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…

Since my last piece for Wrexham.com, my team and I have continued to provide advice and support by letter, phone and email to Clwyd South residents, particularly on questions and concerns relating to Coronavirus.

This month, both Wrexham and Denbighshire, which together cover the whole of Clwyd South, have entered a local lockdown, meaning additional restrictions in order to help control the spread of the virus. Restricting the virus is vital but, as I mentioned recently in the House of Commons, the lockdown measures in Clwyd South and the rest of North Wales need reviewing given the difficulties they are causing – particularly for hospitality, wedding industry and leisure businesses – by using county boundaries rather than being targeted on the specific areas with high Covid case numbers within each county.

It was a pleasure to host a call this month organised by Barclays with Clwyd South farmers (who sell some of the best produce in the country) to discuss the effects of Covid-19 on our rural economy. It was also great to celebrate the 25th birthday of TCC – the UK’s oldest community organising charity – and to pay tribute to all their excellent work in Clwyd South, Wrexham and the rest of North East Wales.

I made a socially distanced visit to the Horseshoe Falls near Llangollen to see the viewing platform with its new railings recently installed for the public, where you can rally appreciate the beauty of this magical place. Later, I enjoyed visiting Llangollen Railway to learn more about the Covid measures they have implemented and to take a trip on the steam train to Carrog and back to Llangollen. I was also very glad to see new businesses like Castle Burgers in Llangollen opening in Clwyd South.

Since becoming an MP, I have particularly focused on improving mobile and broadband connectivity. So last month, I was very pleased to welcome the first broadband connection in Wales under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) in Tregeiriog in the Ceiriog Valley alongside the local County Councillor, Trevor Bates, and Wrexham Council Digital Business Officer, Mike Dugine, who have been instrumental in securing the project in Clwyd South. Much more, however, still needs to be done to improve broadband locally.

On Friday 9 October, I was very pleased to “cut the ribbon” at the official opening of Overton Post Office at the Overton Medical Practice. This has restored a full-time and vital Post Office to Overton which will be open Monday – Friday: 8.30am – 6pm.

In Westminster, I recently held a meeting with Veterans Minister, Johnny Mercer MP, alongside Sarah Atherton MP, about additional support for Clwyd South and Wrexham veterans and the Armed Forces Covenant. I was also very pleased to speak at the joint meeting of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Dance, Theatre and Classical Music and fly the flag for the arts in Wales.

In the House of Commons, I was pleased to highlight recently at Prime Minister’s Questions the need for an upgrade to the A483/A5 and a reduction in railway journey times in North Wales which received a positive response from the Prime Minister who knows our area well from his time as the former Parliamentary Candidate for Clwyd South. The Chancellor’s Winter Economy Plan, the next phase of the UK Government’s economic response to Covid-19, will help to protect jobs and support businesses in Clwyd South over the months ahead. I was also impressed by the Prime Minister’s recent pledge to ‘Build Back Greener’ by investing in offshore wind to create 60,000 jobs in this country and helping us get to net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

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).