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…

Wales remains at Alert Level Zero after First Minister Mark Drakeford said there were no new coronavirus restrictions at the latest Welsh Government review on Friday.

New rules were announced for England last week, bringing the UK Government into line with the simple measures we have seen in Wales for several months. The number of people in hospital in Wales who are seriously ill with Covid-19 has dropped substantially over the last few weeks, and is now at its lowest since the end of August. This is very different to the trend across the rest of the UK.
While the number of confirmed cases of the new omicron variant are, thankfully, currently very low in Wales, it is becoming more and more prevalent in other parts of the UK – and we must be prepared for cases to rise quickly and sharply here too.

The First Minister has urged everyone to have their booster jab as soon as they are invited. Every single vaccination is a small victory against the virus, and Wales’ leading vaccine roll-out is the key reason we now have fewer restrictions than at any point since March 2020.

In light of the concerns over the new variant, the Welsh Government is strongly advising that people take a lateral flow test before going to Christmas parties or visiting friends or family, and that people wear face coverings in pubs and restaurants when they are not eating or drinking.

As the First Minister said on Friday, we have faced challenges many times during this pandemic and we have learned from each one. We are certainly not back at square one, and with the Welsh Government promising that all eligible adults will be offered their booster jab by the end of January I believe that we can all look forward to 2022 with greater confidence.

Last week marked 12 months since Wales began its hugely successful vaccination campaign, and in that time Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board has administered over 1.3m jabs. That works out to a potentially lifesaving vaccine roughly every 12 seconds over the course of a year. It has been a truly incredible effort from teams across our region.

Last week in the Senedd, I asked the Economy Minister Vaughan Gething how the Welsh Labour Government is supporting major events in North Wales and what benefits a successful Capital of Culture bid could bring to Wrexham.

We have some wonderful annual events that the Welsh Government supports in North Wales, including the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod in Clwyd South.

Major events like the Eisteddfod provide a lifeline for local economies and have the potential to transform communities, with the Minister saying it could prove ‘a catalyst for investment’.

I’m proud that the Welsh Government is supporting the campaign, along with myself and Lesley Griffiths, and I was pleased to hear the Minister say his department will be happy to explore opportunities to collaborate on showcase events for 2025 should Wrexham be successful.

I also had the opportunity in the Senedd recently to highlight the tremendous work of care homes in Clwyd South over the course of the pandemic and ask the Deputy Minister for Health and Social Services how the Welsh Government is helping to recruit more carers locally and how an extra £42m of funding will help local care homes and their residents. You can read the full transcript here.

Ahead of Small Business Saturday on December 4, I visited a number of high street shops and independent businesses in Llangollen to show my support for the campaign.

It’s been an incredibly tough year for many small local firms, who have gone above and beyond during the pandemic, and I’d urge people to support them in the run-up to Christmas and into 2022. You can read Wrexham.com’s report here.

It’s fantastic to see work under way on the new changing facilities at Plas Madoc Leisure Centre, following further major funding from the Welsh Labour Government.

I was given a quick look at the progress earlier this month, and took the picture below along with one of the plans of what the completed refurbishment will look like.

I know many local people share my pride at the huge strides Plas Madoc has made in recent years, and the team of staff and volunteers have done – and continue to do – an incredible job.

I’m also proud of the financial support the Welsh Government has provided. In addition to the £500,000 grant the centre received in 2016 for key structural work and essential repairs to future-proof the building, it was last year awarded £55,000 from the Economic Resilience Fund.

The brand new changing rooms are being funded through a further £250,000 grant from the Welsh Government’s Community Facilities Programme, and are due to open in early February.

Finally, as this is my last column before Christmas, I would like to take the opportunity to wish my constituents and all Wrexham.com readers a happy, peaceful and safe festive period. If you need advice or support over the Christmas, please email [email protected] and include your home address and a contact number. You can also find regular coronavirus updates on my Facebook page and sign up to my weekly newsletters here.

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).