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: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​ ‌ ‌

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It was a pleasure to visit a number of tourist attractions in Clwyd South last week as part of Wales Tourism week (May 15-21), when I also got the opportunity to highlight the importance of the sector in the Senedd during First Minister’s Questions.

Tourism is – and always will be – a key economic driver for Clwyd South and for the wider regional economy. Our area has so much to offer.

Among the places I visited were Lady Margaret’s Park Club campsite in Chirk, Chirk Castle and Bangor-on-Dee Racecourse ahead of Saturday’s family race day.

I also recently met some of the locals hoping to buy the historic Owain Glyndwr Hotel in Corwen and turn into one of the largest community pubs in the country.

The OG is a Welsh icon which dates back to the 14th century – and staged the first public Eisteddfod in 1789. Local boy and Liverpool and Wales star Harry Wilson is also backing the campaign, and with Llangollen Railway launching its new service to Corwen it’s the perfect time for it.

Photo Credit: Ceidiog Communication/Rick Matthews

I have written to Euro Car Parks to call for an urgent meeting as more and more of my constituents receive unfair parking fines at Island Green.

I’ve made numerous representations to the company on behalf of people in Clwyd South. Sadly, so far, they appear uninterested in common sense or fairness, only profits. I won’t park at Island Green any more, and I’d like to see the stores take action too. It’s their customers who are being exploited, and the more this happens the less likely they are to return.

The current situation cannot continue. I hope the company is willing to listen to reason.

It was fantastic to take part in a ‘Digital Dialogue’ event with pupils of the Maelor School in Penley.

The online Q&A sessions are organised by The Politics Project and give young people the opportunity to learn more about their local representatives. The sessions are led by the students, which I think really helps engage them, and it was a really interesting discussion.

Since my last column, my other local engagements have included meeting the team at Rowlands Pharmacy in Johnstown and local business leaders at an event at Moneypenny in Wrexham. I also joined the Llwyneinion Woods Village Green community walk, which was really well attended.

In April 2022, the Welsh Government announced funding of £2.8m to Wrexham Council to repair the B5605 at Newbridge after a local campaign. The matter has been in the council’s hands since then, and I share residents’ frustrations over the lack of progress so far.

As reported by Wrexham.com, the council recently told me they still aim to have the road reopened by the end of 2023. I will continue to press the council to reinstate this key route as soon as possible and to communicate regularly with the public to keep local people informed.

Recently, I have received numerous letters from constituents regarding bus services.

Support from the Welsh Government provided a lifeline for the bus industry through the pandemic – and protected many more routes and services than in England. Welsh Minister are, however, facing huge financial pressures because of the disastrous economic policies of the UK Government.

Above everything else, the challenges facing the industry today demonstrate that the current system is broken. We need fundamental reform and the Welsh Government is working hard to finalise legislation, due to be introduced before the Senedd next year, to ensure bus services in Wales put passengers before profit rather than the other way round (more here).

I introduced the Bus Emergency Scheme during my time as Minister for Economy and Transport, and this issue remains a priority for me.

I will be holding advice surgeries in the coming weeks in Bangor-on-Dee and Coedpoeth. North Wales Police have also been invited to help constituents who want to discuss any police matters.

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 by contacting my office. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​