A view from Wrexham’s Assembly Member

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home.

Wrexham AM Lesley Griffiths writes…

Although the UK formally left the EU at the end of January, my ministerial role continues to be dominated by Brexit.

I travelled to London to attend an Environment, Fisheries and Rural Affairs meeting, along with my ministerial counterparts from across the UK.

These meetings have been taking place regularly since the EU Referendum in 2016 and as we enter the post-Brexit transition period, its important governments from across the UK continue to work together closely.

It is always a privilege to represent Wales at these meetings. Brexit is by no means done and I am determined to ensure our nation’s interests are taken into consideration in any trade negotiations or talks about the future relationship of the UK with the EU.

Constructive talks with ministerial counterparts from across the UK today.

The regular meetings have provided me with opportunities to make the case for Wales’ environment, farmers, fishers, and food & drink producers direct to UK Government.

Read more: https://t.co/pOsqMJRJpw pic.twitter.com/8Lv1CBgj9X

— Welsh Government Environment and Farming (@WGEnviroAgri) January 13, 2020

In the constituency, I welcomed Health Minister, Vaughan Gething AM to the Wrexham Maelor Hospital.

The Minister spoke with patients and volunteers and met with clinicians as he toured the hospital departments. Whilst there are pressures facing our health service generally, it is always positive to witness the invaluable care and support the hardworking, dedicated staff provide to patients day in day out. It was also encouraging to hear about the positive actions and initiatives taking place at the Maelor.

One such initiative is the PALS (Patients Advice & Liaison Support) Service that was launched last year. Located in the main foyer, the service provides advice, information and support to patients and visitors.

The Minister was also celebrating the third anniversary of the Welsh Government’s New Treatment Fund. It has helped speed up access to medicines, with latest figures showing it now takes just 13 days on average for new treatments and drugs to become available. The fund has provided fast access to 213 medicines covering a wide range of medical conditions, such as breast cancer, cystic fibrosis and diabetes.

I visited the Wrexham Maelor Hospital a second time to congratulate staff on Tryweryn Ward.

The team, who specialise in supporting people experiencing a mental health crisis, beat all the competition from across the UK to be named the Nursing Times’ Team of the Year.

Engaging openly with patients and introducing a wide range of therapeutic activities has created a calm and positive environment on the ward, which ultimately benefits both patients and staff.

I am delighted their pioneering work has been recognised nationally and I would like to congratulate all involved once again.

As the rightful home of Welsh football, I have long advocated the idea of a national football museum being located in the town.

The Welsh Government is supportive of the plans and a study has revealed Wrexham to be the preferred destination.

I want to see this become a reality so have written to the Deputy Minister for an update.

Town centres across the country have experienced challenging times of late and Wrexham is no exception. To help tackle the issues, the Welsh Government launched the £90m ‘Transforming Towns’ initiative that will focus on regenerating empty buildings and locating public services in town centres wherever possible in an effort to increase footfall.

Details have yet to be announced so I have written to the Deputy Minister to champion Wrexham’s cause and for clarification as to how the funding will be invested locally.

Finally, it was a pleasure to welcome the inspirational Sign of the Times to the Senedd.

The choir’s members are students from St Christopher’s School who perform all their songs with use of British Sign Language – thus making music inclusive to all.

It was a pleasure to welcome the inspirational @BSLatStChris from @StChrisWrexham down at the @AssemblyWales and to see them perform in the #Senedd – thanks to all those who popped by, including @fmwales #Wrexham pic.twitter.com/qj83GCI2M6

— Lesley Griffiths (@lesley4wrexham) February 11, 2020

I recognise Cardiff Bay can seem quite distant, however, schools and colleges – including youth groups – will receive a subsidy for their educational visit to the National Assembly for Wales. If anyone is interested in finding out more information, or wish to contact me about anything else, feel free to email me at [email protected]