 12:52:25 pm »
In pictures: Striking photos from Wales in 2020

We take a look at some of the most striking images from across Wales during 2020 - a year which was defined by the coronavirus pandemic.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55489831

Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #116 on: January 01, 2021, 10:36:38 am »
More great photos of 2020.....see above

46 pictures which sum-up life in North Wales during the strange year that was 2020
It's been an eventful year for everyone and our photographers have been there to capture an extraordinary 12 months

Some are images which show just how much life has changed in North Wales during the pandemic.

Others are great examples of life as we know it - pictures which show that there is still a world beyond the facts and figures of the pandemic.

photos    https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gallery/46-pictures-sum-up-life-19493655

Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News.........................................Conwy Census 2021.
« Reply #117 on: January 05, 2021, 04:08:44 pm »
Households across Conwy will soon be asked to take part in Census 2021.                             ref Pioneer

The census is a once-in-a-decade survey that gives the most accurate estimate of all the people and households in England and Wales. It has been carried out every decade since 1801, with the exception of 1941.

It will be the first run predominantly online, with households receiving a letter with a unique access code, allowing them to complete the questionnaire on their computers, phones or tablets.

“A successful census will ensure everyone from local government to charities can put services and funding in the places where they are most needed,” Iain Bell, deputy national statistician at the Office for National Statistics, said.

“This could mean things like doctors’ surgeries, schools and new transport routes. That’s why it is so important everyone takes part and we have made it easier for people to do so online on any device, with help and paper questionnaires for those that need them.”

Census day will be on March 21, but households across the country will receive letters with online codes allowing them to take part from early March.

The census will include questions about your sex, age, work, health, education, household size and ethnicity. And, for the first time, there will be a question asking people whether they have served in the armed forces, as well as voluntary questions for those aged 16 and over on sexual orientation and gender identity.

In Wales, households will also be asked a specific question about their Welsh language skills.

Those who wish to complete the census in Welsh can do so both online and in paper form. There are 'Cymraeg' and 'English' buttons to switch between languages at any time online, and on paper you can use Welsh and English on the same form.

Results will be available within 12 months, although personal records will be locked away for 100 years, kept safe for future generations.

Offline norman08

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #118 on: January 05, 2021, 07:40:56 pm »
I hope this one is better than the last one, I know of big blocks of flats in Llandudno that didn't receive one.

Offline SteveH

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Re: North Wales News
« Reply #119 on: January 08, 2021, 10:10:05 am »
Two reports affecting export of goods from the UK

The Irish Government will temporarily ease customs arrangements for businesses importing goods from the UK - in a move that should boost Welsh ports.

Last night North Wales Live reported that Stena Line was cutting 12 weekend sailings between Holyhead and Dublin, and Fishguard and Rosslare.

This follows a 70% slump in freight trade on the routes as businesses struggle with new customs arrangements after the end of the transition period on December 31.

In Ireland this has sparked concerns about empty shelves in supermarkets as goods fail to arrive.

cont  https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/irish-government-eases-post-brexit-19585004


PS BBC report  Brexit: Firms warn of problems as new EU trade rules kick in.

New border rules introduced last week are already creating problems for exporters and traders, say firms.

On Friday, Marks & Spencer became the latest company to warn of the administrative burden and increase in export costs to some countries.

Parcels firm DPD has already suspended some services and there have been warnings from seafood exporters.
One export trade body told the BBC there was a "growing problem and sense of unease" among its members.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-55583244