Showing posts from January, 2015
"You must be smug now that Tesco has announced some store closures" So said a regular reader, after Tesco announced on January 28th that it was about to close 43 stores. After all, the reader continued, Tesco in Rhuthun/Ruthin has only bee…
We're about to get more yellow lines . This time, they're not in the town centre. This time, they're care of the government rather than the council. Published in today's Free Press is a full-page 21-day consultation public notice und…
Today, the government launched the new basis upon which parents and the community can judge their local schools. Unlike the previous banding, the new traffic light categorisation takes into account more than just performance but also qualitative measu…
The other announcement of interest yesterday was that Ysgol Llanbedr is saved by the minister Huw Lewis. No one likes to see a school close and politicians from all over the spectrum have applauded his decision. Yet, leaving politics aside, does th…
…with consequences The Welsh government today has rejected the voluntary merger of Denbighshire and Conwy councils. What are the implications on Rhuthun/Ruthin? First, let's look at the decision. This was clearly something of a surprise to D…
The State of Parking 2015—1 The county council’s considering parking again. We'll return to this subject in future posts but, for now, here are some headline quotes from a report going to councillors on Thursday: "The new policy has bee…
Rhuthun's Estate Agents—3 We're five hours away from the launch of onthemarket.com. We've already suggested that this might be a bad move for consumers. It may yet be that Rightmove eclipses onthemarket and agents will be forced to aban…
Rhuthun's Estate Agents—2 Along with taxmen, traffic wardens, car salesmen and telemarketers, estate agents are a loathed profession. Try as they may to be transparent and professional, the level of trust can at times be stretched. Surely Rhuthu…
Rhuthun's Estate Agents—1 Today, a leaflet advertising the Fair Fee estate agency was pushed through my letterbox. It said "now open". Except, of course, it isn't "open" in the traditional sense. It has no high street pre…
All eyes focused on the most deprived communities in Wales upon the publication in November of the current Wales Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD) figures. Rhyl hit the headlines. Two Rhyl areas were in the "bottom 10" most deprived commu…
... minus their high visibility clothing .
We've long reported the cost of fuel. Here's a dramatic representation per gallon of diesel at forecourt prices. These data are for 2012, 2013 and 2014 plus up to today in Rhuthun/Ruthin, January 2015. Yet. we're told, that the price of cr…
Choo Choo began preparations for the move of one of its shops in November. Now, its clothes shop Choo Choo Etc Etc has formally moved just around the corner. There's a lot of space therein. Is this a good idea, though? The proprietrix was deligh…
Referring to the possibility of a 40 mph on the A542 over the Bwlch yr Oernant/Horseshoe Pass , a council press statement said, "A countywide speed limit review had identified a 40mph limit [on the A542], which would likely be implemented in ea…
It's been happening for centuries, the conversion of pub to home. Marketed from today as a residential rather than commercial property is the Old Cross Keys, Llanfwrog. The proprietors have since April 2013 tried in vain to sell as an on-going con…
When the archive staff return from Christmas tomorrow, two things will have changed. First, the senior archivist, Jane Brunning, won't be there. She retired at the end of December and is not replaced. She was effectively part of the council "…
