A view from Clwyd South’s Member of Parliament

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes writes…

This last month has been a busy one for our local businesses in Clwyd South, many of which have done an incredible job of re-opening and deserve huge credit for the speedy steps taken to keep people safe.

This includes our shops, tourism and hospitality businesses which have had to adopt new social distancing and hygiene rules, meaning big changes to the way they operate. I have felt extremely privileged as the MP to visit so many of these businesses and organisations during the last month and it’s been hugely heartening to see them all recovering so well.

‘Honk for Hope’ campaigners arriving in a convoy to Parliament Square on Monday 20 July, to call for additional Government support for coach companies.

While Parliament was still sitting in July before the recess, I saw and heard ‘Honk for Hope’ campaigners from coach companies in Clwyd South (Unicorn Travel and Pat’s Coaches), the rest of Wales and from across the UK, who had driven in a convoy to Parliament Square to call for more Government support.

Simon Baynes MP with other North Wales Conservative MPs on Tuesday 21 July, at a meeting with Airbus UK Chairman, John Harrison and Senior Vice President Katherine Bennett CBE in the House of Commons.

In Parliament, as well as speaking in the Chamber, I attend many meetings (often by Zoom) on a wide range of issues which affect Clwyd South. Recent examples have included a meeting with Airbus alongside other North Wales Conservative MPs to discuss a wide range of Government measures to support the aerospace industry. I have also met with the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Waterways and Canals, of which I am a Vice-Chair; the Mersey Dee Alliance and the APPG for Choice at the End of Life.

Simon Baynes MP with Mary Williams (Line Leader), who has worked 37 years at Neatcrown in Corwen, on Friday 17 July.

Back in Clwyd South, I made a socially distanced visit to Brother Industries in Ruabon on 23 July to thank them for their generosity in manufacturing, donating and delivering PPE to local NHS workers, care home staff, schools, vulnerable individuals and local businesses. And on 6 August, I had the pleasure of making a visit to Neatcrown’s factory in Corwen to learn more about how the company and its workforce have adapted to new social distancing guidelines as they continue to produce an ever-expanding range of products for a large number of industries.

In my role as a Vice-Chair of the APPG for Tourism and Hospitality and given that I grew up in the hotel business at Lake Vyrnwy, I take a special interest in this sector in Clwyd South. I have been visiting and talking with many businesses over the last month, including Iscoyd Park and other wedding venue businesses, The Chainbridge Hotel in Llangollen and The Hand at Llanarmon in the Ceiriog Valley where I have seen how hard staff are working to adapt to keep premises and visitors safe.

I have also visited many shops, cafés and pubs in Clwyd South, including Rhos Community Café, where volunteers deliver 200 food parcels every week to vulnerable residents in the Rhos, Penycae and Johnstown areas, and AM/PM Convenience Store in Brynteg which delivers shopping and prescriptions with zero delivery charge to vulnerable local residents. I have also visited many retail and hospitality businesses in Llangollen which are showing a welcome improvement in business.

Meeting at the Oliver Jones Memorial Hall in Dolywern on Friday 3 July, with County Cllr Trevor Bates (centre) and Michael Dugine (right), the Connectivity Officer for Wrexham Council, to discuss plans for improving broadband in the Ceiriog Valley.

Improving broadband and mobile connection in Clwyd South is a top priority of mine as the local MP so it was very good to meet recently at the Oliver Jones Memorial Hall in Dolywern with County Cllr Trevor Bates and Mike Dugine, the Connectivity Officer for Wrexham Council, to discuss plans for improving broadband in the Ceiriog Valley. We are gradually making progress but there is lots more to do.

I welcome the news that North Wales has been bolstered by an additional 92 police officers since the UK Conservative Government launched its major recruitment drive in September 2019. Every one of these new police officers will make an enormous difference in helping to cut crime and keep people safe.

As we also now work to restart our economy, I am really glad to see that schemes such as the hugely popular Eat Out to Help Out launched by the Chancellor Rishi Sunak, are already proving a huge success at getting customers back into local businesses.

The economic support figures announced for Clwyd South also show the scale of support put in place by the UK Government to support local livelihoods. 9,800 jobs have been protected by the furlough scheme, £7,500,000 to support self-employed people and £20,514,589 worth of Bounce Back Loans for small companies in Clwyd South.

As your Member of Parliament, my team and I are always here to provide advice and support. If you’re a Clwyd South constituent, you can contact me at any time by email on [email protected]. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there’s anything I can do to help you.

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).