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 Member of the Senedd, Ken Skates writes: ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​ ‌

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This week local councillor David Bithell and I are meeting with Natural Resources Wales to discuss the ongoing issues at Hafod Landfill in Johnstown.

I have been contacted by numerous residents over the past couple of weeks who are utterly fed up with the stench coming from the site. I run in the area regularly and agree with local people that it’s actually getting worse. At the meeting, I will continue to press for stricter enforcement and better protection from emissions for residents.

In addition, there is also the new Clean Air Act, which we’ve just passed in the Senedd and which I believe is relevant to Hafod. I’ll be raising this with NRW and Wrexham Council at the meeting.

Cllr Bithell and I both wrote to NRW’s Head of North East Wales Operations last month and were told investigations into the smell were ongoing. NRW said site operator Enovert has brought forward work on the current operational landfill cell which had been scheduled for the end of the year.

The community needs both clarity on the source and assurances that action will be taken to both address it and ensure it doesn’t recur. Residents also need an assurance that the operator is complying with its permit conditions.

I will update constituents after the meeting, but in the meantime I would once again encourage residents to keep reporting issues to NRW by contacting the 24/7 Incident Communication Centre on 03000 65 3000.

It was an immense pleasure to officially announce that Sir Tom Jones will be headlining next year’s Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod.

I’m a proud vice president of the Eisteddfod, so I was thrilled to represent Clwyd South at the press conference on Monday morning when Katherine Jenkins and Gregory Porter were also announced to add even more stardust to an extremely exciting line-up for the 2024 event.

Huge credit must go to the board for pulling together so many big names. The event injects millions of pounds into the local economy every year, and after a difficult few years next summer’s showpiece is set to be one of the best Eisteddfods yet.

Last week, along with Wrexham MS Lesley Griffiths, I visited JCB Transmissions on the industrial estate.

It was brilliant to meet with General Manager Craig Weeks and some of the team, including young apprentices, and to hear the plans for the company’s future growth.

Earlier on Friday I dropped into Tesco at Cefn Mawr to meet foodbank volunteers.

Tesco has a proud decade-long partnership with the Trussell Trust and FareShare, two charities which work tirelessly to eradicate food poverty.

During the Winter Food Collection, Tesco asked customers to donate long-life food items to help support the charities and help those needing a little help this Christmas. The company also donates its own fee each year.

Foodbanks and collections like this provide a real lifeline for people who are struggling and are particularly crucial at this time of year. Customers are the Cefn Mawr branch are always generous, and it was incredibly heartening to see so many people donating. While people may be worse off than they were last Christmas, many are still giving what they can.

In the Senedd this month, I spoke of my support for a Royal British Legion campaign to stop veterans missing out on thousands of pounds every year.

The ‘Credit their Service’ initiative is described by the charity as ‘a national call to action’ which calls on councils to revise their policies to ensure that military compensation is not included in means-testing for benefits. At present, only three Welsh councils fully disregard the compensation – and I’m pleased that Wrexham is one of them.

Data from the last Census shows that around 115,000 people in Wales, which is about 4.5% of residents aged 16 or older, have served in the Armed Forces. At the time, there were more than 1,300 veterans in North Wales who were over the age of 65, widowed, living alone, disabled and self-reported as being in ‘a not good state of health’.

Veterans and their families, who have endured suffering and loss due to their service, deserve appropriate compensation.

If you need support or advice, please email [email protected] or call 01978 869058. You can also follow me on Facebook and subscribe to my regular e-newsletters by emailing my office. ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌​‌‌‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌​​‌​‌​​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​‌‌‌​​‍‌‌​​‌‌​‌‍‌‌​​‌‌​​