A view from Wrexham’s Member of Parliament

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd 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 Wrexham’s MP, Sarah Atherton writes:

The Everyone Deserves a Christmas (EDAC) appeal is running once again this year to enable Wrexham households who may be struggling this winter; including many with young children, to enjoy Christmas.

Last Christmas, I worked with Mecca Bingo Wrexham, Wrexham Rotary Club and Caia Park Partnership to support vulnerable members of our community, by providing over 100 hampers and 100 toy gift bags for them to enjoy during the festive period.

I am grateful that the same group of organisers have come together again, and we are very much looking to build on last year’s success. Wrexham supporting Wrexham!

If you are able to contribute to the appeal, you can do so by donating to the JustGiving page, which can be accessed here. The closing date for donations is 12th December 2023.

It is also possible to supporting EDAC by donating any of the following items: bubble bath, toy sets, craft sets, science kits, pens/colouring pencils and sports equipment (e.g., balls and racquets). Items are being collected at Mecca Bingo, Smithfield Road, Wrexham, LL13 8EN.

I am extremely grateful to everybody who has donated so far, and I would encourage anybody who can spare any amount of money to consider contributing to this valuable appeal.

If you require any further information regarding the EDAC appeal, please call Mecca Bingo on 01978 312717.

Over the past few months, I have had many meetings with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt MP, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Michael Gove MP and the Secretary of State for Wales, David TC Davies MP, making the strong case for Wrexham to be awarded Investment Zone status.

This could bring approximately £80m of investment and tax incentives to the local economy, providing more high-quality and better-paid jobs.

It is clear that the UK Government wants to invest in Wrexham, as demonstrated by the £13.3 million for Wrexham’s Trevor Basin Levelling Up Bid given to Wrexham Council, the recent £20 million from the Towns Fund and £22.4 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Recently, I wrote to the Welsh Government to seek assurances of its support for our bid and disappointingly, their response was non-committal.

This was particularly concerning as Wrexham’s joint bid with Flintshire is conditional on the Welsh Government’s support, as Wales is a devolved nation.

However, a couple of weeks ago the Welsh Government finally warmed up to the idea and agreed to Wrexham being a suitable location.

Given how clear the benefits are, it is unfortunate that the Welsh Government has held back and taken 6 months to come to this view.

On top of this, the Welsh Government attached many conditions and unreasonably demanded that the UK Government should turn this around in time for the Autumn Statement this Wednesday.

Although the Welsh Government has delayed progress, following the news of their support, I met with the Chancellor and the Levelling Up Secretary to continue to bang the drum for Wrexham and Flintshire’s joint bid.

A few months ago, I was pleased to write a letter of support for Maggie’s planning application for a Cancer Support Centre at Ysbyty Glan Clwyd, which would serve patients from across the Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board service area.

Back in August 2021, I launched a campaign to bring a Maggie’s Cancer Centre to North Wales and since then, I have been working closely with Maggie’s to ensure this comes to fruition.

Last month, we received the excellent news that Maggie’s planning application has been successful! Our collective efforts and hard work paid off.

Having met with users of Maggie’s centres, staff, and the charity officers, I am very aware of how important these services can be to cancer patients and their families.

That’s why I’m thrilled that Wrexham residents will have access to these vital resources in the near future.

Lastly, I was delighted to attend the first-ever Wrexham Business & Community Awards. After months of preparations and build-up, we came together to celebrate our exceptional local businesses, both small and large, for their invaluable contributions to our now-thriving city.

With Wrexham’s new city status comes exciting opportunities for job creation and growth, and businesses continue to thrive here.

They are the backbone of our local economy and are truly deserving of this recognition.

Huge congratulations to all the winners, your success illuminates the path to a brighter future for Wrexham.

As always, if you are a resident in the current Wrexham constituency boundary and need my assistance with any local or national issues, please contact me by emailing [email protected].