A view from Wrexham’s Member of Parliament

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. This is the first in this new series!

Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton writes…

It’s been a whirlwind few months since being elected to represent the people of Wrexham in Westminster.

A few days after the election I was on the train down to London, to vote to get Boris’ Brexit deal through the commons. I am pleased that after three and a half years of delay we finally got Brexit done, fulfilling the promise I made to the people of Wrexham during the general election campaign.

I am optimistic about the future, as we are now concentrating our efforts on levelling up opportunity across the country. I’ve sought assurances from the Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, that Wrexham will benefit from the shared prosperity fund. I have also met with the Chancellor, Sajid Javid, to ensue Wrexham sees more inward investment, leading to further jobs and opportunities.

Today I asked the Secretary of State for Wales, @Simonhartmp, for assurances that #Wrexham will benefit from the shared prosperity fund pic.twitter.com/KQvHWoB9gt

— Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) January 15, 2020

Additionally, I have met with a number of businesses in Wrexham who wish to expand and have lent them my support. In the coming weeks I hope to launch my business forum to provide businesses with a support network and be of help in any way that I can.

We need a collaborative approach to inject some energy back into the town centre. We need to ensure the foundations are in place, which means a clean and safe environment for residents and visitors, whilst moving forward. Over the past few weeks I have met with council leaders and the police to discuss how to tackle the anti-social behaviour in the town centre and am optimistic about the future.

I’m pleased that Labour’s John Ashworth has accepted that the state of our NHS under the Welsh Labour Government is unacceptable.

The residents of #Wrexham deserve better. pic.twitter.com/b1ccY2dUV5

— Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) January 28, 2020

A lot of you have approached me in the past few months to express your concerns about the state of the Welsh NHS, in particular the Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board, under the Welsh government. I addressed Labour’s own John Ashworth about the situation and he agreed it was unacceptable. The current situation is unsustainable, this is something that me and my fellow North Wales colleagues have recognised and are eager to address. We have been raising our concerns directly with the Secretary of State for Health and Social care, Matt Hancock, seeking his support. Further, we will be meeting with the Chief Executive of Betsi Cadwaladr Health Board next week to discuss the situation, ensuring residents get the care they deserve.

This morning I met with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, @MattHancock, with my fellow #NorthWales Conservative colleagues.

We discussed residents’ concerns about the poor performance of @BetsiCadwaladr under the @WelshGovernment. pic.twitter.com/e9DHlgiajz

— Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) January 29, 2020

I’ve been supporting the ‘Long Live the Local’ campaign and have asked the minister to lift the burden on breweries by cutting beer tax, helping more pubs in Wrexham keep their doors open. Brewing and pubs in Wrexham supports 1173 jobs and contributes £25.1m to the local economy and I will continue to champion this cause.

It’s been an privilege representing #Wrexham in Westminster over the past few months! pic.twitter.com/msdcIfjRBR

— Sarah Atherton MP (@AthertonNWales) February 10, 2020

It’s been a busy yet incredibly rewarding couple of months; with every resident helped, surgery meeting held, case closed, and community group I meet, it makes all the hard work worth it. It’s been an honour to meet so many of you already, and I look forward to getting to meet more of you over the coming weeks.