FLN (Flintshire) scraper failing — server unreachable (TCP timeout)

[symroe]

Error (2026-06-11)

exceptions.ConnectionError: wreq::Error { kind: Connect, source: timed out }
Duration: 30s

Investigation

The scraper target https://cyfarfodyddpwyllgor.siryfflint.gov.uk (Flintshire's Welsh-language ModGov portal) is unreachable — TCP connections time out after 30 seconds. Direct curl requests to the endpoint also time out (exit code 28), confirming this is not a wreq-specific issue but a genuine network-level block or server downtime.

The scraper already has verify_requests = False set, so this is not a certificate issue.

Flintshire's ModGov instance appears to be blocking connections from Lambda's IP range, or the server itself is down.

Fix patterns ruled out

1. HTTPS migration — already HTTPS
2. verify_requests = False — already set
3. http_lib = "playwright" — TCP timeout occurs before any HTTP exchange; playwright cannot help when the TCP layer is blocked
4. URL changes — no evidence the URL has changed; the Welsh-language portal is the known address

What needs to happen

Check whether cyfarfodyddpwyllgor.siryfflint.gov.uk is temporarily down or has been decommissioned. If Flintshire has moved their ModGov instance, the base_url in metadata.json needs updating. If it's an IP block, use_proxy = True may be needed.

[symroe]

Still failing as of 2026-06-14. Error: Timeout error accessing wreq service endpoint for ward data retrieval (30.4s). TCP timeout to cyfarfodyddpwyllgor.siryfflint.gov.uk persists.

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[symroe]

2026-06-19 update: Still failing with the same TCP timeout. cyfarfodyddpwyllgor.siryfflint.gov.uk remains unreachable from Lambda — connections time out before TLS handshake. No fix available without infrastructure changes (proxy) or manual investigation of whether the URL has changed.

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[symroe]

Still failing — 2026-06-21

exceptions.ConnectionError: wreq::Error { kind: Connect, source: timed out }
Duration: 30s

Same error as last check. TCP connections to https://cyfarfodyddpwyllgor.siryfflint.gov.uk continue to time out from Lambda (curl also times out with exit code 28 from this environment). No change in status — requires manual investigation of whether the host has been decommissioned or moved.

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[symroe]

2026-06-25 update: Still failing. Current error from the dashboard feed (2026-06-23):

HTTP Status 503 — Service unavailable from GetCouncillorsByWard endpoint
Duration: 0.52s

The error has shifted from the TCP timeout described in the original issue to a fast 503 from the application layer. The Welsh ModGov endpoint (cyfarfodyddpwyllgor.siryfflint.gov.uk) is returning 503 quickly (0.52s) rather than timing out, suggesting the server is reachable but the application is down or in maintenance. No fix is possible while the server returns 503. Will continue monitoring.

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