Cllr Jones is calling for a one way system to be introduced through Buckley Cross to Mold Road to facilitate the additional parking areas after local businesses voiced their concern at a recent Town Centre health check meeting.

The issue was raised with Arriva by Cllr Jones at a recent County Council scrutiny meeting and then followed up by being discussed at Buckley Town Council at Cllr Jones’ request.

The proposal by Cllr Jones called for Flintshire County Council and Arriva to investigate the feasibility of a one way system and was fully supported by all councillors at the Buckley Town Council meeting who endorsed the plans.

Cllr Jones said: “I’m pleased that all my fellow councillors at Buckley Town Council supported and endorsed my proposal for a one way system to be introduced to improve parking and access to local shops thereby supporting local businesses.

“Flintshire County Council and Arriva will now consider those proposals and I am hopeful they will agree to introduce the much needed one way system to give local businesses the support they deserve and need right now.”

Eleanor Burnham, Assembly Member for North Wales has called on the Welsh Assembly Government to end the uncertainty surrounding the funding of Community Transport schemes in Wales.

As the future of community transport schemes hangs in the balance, Welsh Liberal Democrats continue to lobby the Assembly Government and will tomorrow call upon the Minister during plenary to speak up on continuing financial support for these invaluable schemes.

Eleanor, Welsh Lib Dem Shadow Minister for Communities said, “I am appalled that these vital Community Transport pilots are not being told what will happen after funding ends on 31st March. It is distressing to the vulnerable people who use the services as well as to the staff who operate them.

“In Conwy, for example, around five hundred people depend on Community Transport. One elderly man lives in a nursing home a few miles out of the town and the Community bus picks him up and takes him home to spend a little time with his family then takes him back. There is no way he will be able to maintain that contact if the service is withdrawn.

“Conwy received funding of around £250,000 to buy vehicles, lease property and employ four members of staff. I have attempted to find out when an announcement will be made on the future of the project, but the Ministerial response has been disappointingly dismissive”.

Buckley Cllr Richard Jones has been working with Welsh Border Community Transport to seek funding for the service to continue after March 2009.

Cllr Jones said: “Welsh Border Community Transport provide vital links for elderly and vulnerable residents in Flintshire to local services and facilities.

“I am hopeful a solution can be found to ensure this vital community transport service can continue to operate at its current level beyond March 2009 when the current funding from the Welsh Assembly grants expire.”

Eleanor added: “The Government is dragging its feet on this and I don’t think there is a full appreciation of how important Community Transport is to those who use it, or the worry that this delay is causing. A decision should have been made public months ago.”

In a message to local residents, campaigner Cllr Richard Jones has backed the plans to raise the standard of home energy efficiency. “The energy efficiency standards of 99 out of every 100 homes fall well below what they should be,” said Cllr Richard Jones. “Nearly every one of us is spending money on bills to heat the great outdoors as so much energy escapes from our homes. 

“We want to bring home energy efficiency up to the highest level possible. In the past year, fuel bills have gone through the roof. But too often, our heat is escaping through the roof as well. Our plans will put an end to that. ”By cutting energy waste, we are also cutting the damage we do to the environment. It’s a win-win situation: lower fuel bills and fewer emissions that are leading to climate change that has given us extreme weather.” 

The Liberal Democrats’ plans include requiring energy companies to use some of the £9 billion profit they have made from emissions trading to insulate the homes of the poorest residents.  They will also set up a National Green Loans scheme which will pay for a complete overhaul of the energy efficiency of people’s homes. Repayments will be added to energy bills with the loan paid off from the savings in energy use. Loan repayments will not be allowed to be more than the savings. “This is a great idea for helping people to cut their energy bills and help us save the planet,” said Richard.

Fortnightly blue box and bag Week 1 no collections from Dec 25, Normal collections resume Jan 5

Fortnightly brown bin no collections in Christmas period, collections resume 19 Jan - week 1 26 Jan - week 2; Recycling Parks closed Christmas Day; Christmas trees can be taken to any recycling park.

Residents living in Prince of Wales Court properties will be able to recycle in the New Year thanks to a new scheme being introduced by Flintshire County Council.

Buckley Cllr Richard Jones has been working hard to get the Council to launch the new project after being contacted by local residents who wanted a recycling facility.

Cllr Jones said: “I was contacted by residents who wanted a recycling facility for their area.

” Providing recycling schemes for multiple occupancy properties is not easy but with a little bit of creativity and imagination we have been able to find a solution.

“I am pleased that the residents of Prince of Wales Court who want to Recycle will be able to play their part in reducing landfill starting in the New Year.”

Flintshire Council has launched a trial scheme, targeting one area in the county, which will give residents the chance to recycle their cardboard waste, alongside newspapers and magazines, in larger blue recycling bags.

The council has, until recently, only had access to facilities to recycle paper, cans, plastic bottles, glass and green waste.

Cllr Richard Jones said: “We have excellent recycling collection services in Flintshire, but people also want to recycle cardboard packaging, and now we are introducing a trial scheme so they can do this.”

Residents in the pilot area will be issued with new blue bags and a leaflet explaining how they can use the new service, collections for which began on Monday.

Cllr Jones added: “We appreciate residents in all areas of the county will be keen to have this service too, but we ask people to be patient, as we trial this only in certain areas initially.”

For more information on recycling, call 01352 703350.

Councillors voted in favour by 12 votes to six of confirming their decision taken on the 2^nd September to approve an application for a change of use to a car sales site for land at The Cottage on Sealand Road, Sealand.

The decision was brought back to the committee this week by Council officers as they felt it represented a substantial departure from the Council’s strategic policy in relation to Green Barrier.

Despite re-affirming the original committee decision the application will still need to be referred to the National Assembly as it departs from planning guidelines previously agreed by the Council.

Cllr Richard Jones said: “This application was clearly contrary to our planning  policy guidelines as set out in our Unitary Development Plan as was highlighted very thoroughly by the Officers during the meeting and there are no grounds for this departure.

“I very much suspect that the National Assembly will reject this decision on those grounds alone.

 “However, what really concerns me is that by approving this application we are potentially knowingly allowing additional risk to be created on our roads. 

“Will Flintshire County Council be liable if there is an accident in the future at this site because we allowed this increased risk to be created?”

Sealand Community Council appeared to support Cllr Jones’ concerns submitting a late observation of objection to the committee on the grounds that “the increased flow of traffic onto the site will create a major traffic hazard onto a road with a 60mph limit.”

The Council’s own Highways engineers also felt the application should be refused because it would be “detrimental to highway safety.”

Whitford Lib Dem Cllr Chris Dolphin also voted against the application and said: “This is a grassed area in the green barrier, it is a non-starter, we don’t allow development on green barrier sites for a good reason and I see no argument for doing so in this case.”

Cllr Jones concluded: “This is inappropriate development that is contrary both to our planning policy and highway safety and should never have been granted.

 “I find it astonishing that in one breath some elected members are praising our Officers and calling for us to support their professional advice and judgement and in the next breath they are choosing to vote against it!”

It appears there is a need for another supermarket in Buckley to address this particular local deficiency and this report will be used to identify the type and size of that requirement to ensure that Buckley does not suffer from further business degradation.

Buckley must plan for the future so that it truly provides quality retail outlets with less need for local people to travel to other retail centres. Our challenge is to stop the bleeding of retail finance to Chester and Wrexham and to maintain it in our local Town. It makes good sense-we just won’t need to travel to buy. In order to lower your Carbon footprint and support local businesses-The money you earn in Buckley should be spent in Buckley. Over the next months and years FCC Coalition Councillors of Buckley will strive to attract quality businesses to our Town in order to provide structured growth for the future.

**or overspill car park near to Bevans if you are unable to park in the pedestrianised area.

Although we can still do better, well done, this is more than double the visits of similar towns such as Holywell and Broughton.

Cllr Richard Jones said:” It was one of my election pledges to oppose the introduction of car parking charges in Buckley, so I very much welcome this review.

“Buckley and many similar relatively small towns across Flintshire rely on local residents for their trade, without free car parking this trade would diminish as these residents would tend to utilise the free parking in either ’shopping parks’ or supermarkets.

“I have regularly raised these concerns since my election with Officers at County Hall and I have supported calls to have a more relaxed view in terms of car parking charges in general in line with Welsh hospitals.

“This is a time to assist in reducing overheads for local residents and businesses already suffering from the global credit crunch, not to introduce yet further ’stealth taxes’ on their cost of living. I hope the review reaches the right conclusion and resolves to scrap these charges.”
ENDS

Following in the footsteps of Megan Lloyd George, who headed a Senedd i Gymru campaign back in 1951, fellow female Liberal North Walian Eleanor Burnham used the opportunity to urge a ‘YES’ campaign to win a referendum for greater powers for the National Assembly.

Ms Burnham, who has described the current devolution settlement as ‘swimming is custard’ launched a strongly worded attack on the anti-devolutionist Labour party in Wales and called for the ‘YES’ campaign not to be fronted exclusively by politicians.

Ms Burnham will said: “All polls suggest that the people of Wales are ready, and have been ready for some time, for a full Parliament for Wales.

“Labour is holding Wales back. They have been in government since the outset of the National Assembly of Wales - happy to puff their CV with “architects of devolution”, but refusing to acknowledge that they’ve built an unstable house that is almost impossible to live in.

“Labour has left us with a half-baked devolution process although they seem to have taken all the credit for bringing powers from London to Wales. Whilst it may be true that they were the ones in power when the referendum came in 1997, Labour are the ones keeping the devolution wagon in first gear.

“From Labour AMs blocking LCOs in Cardiff to Labour MPs bemoaning that they have too much work because of the number of LCOs coming from Cardiff, they are the real “conservative” party in Wales. One LCO in one year. Maybe that’s why they call it the One Wales government.

“In order for devolution to go up a gear or three, we have to significantly reduce Labour’s dominance in Wales. Luckily we have an ally in this: Gordon Brown. Nobody is working harder to reduce Labour’s popularity. Keep up the good work Gordon.”

Ms Burnham added:”People are seeing the benefits of devolution but through very muddy lenses. We need to make sure that people see devolution clearly for what it is and what it can bring them.

“But we cannot leave devolution to the politicians – it’s too important for that.

“A YES campaign must be made up of people who the public listen to and respect – famous faces. It is true that politicians aren’t trusted which is a sad fact and that’s is why we need to have a wider range of faces on board, faces the Welsh public respect, faces who the Welsh public trust and faces the Welsh public identify with.

“How do you get the attention of that person who knows nothing about the devolution process? It’s not by putting them in front of a boring politician talking about fields, schedules and LCOs. Far better to hear it from someone who that person respects and will actually listen to, without feeling patronised.

“I’m sure we politicians will have a role in the campaign – don’t you worry about that – I’m just saying it needn’t be front and centre.”

“Welsh devolution is here to stay; as it is in Scotland and Northern Ireland too. And devolution is dynamic. It doesn’t stay still. It must advance and the One Wales pledge of a referendum by 2011 on gaining parliamentary powers for Wales will be an opportunity to make this leap to a more effective and clearer system of governing Wales.

“The next step for devolution could be a great leap forward. But as any great long jumper would acknowledge – you have to get the run up right, if you want to travel great distances.

“We all have to work together, to get that run up right.”
Ends

Following a thorough review of the planning committee by consultants Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the issue was discussed at a recent Council meeting when the amendment – against the advice of the Council’s Constitutional Committee – was carried by a majority vote of councillors.

But the Lib Dems did not support the amendment, preferring to support the option to not have any substitutes in line with the recommendations and advice of Pricewaterhouse Coopers.

Lib Dem group Leader, Cllr Robin Baker, said: “:While we understood the arguments for using substitutes as a group we felt we could not support that option and our view was that no substitutes was a better alternative to protect the integrity of the planning process.

“We respect the decision was a democratic one but as it was not a position we agreed with we felt it would be hypocritical to then nominate three substitutes from our group.

“We are therefore taking a principled stance on this issue that is consistent with the group’s position throughout this debate as we feel there is ample opportunity for Ward councillors to make representation on behalf of local residents without putting themselves in jeopardy of fettering their discretion on planning matters.”
ENDS

The announcement on Tuesday means that around 20 per cent of the county’s post offices face the axe unless a strong case can be made for the Post Office to rethink their plans.

The news comes only days after a House of Commons select committee warned that outreach services, set up to fill the gaps left by the closures, will fail because of a lack of cash.

Outreach facilities are being proposed in 14 communities across the region to offset the impact of closures but this latest report highlights that funding for them to be viable may be inadequate.
And the Lib Dems accused the Labour government – and local Labour MP’s – of being determined to destroy the Post Office network across Flintshire.

Cllr. Robin Baker, Leader of Flintshire County Council’s Lib Dem group, said: “Post Offices provide a vital service, particularly to vulnerable people and rural areas. When they close, other services often follow suit, with devastating consequences for the community.

“Mobile offices are being offered by the Post Office, but these wholly inadequate replacements will not provide anything like the kind of service people in rural areas rely on.

“Outreach services are a poor relation to proper post offices. The Government seems to think it can get post offices on the cheap this way. However, even outreach services need to be properly funded.

“At this rate many areas will end up with no post office services whatsoever. Ministers are presiding over the managed decline of our post offices.

“Local MPs – including Delyn’s MP David Hanson - have let down local residents by voting against a motion in the House of Commons in March that would have brought an end to the closure programme in Flintshire.

“I would urge everyone affected by these proposals to write to MP’s David Hanson and Mark Tami, lobby their local councillor and write to the Post Office before the 15th September to let their views be known,” he added.

Responses to the consultation should be sent to
Steve Geraty
Network Development Manager
C/o National Consultation Team
FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM

Email: consultation@postoffice.co.uk

Gas prices up 35%
Electric prices up 20%
10 ways to help you save energy, money, and help prevent climate change. You could save around £270 per year*.

1 Turn your thermostat down. Reducing your room temperature by 1°C could cut your heating bills by up to 10 percent. You could save around £50 per year.
2 Is your water too hot? Your cylinder thermostat should be set at 60°C/140°F.
3 Close your curtains at dusk to stop heat escaping through the windows.
4 Always turn off the lights when you leave a room.
5 Don’t leave appliances on standby and remember not to leave appliances on charge unnecessarily.
6 If you’re not filling up the washing machine, tumble dryer or dishwasher, use the half-load or economy programme.
7 Only boil as much water as you need (but remember to cover the elements if you’re using an electric kettle).
8 A dripping hot water tap wastes energy and in one week wastes enough hot water to fill half a bath, so fix leaking taps and make sure they’re fully turned off!
9 Use energy saving lightbulbs. They last up to 10 times longer than ordinary bulbs, and using one can save you around £40 over the lifetime of the bulb. This saving could be up to £60 over its lifetime if you?re replacing a very high wattage incandescent bulb, or one used for more than a few hours a day.
10. Do a home energy check at the ‘www.energysavingtrust.org.uk’ link. Just answer some simple questions about your home and the Energy saving trust will give you a free, impartial report telling you how you can save up to £270 a year on your house hold energy bills.

I hope these tips help you to keep your money in your pocket

Richard said: “After originally being lead to believe that patients would have to travel to South Wales for treatment, I am absolutely delighted for our area and the region at the announcement of the planned Neurological Unit in North Wales.

“I welcome the Health Minister’s common sense and good judgement in this case and look forward to these plans being delivered through the North Wales Office, taking into account the costing of the plans.

“Edwina Hart has listened and acted positively in a situation which should never arisen.”

**or overspill car park near to Bevans if you are unable to park in the pedestrianised area.

The call came after Cllr Nancy Matthews, the new Executive Member for Waste Strategy and Management for the coalition administration, joined waste leaders from across Wales at a meeting in Cardiff to discuss the mounting pressures on local authorities.

Jane Davidson AM, Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing was also present at the meeting with the Cabinet Members with responsibility for Waste to discuss how they can improve recycling facilities and proposals for meeting Welsh Assembly Government waste targets.

Cllr Nancy Matthews said: “Despite early successes in Flintshire and making reasonable progress in our initial recycling plans it would appear that listening to other local authorities’ improvements they have caught us up.

“My vision is to put Flintshire a the forefront of waste management, rewarding residents for good practice and realising efficiencies that can save them money by making less to landfill our motto.

“Every council in Wales must aim high when it comes to waste reduction. While we face significant financial pressures in meeting targets around recycling, composting and the management of waste services, we have to embrace waste management as a key priority and tackle it in a creative way so that it is self-sufficient in the long term.

“Our recycling record to date is a clear indicator of the councils’ investment in recycling services and commitment to encouraging a cultural shift in consumer behaviour so that the public make use of the services available to them and therefore send less to landfill.

“However, we have to be realistic about what is achievable and an ambitious 70% recycling target by 2025 means we must looking at every feasible option.

“It also means we need a strategy that will deliver step change and radical improvement, coasting along is not enough to get us where we need to be.”

Flintshire Lib Dem Group Leader Robin Baker added: “This is certainly a key issue for our group and one that we will be discussing in the coming weeks with our coalition partners. I am confident we will be able to come to a consensus on our joint approach to tackling this agenda, along with other key issues we face.”
ENDS

In ‘Make it Happen’ the Liberal Democrats say:

* They will cut taxes for ordinary families
* If your local hospital can’t see you on time, they will pay for treatment elsewhere
* They will switch taxes from people to pollution - so it pays to go green
* To improve standards in education, they will fund extra help for those who need it most
* They will put Britain at the heart of Europe to make us a force for good in the world
* They will stop ID cards so we can keep control of our privacy
* They will change the voting system so everyone’s voice counts
* They will bring communities together with local people in charge
* They will give communities a say in how offenders pay for their crimes

Cllr Richard Jones said, “I am delighted to be able to back ‘Make it Happen’. It sets out how the Liberal Democrats will run Britain .

“No resident of Flintshire has escaped the rising cost of food and fuel. The credit crunch is biting hard and local people are feeling the pinch.

“Nick Clegg has set out how we can help ordinary people through cutting taxes on those on low and middle incomes. Thousands of people in Flintshire will benefit from this.

“We are taking the plans in ‘Make it Happen’ to the people of Flintshire during the summer to get their response. And in September, we will be heading to the Liberal Democrats’ conference where we are looking forward to taking part in the debate.”

The loss of post offices will hit communities hard in Buckley Bistre East. They are vital assets for many local people and closing them will cause many difficulties for older people and others with mobility problems, in particular.

Despite the decision of Labour MP’s to help the Government press ahead with closures, Liberal Democrats are continuing to fight the demolition of the post office network.

Our plan would give a real investment of £2 billion in the post office, would increase the services offered at local post office branches and improve the network so that every community that needs a post office gets one.

We are the only party with a fully-funded plan to save the post office, give it a long-term future and not just manage its decline.

Our plan would see:
· £2 billion invested in post office network;
· New branches opening where needed;
· Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office;
· The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business;
· A new legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.

We will keep you posted

 

Thank you once again for your kind and generous support and for electing me to serve you in Buckley Bistre East for the next four years.Across Flintshire the Lib Dems made four gains and now hold 12 seats on the County Council.We made one gain from Independents and three gains from Labour who ended up losing control of the Council.This has put us in the position of being able to form a coalition administration with the Independent and Tory groups.As a result Quentin Dodd has been elected as the Chair of the Council for 2008/09 and we have two positions on the Executive - held by Nancy Matthews and Neville Phillips - and several key posts on scrutiny.New Group Leader Robin Baker said: “Naturally we are delighted to have made four gains at a time when all the press nationally and locally were talking about was the Tory resurgence.“We are delighted to welcome Richard, Grenville, Rosetta and Tim to the team at County Hall.“We now have the opportunity to shape and influence the agenda at County Hall and bring some liberal and democratic views to the delivery of services in Flintshire.”

As a member of 4 overview and scrutiny committees, I will work hard from top down for the good of Flintshire, Buckley and Bistre East.

My efforts will be aimed at quality improvement, increased efficiency and overall fairness whilst taking into consideration the needs and desires of my electorate.

This is yet another example of how the people of Buckley are veing let down by their Labour candidates.

In case you missed it here are the results of the local elections for this ward held on May 1st this year.

Buckley Bistre East
County Division
Joseph Burley Independent 245
Richard Jones Lib Dems 535 E
Arnold Woolley Independent 784 E
Gareth Williams Labour Party 431

Buckley Bistre East
Town Council
Arnold Woolley Independent 831 E
Wendy Mallin Labour Party 312
Richard Jones Lib Dems 661 E
Gareth Williams Labour 476 E
John Thornton Lib Dems 612 E
Jane Elston Labour 342 E