Have Your Say

CAMPAIGN AGAINST CARPARKING CHARGES ATTRACTS MORE SUPPORT
A campaign against the County Council’s proposal to introduce parking charges on Council owned car parks has so far attracted over 200 signatures of support.
A petition was launched last week by Alyn & Deeside Labour AM Carl Sargeant in Buckley Precinct and this week has seen the campaign take to Shotton High Street.
The unpopular proposals to introduce car parking charges were backed recently by the Council’s ruling Lib Dem, Tory and Independent Councillors and to date only the Flintshire Labour group have come out against the charges, the charging proposals are one of a range of proposals published by Flintshire County Council as it struggles to balance its budget.
Carl Sargeant was joined by local Labour Councillor’s Ann Minshull and Dave Evans in Shotton this week, where the local Assembly Member manned a street stall armed with the petition against the introduction of the charges.
Carl Sargeant AM for Alyn & Deeside said,
“I am concerned that the introduction of parking charges will adversely affect communities like Buckley, Shotton and Connahs Quay where businesses rely on council owned car parks to attract trade, it is clear that the Council’s proposals are not popular with local residents.”
Carl Sargeant is to take his petition to the streets of Connah’s Quay this coming Friday.

Lets Smile

THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN BENEFIT
FROM BRUSHING SCHEME
All community dental services in Wales are now delivering the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government’s Designed to Smile scheme, which is aimed at improving the oral health and preventing tooth decay among children.
Over 30,000 children are now benefiting from the scheme, which is being delivered through 500 schools. Following successful pilots across Wales the programme was rolled out nationally in 2009 and is now being expanded to nurseries and playgroups.
In the scheme dental health support workers deliver a supervised tooth-brushing programme in schools and provide toothbrushes and toothpaste to school children along with oral health advice. Significant progress has been made across Wales with more children from deprived areas taking part in tooth brushing schemes designed to provide children with the tools they need to develop and maintain good oral health from an early age.
Carl Sargeant AM for Alyn & Deeside said,
“It is vitally important that children are taught the importance of looking after their teeth from an early age and I am pleased that the Assembly Government’s ‘Designed to Smile Scheme’ is delivering upon its aims.”
Part of this service is delivered via mobile dental health units that provide specialist preventive care and treatment to schools.
The monitoring report produced by Cardiff University detailing activity in the first full year of the initiative shows that:
o Over 500 schools and over 30,000 children now benefiting from the programme (up from 8,116 in the first period of the scheme).
o 30,000 home packs including toothbrush and fluoride toothpaste have been distributed in each of the pilot areas.
o Over 12,000 treatments called fissure sealants delivered, preventing tooth decay and reducing the need for fillings.

AM Welcomes Funding

CARL SARGEANT WELCOMES EXTRA FUNDING FOR EXTRACARE HOUSING SCHEMES
Alyn & Deeside Welsh Assembly Member Carl Sargeant has welcomed today’s announcement that Extracare housing schemes across Wales are set to benefit from £1million of extra funding from the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government, during this financial year.
The extra funding will speed up the development of Extracare schemes currently under construction, which in turn will free up funding for other projects in future.
Extracare housing schemes are similar to sheltered accommodation but provide extra facilities and as much or as little extra care as necessary to enable older people to live in their own homes and maintain their independence in a safe and secure environment, with an on-site, 24 hour, 365 day care service specifically tailored to meet individual needs
Carl Sargeant AM for Alyn & Deeside said,
“Extra care is a modern and effective method of providing that little bit of extra support that elderly residents need, whilst ensuring they retain their all-important independence, locally the extra care scheme at Llys Eleanor in Shotton is a good example of a successful extra care scheme.”

CARL SARGEANT LAUNCHES PETITION AGAINST PARKING CHARGES
A proposal to introduce parking charges on Council owned car parks has been criticised by Alyn & Deeside Labour AM Carl Sargeant.
The move is one of a range of proposals published by Flintshire County Council as it struggles to balance its budget.
Carl Sargeant was joined by local Labour Councillor Ron Hampson in Buckley this week, where the local Assembly Member launched a petition against the introduction of the charges.
Carl Sargeant AM for Alyn & Deeside said,
“I am concerned that the introduction of parking charges will adversely affect communities like Buckley, Shotton and Connahs Quay where businesses rely on council owned car parks to attract trade, I would urge local residents and businesses to fight these proposals.”
Cllr Ron Hampson local Buckley Labour Councillor said,
“Buckley Town Centre needs all the help and support it can get and this proposal could be a huge blow to the Town.”
Carl Sargeant is to take his petition to the streets of Shotton this coming Friday.

Lets go Green

Wales’ recycling rate reaches 45 per cent
Wales recycled or composted 45 per cent of its municipal waste between July and September 2010, according to figures released today.
Alyn & Deeside Labour AM Carl Sargeant said,
“These figures continue the upward trend in recycling in Wales over the past decade. While recycling and composting are traditionally higher during the summer months and decrease in the winter, 45 per cent is the highest quarterly Welsh recycling rate to date, this is great news for the local environment.”
The amount of municipal waste Wales produced decreased from 432,000 thousand tonnes in July – September 2009 to 409,000 thousand tonnes in July – September 2010. The amount of household waste produced per person decreased from 77 kg to 68 kg.
Environment Minister Jane Davidson AM said:
“Of course what really count are the annual figures which track our performance throughout the year, but I believe that today’s news is more proof that Wales leads the way in what to do with our waste. I want to thank all our councils for their excellent work, and encourage them to continue working closely together so that they can all feel the economic, social and environmental benefits of high recycling.
“If we are to reach our goals of recycling 70 per cent of our waste by 2025 and being zero waste by 2050 we cannot afford to lose momentum. We need to continue developing the sort of services - such as weekly food waste collections - that will give us the best chance of reaching this ambition, and every council, every community, every business and every home needs to play its part in delivering the high recycling Wales deserves.”
Wales is the first country in the UK to adopt statutory recycling targets for municipal waste. The Waste (Wales) Measure – which introduces statutory targets - received Royal Approval in December 2010. The first statutory target will be 52 per cent for 2012 – 2013, rising gradually to 70 per cent by 2025.
Wales is also:
• The only country in the UK where every local authority offers a separate food or food/green waste collection
• The first to introduce the Landfill Allowances scheme. Every local authority in Wales has met every target since
• The first to introduce carrier bag charges, in October 2011
• The first to set out exactly what we will do to reach 70 per cent recycling by 2025

Safety on Learner Transport

SCHOOL TRANSPORT LEGISLATION
CLEARS FIRST STAGE

New plans by the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government to legislate on safety standards on school transport were debated by Assembly Members this week.
If passed, the proposed Safety on Learner Transport (Wales) Measure will allow Minister’s to introduce new regulations to ensure that all contracted transport used on the school run conforms to the highest safety standards. Following this weeks vote, the Measure will go on to a second stage of scrutiny.
Ensuring the safety of our children as they travel on the school bus a key priority for parents and a key priority for the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government.
Powers over learner transport safety were devolved to the National Assembly for Wales in April 2010 following the approval of the Transport Legislative Competence Order (LCO) which was introduced in February 2010 and passed in March.
The framework powers contained in the proposed Measure will enable the Assembly Government to place a wide range of requirements on local authorities and bus operators in relation to the safety standards of contracted school buses.
Carl Sargeant AM for Alyn & Deeside said,
“It is of paramount importance that parents can be assured of the safety of their children whilst they are being transported to and from school, the proposals laid before the Welsh Assembly will ensure better protection for our schoolchildren.”
The proposed Safety on Learner Transport (Wales) Measure aims to introduce a number of compulsory safety regulations for school transport, including the use of appropriate seatbelts and CCTV. Under the Measure, trained supervisors would be provided for some learner transport, mandatory training for drivers would be developed and vehicles that don’t meet strict safety standards would be phased out.

AM Welcomes First Minister to Alyn & Deeside

CARL SARGEANT WELCOMES

FIRST MINISTER VISIT

Alyn & Deeside AM Carl Sargeant has welcomed news that the First Minister for Wales, Carwyn Jones AM, is due to visit Connah's Quay this Thursday.

The First Minister will officially open the Quay Health Centre, the culmination of an £8 Million investment made available from the Labour led Welsh Assembly Government.

The First Minister will also tour the recently opened Quay Shopping Precinct at Ffordd Llanarth and officially open the newly renovated Civic Hall at Wepre Drive.

Carl Sargeant AM for Alyn & Deeside said,

“I am proud to have worked in partnership with local councillors in Connah's Quay, who are working tirelessly to regenerate the Town and I am particularly pleased that the Labour led Welsh Assembly Government has been able to provide the funding for a first class health centre, which is a fantastic public building and will serve the local people for many years to come.”