Points to Ponder

[Hugo]

My pet alligator is loose' - The bizarre calls received by 999 operators in the past year
The Welsh Ambulance Service has urged people to use 'common sense' so serious cases can be prioritised



https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/my-pet-alligator-loose-bizarre-30887707

[SteveH]

Conwy council has not joined this campaign ?    Good idea or not ?

Flintshire Council joins £1bn Crown Estate devolution campaign
A campaign to devolve almost £1bn of Crown Estates assets to the Welsh Government has been backed by Flintshire County Council.

The Crown Estate - an independent corporation which manages around £16bn of assets for the monarchy - owns the castles of Denbigh, Harlech, Conwy, Flint, Caernarfon and Beaumaris - although those sites are managed and maintained day-to-day by Cadw.

It also owns Greenfield Dock - once an industrial shipping port but now an historical site plus areas of the sea bed at the mouth of the River Dee and along the shoreline to Prestatyn and beyond.....https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/24896755.flintshire-council-joins-1bn-crown-estate-devolution-campaign/?ref=rss&IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Cambrian]

Trouble is if it was devolved all that would happen is that it would be put in the hands of yet another ineffective, inefficient and ineffectual Quango populated by the Cardiff Bay Repertory Company aka the Taff Quangocracy.

[SteveH]

Cambrian, perfect answer, unfortunately............ 

[SteveH]

Update on above......

Conwy County Council will call on the UK Government to devolve control over assets held by The Crown Estate in Wales and off its coast to the Welsh Government. Following Cllr Nia Owen’s motion being backed at a council meeting this week, Conwy will now lobby for the revenue flow of these assets to ‘come entirely to the Welsh Government's coffers and for the Welsh Government to have the right to use it as it wishes’.............As long as they remember North wales too

The idea behind the move is that the Welsh Government can then use this additional money to fund local authorities such as Conwy ‘more fairly’ in a period of ‘serious financial austerity’. The council chamber heard how currently The Crown Estate owns a large amount of land within the county, both at land and sea, including beaches and marinas................ https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-councillor-accuses-crown-30911081?IYA-reg=49560bcd-5a9c-47f0-8fc5-ba2e71710589

[Hugo]

Dad of girl who tried to murder two teachers claims 'her actions have some merit'
The girl was 13 years old when she stabbed two teachers and a pupil at a school in Wales
With parenting skills like that then what chance does the child have?



https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/dad-girl-who-tried-murder-30938141

[SteveH]

Some people on benefits are "taking the mickey", Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has said, as the government seeks ways to curb welfare spending.

Kendall was speaking to ITV about a Department of Work and Pensions survey that suggested 200,000 people on benefits were ready to work if they had support.

The DWP report, external found 49% of health and disability benefits claimants felt they would never be able to work again.

But it also showed nearly half (44%) of people with a mental health condition expected to be able to work in future if their health improved.................. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cq5gpyv4dnwo

[Hugo]

I saw part of an interview on TV with Idris Elba talking about the surge in knife crime and some of the comments I heard made sense.     He talked about kitchen knives and said that if they has rounded ends instead of pointed ends then they could not be used to stab anyone and pierce someone's body.
The bit he said about the teenagers having no youth clubs to go to where they would be safe and not tempted to roam around in gangs looking for trouble is quite true.     Why has the UK let it's young people down so badly?

When I was a teenager growing up in Llandudno we had a fantastic Youth Centre where we could spend all evening there meeting friends and feeling safe and there were many activities there that we could take part in.    Colwyn Bay,  Conwy, Llandudno Junction and Deganwy all had these centres where teenagers could meet but these have all gone.   Why was this allowed to happen?

[Hugo]

Spike in immigration enforcement arrests in Wales - with raids on nail bars, farms and car washes
Home Office Immigration Enforcement teams say figures are well up on the previous January
That's really positive and pro active but does anyone know what happens to these illegal immigrants after they have been arrested?       I've yet to hear of a spike in deportation of illegal migrants



https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/spike-immigration-enforcement-arrests-wales-30969555

[Hugo]

New 'affordable' housing estate looks set to be built in Bodelwyddan
49 homes could be built by Adra, the North Wales housing association

49 new affordable homes could be built on agricultural land, despite fears about increased traffic on the surrounding roads. Daniel Parry from Adra has applied to Denbighshire County Council’s planning department, seeking permission to erect 49 affordable homes at land adjacent to Maes Owen on Abergele Road, Bodelwyddan.
If the properties are affordable as the developer has alleged, shouldn't they be for local people?


https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/new-affordable-housing-estate-looks-30973798

[Hugo]

These events can happen anywhere, even in this area but thankfully they are few and far between but they all have one thing in common?



https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/cd9x22dj423t

[Hugo]

House prices plunge as council acts on second homes
House prices in a county where the council has introduced measures to crack down on second homes have fallen by more than 12% year-on-year, according to new figures.

The local authority in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, recently introduced a requirement to obtain planning permission to turn residential properties into second homes or holiday letsIt is also one of a number of Welsh councils which charges a 150% council tax premium on such properties.

The council, Cyngor Gwynedd, said its aim was to "increase the availability of high-quality affordable homes for local people

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvg9y544wx3o

[SteveH]

Something mentioned on TV the other night............. Heathrow wants a new terminal and Indian owned Tata steel south Wales wants the government aid for new electric furnaces, both have caused mixed comments, however the Government might be using one to help the other to soften the cost to the tax payers at this difficult time.

I do believe we need to invest in the UK, but with a history of incompetence from all parties on major spending, I hope due diligence will be adhered to...............

Tata Steel £1.25bn electric furnace approved by planners
ata Steel has already appointed contractor Sir Robert McAlpine to deliver the project, which will involve the demolition of existing structures and partially filling an on-site lagoon.

New buildings to be constructed will include the furnace complex, a fume and dust treatment plant and a water treatment facilitiy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgegrep2xno


Heathrow’s UK steel pledge welcomed - “a major boost for British businesses”
Heathrow Airport's pledge to use UK-made steel where possible in its newly-announced multibillion-pound investment programme has been welcomed.

The airport is set to invest billions in an expansion programme for new terminal buildings, aircraft stands, passenger infrastructure and its third runway plans.

At an event hosted at British Steel's Scunthorpe plant yesterday (12 February), Heathrow also signed the UK Steel Charter, which signals the airport's commitment to use UK-made steel wherever possible as part of its investment programme.
https://www.insidermedia.com/news/national/heathrows-uk-steel-pledge-welcomed-a-major-boost-for-british-businesses


Press release
Government welcomes multibillion-pound Heathrow investment expected to secure thousands of steel jobs
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-welcomes-multibillion-pound-heathrow-investment-expected-to-secure-thousands-of-steel-jobs

[Hugo]

Gypsy and traveller communities in Wales face 'persecution' rats 'as big as dogs' and 'abysmal' living conditions
'Making people live in these conditions is unacceptable and it is shocking that we are hearing the same complaints that we did in 2022'

Has anyone seen the abysmal and unacceptable conditions left by these communities after they have left unauthorised sites?
The Pot calling the Kettle black comes to mind



https://www.dailypost.co.uk/news/north-wales-news/gypsy-traveller-communities-wales-face-31042516

[SteveH]

Conwy’s leader described the proposed council tax rise of 9.4% as a ‘really difficult, complex situation’ as the figure was agreed at a cabinet meeting thids week.

But the leader again took aim at the Welsh Government’s funding formula, insisting neighbours Denbighshire had received a quarter of a billion pounds more than Conwy over eight years................ https://www.northwalespioneer.co.uk/news/24951355.conwy-quarter-billion-poorer-denbighshire-says-leader/