A view from Clwyd South’s Member of the Senedd

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 this month’s column Clwyd South’s MS writes: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

 

The recent news that Wrexham had been snubbed again by the UK Government was extremely disappointing, and a real slap in the face for the city and local people.

The decision not to award Levelling-Up funding for the Wrexham Gateway scheme was particularly galling given the huge sums of money that the Welsh Government has already committed to the project, the fervour to bring international football back to the Racecourse Ground on a regular basis and the unwavering support for the football club and city from all other partners, including Wrexham Council, Wrexham Glyndwr University and the FAW.

Following the announcement, Wrexham AFC has said it is now looking at a ‘Plan B’ and exploring how the project could progress without UK Government support.

I remain optimistic that this transformational project will go ahead as planned, even without UK Government support, but it’s certainly a blow to be overlooked for a second time.

Next week in the Senedd, I will raise the issue with Economy Minister Vaughan Gething and ask him to reaffirm the Welsh Government’s commitment to the Wrexham Gateway project and commit to engaging with the club wherever possible to help develop Plan B.

I raised the urgent need for improvements to the A483 in the Senedd in November, calling for an update on the Welsh Government’s review of this key local route.

I later wrote to Minister Lee Waters to highlight several other issues relating to transport in north east Wales, including my concerns about Junction 1 at Ruabon and the increased traffic on nearby roads which has been exacerbated by delays to the repair and reopening of the B5605 at Newbridge.

I was pleased to see the Minister confirm that speed monitoring and enforcement will be carried out on the B5907 near St Mary’s School in Ruabon and that the Welsh Government’s Roads Review panellists – and the North Wales Transport Commission – have made numerous visits to the north to see first-hand some of the problems I highlighted.

These are crucial local issues for our area and they need urgent attention. I’m grateful for the Minister’s commitment to helping resolve them and I will continue to work with the Welsh Government to produce tangible results.

Along with many others in Clwyd South and Wrexham, I now eagerly await an announcement from the Welsh Government that the long-awaited improvements to the A483 will go ahead. In the meantime, we urgently need positive news from Wrexham Council about Newbridge and when the work to repair and reopen the road will finally get under way.

I visited the Kettle Club Hub at Plas Madoc recently to catch up with Claire Pugh and the AVOW Play and Community Development team and hear more about the work they are doing to help residents during the cost-of-living crisis.

With the help of a National Lottery Community Fund grant, Claire and the team are now able to provide an affordable and environmentally friendly transport scheme to help local people access essential services, such as supermarket trips and medical appointments.

Times are incredibly tough for a lot of people at the moment, so the support that organisations like AVOW are offering to local people has never more important.

The picture above was taken at the Kettle Club, next to Ysgol Cefn Mawr, alongside (from left to right): Claire Pugh, resident Anne Salisbury and volunteer Donna Jordan.

It was a pleasure to meet the team at the Ceiriog Community Cupboard project earlier this month.

The volunteer-run scheme works in partnership with local stores to redistribute surplus food which would otherwise go to waste free of charge throughout the Ceiriog Valley. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

The Community Cupboard is open from midday-1pm on Fridays at the Canolfan Ceiriog Centre. For more information, or to arrange a drop-off of surplus food, email [email protected].

Later, I attended a meeting with police, Wrexham Council and residents to discuss the condition of roads in the Ceiriog Valley and the long-running issue of off-road vehicles wreaking havoc.

I held my first advice surgeries of 2023 in Cefn Mawr and Brymbo earlier this month. My next one will be at Canolfan Ni, Corwen, from 10-11am on Friday, February 10.

Appointments are not needed as surgeries operate on a first-come, first-served basis, but please note they are only for those who live in Clwyd South. If you need help in the meantime, you can email [email protected] or call my office on 01978 869058.

You can also follow me on Facebook here and subscribe to my regular e-newsletters here.