A view from Clwyd South’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 their respective Parliaments and closer to home – you can find them all here.
In his monthly column for Wrexham.com, Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes writes:
With Parliament now prorogued and awaiting the King’s Speech, I would like to take this opportunity to outline some highlights of the past few weeks.
The Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod is a source of great pride for many across Clwyd South and, as a former member of its Board, I am always keen to hear about their latest developments.
I was therefore delighted by the news of their new partnership with musical promoters Cuffe and Taylor, which has already seen the announcement of a number of musicians and bands for 2024, including Manic Street Preachers, Jess Glynne, Suede and Paloma Faith.
On 6th October, I met with the Chair of the Board of the Eisteddfod, Sarah Ecob, along with the Leader of Denbighshire County Council, Cllr Jason McLellan, and the Chief Executive of the Council, Graham Boase, to discuss this announcement and long-term support for the Eisteddfod by the Council.
I am proud to Chair the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Markets, which aims to provide a voice in Parliament to the many markets and market traders in Clwyd South and the rest of the UK. In this role, I was honoured to attend the annual conference in Harrogate of the National Association of British Market Authorities (NABMA) on 9th October, during which I presented awards to market operators from across the UK, including Oswestry Market on the Welsh borders, who have made a real difference to their local communities.
(From left to right): Simon Baynes MP, Arren Roberts (Town Clerk of Oswestry Town Council), Roger Dyke (Finance Officer for Oswestry Town Council and NAMBA), Cllr Olly Rose (Mayor of Oswestry), David Clough (Markets Manager for Oswestry Town Council), Katherine Brown (from Blachere Illumination, awards sponsors), and David Preston (CEO of NABMA) at the NABMA Conference in Harrogate on 9th October.
Many people in Clwyd South are involved in market trading including Rosemary Lancaster-Jones and her husband Peter Jones who live in Overton, whom I had the pleasure of meeting on the 5th October in Ellesmere Market, where they were selling Rosemary’s knitwear and Peter’s books.
Clwyd South is home to a number of historic properties that bring many visitors to our area.
(From left to right) Peter Jones, Rosemary Lancaster-Jones and Simon Baynes MP at Peter and Rosemary’s market stall in Ellesmere Market on 5th October.
On 17th October I attended a meeting organised by Historic Houses in the House of Commons, of which Philip Godsal of Iscoyd Park in Clwyd South is Chairman of Historic Houses Wales.
There are many ancient and heritage trees in Clwyd South which need our constant vigilance and protection.
It was therefore very good to chair a meeting of the APPG for Woods and Trees on 18th October in the House of Commons, which discussed the protection of heritage trees following the recent felling of the Sycamore Gap.
I am always proud to support business owners across Clwyd South, many of whom are pioneers in their fields.
Simon Baynes MP with members of the APPG for Woods and Trees and representatives of the Woodland Trust.
On 24th October, I was pleased to welcome Clive Barnard, a local business owner, to a Reception at No 10 Downing Street with the Secretary of State for Education, Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP, to celebrate local skills champions. Clive is working on a number of projects that will directly benefit Clwyd South and Wrexham, including the International Trade Support Group, proposals for a North East Wales Investment Zone and a proposal to help establish a new respite facility in Chirk.
Low-carbon heating remains an integral part of the UK government’s Net Zero ambitions, and an essential part of this is ensuring that the target of 600,000 heat pumps being installed every year by 2028 is achieved.
Simon Baynes MP, Rt Hon Gillian Keegan MP and Clive Barnard in 10 Downing Street on 24th October.
On Tuesday, 24th October I met with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, and welcomed the news that the UK government has increased the amount available through the Boiler Upgrade Scheme.
These changes, which include increasing the grant for air source heat pumps by 50%, from £5,000 to £7,500, will help more households to install heat pumps in Clwyd South and elsewhere.
The Prime Minister has been a great champion of transport projects on the Welsh borders.
These include the recently announced electrification of the North Wales mainline and the reopening of the Gobowen to Oswestry line, alongside helping to reopen Corwen Station and providing major Levelling Up Fund investment in the Llangollen and Montgomery canals.
At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 25th October, I asked the Prime Minister whether he would deliver the long-awaited Pant/Llanymynech Bypass and prioritise the dualling of the A5/A483.
I found the Prime Minister’s response to my question to be very encouraging:
“We are continuing to develop the Pant/Llanymynech Bypass scheme in our next round of the road investment plans and the section of the A5 in England will be considered by National Highways as part of the Midlands to Gloucestershire to Wales Route Strategy.”
As your Member of Parliament, my team and I are always here to provide advice and support. For updates on my work in Clwyd South and Westminster, please visit my website www.simonbaynes.co.uk
I will be holding constituency surgeries in Chirk on 17th November, Overton on 1st December, and Bronington on 15th December. If you would like to attend one of these surgeries, or would like to book tickets to attend PMQs, please get in touch on [email protected]
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