THIS IS THE BLOG OF COLIN JONES, RHYL TOWN COUNCILLOR: BODFOR WARDl
The opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own and not the views of the town council.
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Building work at Rhyl Youth Action Group (RYAG) has advanced to the stage where much of the interior is already in use. RYAG’s address is 1 Elwy Street and 69-75 Wellington Road, and the premises are destined to become known as The Hub.
The picture at the top is a sample of the dereliction that has been swept away to make space for new RYAG-owned offices and IT suites (rooms containing a lots of computers) and for the retail training facility (mock-up of a shop) shown in the other picture.
In addition to help with training and employment RYAG intends to provide access to a wide range of advice and social activities for young people. RYAG will be expected to repay its starting loans and generate income by renting out space to various other agencies.
In Wellington Road the flats above The Hub will be rented by NACRO for housing young offenders – an idea that will dishearten many residents. This is not the fault of RYAG, the blame lies with the funding bodies.
Welsh Assembly and Denbighshire Community Safety Partnership and others create gravy trains of funding that encourage NACRO, SOVA and similar organisations to dump people with behavioural problems into areas where we already have too many, thereby perpetuating the social problems that the funders purport to be trying to solve.
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