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:
On Friday (October 6) I met with residents in Bersham who are opposing Redrow’s plans for a 1,520-home development on their doorstep at Lower Berse Farm.
The group are rallying support from across Wrexham and organised a recent public meeting – but residents only have until Friday October 13 to take part in Wrexham Council’s public consultation.
The meeting at Brickfield Rangers was extremely well attended – especially after being organised at short notice – and that shows the strength of feeling locally.
The planned development is enormous, and we are probably looking at another 3,000 cars being thrust upon a local road network which is already buckling as it is.
I have been contacted about this development regularly over the past few months, and have raised constituents concerns with Wrexham Council as the Local Planning Authority.
Time is running out for people to have their say on this, so I would once again encourage anyone who feels strongly about this to take part in the consultation to make their voice heard. You can do so via Wrexham Council’s online planning portal here.
In my last column, I encouraged readers to take part in an online consultation run by the UK Government which I hope will lead to a crackdown on how private car park companies, such as the one which operates at Island Green.
In the last decade there has been a massive increase in the number of parking charges issued by private operators like Euro Car Parks. We know from bitter experience that the current system of self-regulation does not work. Well, it does for the companies – but not for the rest of us.
The trouble is that they can pretty much do what they want at the moment, because their often shady practices are within UK law.
I responded to the consultation myself, and my hope is that if enough people did so before the October 8 deadline then the UK Government will have no choice but to significantly tighten up the rules which allow these firms to operate with impunity.
The Welsh Government announced last week that people currently aged 51-54 who are registered with a GP in Wales will now automatically receive at-home bowel screening tests every two years.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in Wales. Between 2018 and 2020 there were nearly 7,000 cases, but almost 90% of people survive when it is detected and treated early.
The at-home kit, first introduced in 2019, has contributed to an improved screening uptake of 65% in men and women aged 55 to 74.
I would encourage everyone use their kit when it arrives in the post. It could save your life.
I enjoyed visiting the Circle of Friends of Chirk Hospital recently to see their impressive new gardens.
The Friends have raised a huge amount for the hospital since 2010. Some of the money has been used to refurbish the hospital’s gardens and create an outdoor Dementia Area, which was built by volunteers from Brother Industries in Ruabon. The group has also funded the purchase of the hospital’s new ultrasound machine.
It was a pleasure to catch up with Jackie Allen, Sheila Dee, Jane Davies, Dot Griffiths and Barbara Humphries. Their efforts have been incredible, and they’re a real credit to Chirk.
I will be holding advice surgeries in the coming weeks in Overton, Rhos and Brymbo – please contact my office for details. North Wales Police will also be in attendance.
Please note that surgeries 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 and subscribe to my regular e-newsletters by emailing my office.
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