Stock image of fireworks A council’s aim of limiting the negative impacts of fireworks will likely have to wait until the respective governments tighten existing laws. December saw councillors in Gwynedd overwhelmingly back a motion calling on legislation to introduce a lower maximum noise level for fireworks sold to the public. The motion, which also called for stricter regulations on when they can be let off, had also prompted a report looking at what actions the authority could take on a local level. But Thursday’s meeting of the Communities Scrutiny Committee heard that council officers could only recommend best practice when it comes to holding public displays, with the likelihood that the UK Goverment would have to change the law before councillors could implement the measures they wanted.
THE debate and mixed feelings regarding the Covid-19 vaccination dosing regime rumbles on. The vaccines currently being used in the UK were intended to be given twice, but over a much shorter timescale. The second dose was recommended to be administered around three weeks after the initial dose, rather than the three months or so now being the norm. One of the fears is that this new regime will leave patients with only partial immunity to Covid-19 for many extra weeks, and could make the virus more likely to gain vaccine resistance . England’s Chief Medical Officer, Chris Whitty, acknowledges this fear, but said it was “quite a small worry”.
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County Hall in Chichester
West Sussex County Council s Environment and Communities Scrutiny Committee will look at the progress made since the County Council adopted its Climate Change Strategy in July 2019 and will scrutinise how the council plans to reduce its carbon emissions further and become more climate resilient at a meeting on January 11, 2021.
The meeting will hear how the council is looking closely at how changes introduced during the pandemic, such as working from home, and in particular reductions in staff travel, have influenced carbon consumption, to see how it can continue to reduce its footprint, while ensuring services are still delivered to residents.
Protests have taken place against second homes in Gwynedd Gwynedd Council is planning a “three pronged attack” on the Welsh Government’s “lack of appetite” in helping tackle the housing crisis facing parts of rural west Wales. A new council commissioned research paper has recommended measures that would require changes to national planning and taxation legislation, but have been described as long overdue due to spiralling house prices in many areas of Gwynedd. Finding that almost 60% of local people are currently priced out of the housing market – with 6,849 or 10.77% of the country’s entire housing stock now being designated as second homes – among the earmarked measures to tackle the issue are a licensing system for short-term holiday accommodation such as AirBnBs.
Campervan illustrative picture Calls have been made for a clampdown on campervans and motorhomes “parking where they like” in parts of rural Gwynedd and a need for bigger fines for motorists dangerously blocking highways near beauty spots. Hoping to heap pressure on both governments to take action, the pleas for action come following complaints over the summer of both “antisocial campers” leaving litter and human waste in their wake as well as unprecedented scenes of dangerous parking on the roads of Snowdonia and beyond. Addressing Thursday’s Communities Scrutiny Committee, one Llŷn councillor said that the sheer number of motorhomes and campervans causing issues was of “great concern,” with officers also confirming they had never before received so many complaints as this past summer.