A view from Clwyd South’s Member of the Senedd

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 MS Ken Skates writes…

We will all be able to see more of our family and friends if conditions remain stable over the next few days, the First Minister has announced.
The intention is that from Saturday (August 22) up to four households will be able to join together to form a single extended household. Meals following a wedding, civil partnership or funeral will also be allowed for up to 30 people if social distancing can be maintained.
However, the Welsh Government will not be making any changes at this stage to the rules on people meeting indoors with people who aren’t part of their household or extended household.
The action taken by the Welsh Government and the sacrifices the people of Clwyd South, Wrexham and the whole of Wales have made so far have made a real difference.
The number of cases of coronavirus continues to fall and this means we will be able to continue making cautious, step-by-step changes. We are learning from what is happening across the UK, and outbreaks are mainly linked to people meeting others inside the home.
We continue to progress together, and we cannot jeopardise it now.

As recently reported by Wrexham.com, businesses in the county borough have already received emergency coronavirus support totalling almost £30m from the Welsh Labour Government.

This extraordinary period has seen an unprecedented amount of support provided to local businesses and I’m pleased the funding has made a tangible difference to our communities.

Welsh Government data shows 1,840 Wrexham businesses already in receipt of Small Business Rates Relief have already had grants of £10,000 and another 258 in the tourism and hospitality industry were awarded £25,000 each.

Our Economic Resilience Fund (ERF) has so far awarded £4.69m to another 276 Wrexham firms.

Around 11% of all awards through the ERF have been to businesses in North East Wales, and almost £28m has been awarded through the scheme across North Wales.

Sadly, it is impossible to help every single business. But the vast majority of applications have been successful, and I’m pleased there are many which we have helped stay afloat.

The latest unemployment figures suggest the full force of lockdown has not hit jobs in Wales as badly as the rest of the UK.
The rate of unemployment in Wales between April and June was down at 2.7% with 8,000 fewer people unemployed than between January and March, Office for National Statistics (ONS) figures show. The rate across the UK was 3.9%.
However, we recognise that these figures don’t tell the whole story of how coronavirus is impacting our economy and that the full picture will become clearer over the coming months and as UK Government support schemes wind down.
As a Welsh Government we are doing all that we can to protect businesses and jobs from the severe effects of the pandemic. Our £1.7bn package of support which is the most generous anywhere in the UK and we also recently announced a £40m jobs and skills package which will provide help for anyone who needs it to find work, education or training or to start their own business at this challenging time. This support will be key in helping Wales recover from coronavirus and ensure no one is left behind.

We continue to press the UK Government to maintain the vital furlough and Self-employment Income Support schemes until we are through the worst of the crisis.

Local bus services continue to be a cause for concern for many people in Clwyd South.
As the majority of bus companies are profit-driven, they decide what services they run and when. However, the Welsh public will soon have a bigger say.
The bus industry has received significant financial support from the Welsh Government during the pandemic in return for greater public control over our buses in future.
This is the first stage of a wider plan which will see the public sector funders of the industry begin to regain control of buses for the first time since the disaster of de-regulation in the 1980s.
This plan will help to put the needs of passengers ahead of the needs of shareholders.
You can read more about this here: https://www.transport-network.co.uk/Wales-uses-COVID-cash-to-take-back-control-of-buses/16687

I have been in regular contact with care homes in Clwyd South to keep them updated about the Welsh Government’s £500 thank you payment.
The delay in making the payments has been because of discussions between the Welsh Government and UK Treasury about tax, but sadly the UK Government has refused to budge and have confirmed the payments will be taxed by HMRC.
The First Minister confirmed last week that the payments have started going out and will all be made over the next few weeks.

If you need advice or support, please email [email protected] and include your full home address and contact number.

You can find useful information about coronavirus support on my website www.kenskates.co.uk and regular updates on my Facebook page @KenSkatesMS.

To stay up to date with Welsh Government coronavirus news and my work in Clwyd South, you can also subscribe to my e-newsletters either through my website or by emailing me.

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).