Becca Martin – Plaid Cymru candidate Maesydre by-election

We have offered all candidates the (free) chance to promote themselves ahead of the Maesydre by-election, below is an unedited submission from this candidate.

You can view all the candidates standing here, and read all of their Q&A’s from the main Maesydre by-election page.

Candidate video

The Q&A

Tell us about who you are, any political history and why you have the political leanings that you do.

Hello! I’m Becca Martin, I’m 33 and I live in the local area with my partner Michael and my son Charlie who is (nearly) three. I grew up in the local area and attended the local schools (Borras primary and St. David’s high school). I then went on to study A levels in sociology and psychology and have an honours degree in Early childhood studies from Glyndwr University.

I work in a small, independent, family-run jewellers in the town centre, Martin Rees Jeweller Pawnbroker. I started as a Saturday girl in 2004 whilst at college.

I have never stood in any political election before but I have been a Plaid Cymru supporter for many years, finally becoming a member of Plaid Cymru around 18 months ago.

On a national level I believe in an independent Wales and Plaid policies continually put “the people” first. Plaid Cymru is an inclusive party that puts the people of Wales at the forefront.

On a more local level I have watched how the Plaid Cymru county councillors in Wrexham have consistently put the wishes and needs of the community and town as a whole first and foremost: Voting against pay rises, iPads and anything else not in the residents’ interests. They also fight for a more transparent and open council and hold the council to account.

What are the three key local issues in this ward and why?

In no particular order I believe the three key local issues in the ward to be:

The controversy over the Nine-acre field and Groves site needs resolving. Building a school on the only green field space in the ward whilst the Groves site currently sits unused needs explanation.

The Powell Road underpass. Currently it is a very unwelcome route with many people choosing to navigate a busy four lane road rather than use it.

A lack of transparency and accountability by the council. Speaking to local residents it seems that too many decisions have been made without due consultations and discussions with residents.

What would you do to resolve each of those, and what would be your desired outcome for each?

If elected, I would be looking to question officers as to why a site built for education purposes (with a covenant for such) is possibly being developed as a training site whilst the only green field left in the ward could built upon.

With the new owners of Wrexham Football Club casting doubt over the possible use of the Groves as a training ground these questions become more relevant as the Groves site would remain unused should this be the case.

First and foremost the underpass needs cleaning up. I have suggested a community clean up and possibly art work (maybe designed by local school children or local artists with a Wrexham theme). Working lights need installing and, crucially it needs CCTV to make it safer and more welcoming. Other communities have installed mobile CCTV units for a few thousand pounds and it’s my understanding that Lidl has committed to giving £3,500 for upgrades to the underpass and I would expect Wrexham Council to make up any shortfall as it is council property.

I will, alongside fellow Plaid councillors, challenge the council wherever needed to increase accountability and transparency and act as a strong advocate for residents within the Maesydre ward.

What is your view on the local and national pandemic response, and what role will you as a councillor have in the future recovery?

In my opinion the UK pandemic response has been nothing short of diabolical. Lockdowns (local and national) have been introduced far too late; there was an incredible mishandling of PPE leading to a shortage and crisis, putting our healthcare professionals at risk; a blatant disregard of many of the self-employed who received very little financial support and a massive spike of cases and deaths caused by the Westminster Government’s “Eat out to help out” scheme. This not only encouraged people to go out and socialise but also lulled them into a false sense of security. The privately run track-and-trace system in England was not fit for purpose; huge government contracts were awarded to friends and Tory party donors and we should not forget how Westminster refused to extend the furlough scheme for Wales when cases and deaths were beginning to increase here.

In terms of a local response, it’s been wonderful to see communities come together once again to aid each other. I’ve seen groups coming together to make scrubs for hospital and care home staff, neighbours getting an extra pint of milk and loaf of bread for each other and generally caring about each other. I myself have and will continue to offer support to anyone who needs it as I know the elected Plaid Cymru county councillors have been and continue to do so.

Would you put the ward first in any vote, even if that clashed with your political group or alliances on the council?

A county councillor works for the residents of the ward they represent. If I truly felt that something was in the best interests of the ward that is how I would vote, even if it clashed with other Plaid Cymru councillors.

That said, I have never known the Plaid Cymru county councillors vote in any way that could be detrimental to the residents of Wrexham and as I’ve already stated I see them consistently listen and act on residents wishes and best interests so I can’t ever see this being an issue.

If you change political allegiance from what you are currently seeking election for (eg. resigning from, or joining another group) will you trigger a by-election? If not, why not?

As things currently stand no other party resonates with my core principles in the way Plaid Cymru does and so I don’t envisage this happening.

What local activity have you taken part in over the last few years or months to improve your ward? Regardless of if you win, will you continue ?

I’ve been involved in a number of local activities over the last few years. One being helping to sort and give out food parcels to vulnerable people from the whole of Wrexham at the amazing Yellow and Blue social enterprise in the town centre. Without a doubt this is something I will continue to do regardless of whether I win the by-election in Maesydre.

Most recently, and still ongoing, I am involved in an enterprise called “Hugs for Heroes” alongside local businesses, individuals and another Plaid county councillor. The idea of the project is to give each member of staff in the Wrexham Maelor hospital a small gift bag as a token of appreciation for the work they have done throughout the pandemic. This has involved creating, updating and keeping a Facebook and fundraising page, ordering and sourcing items to go into the bags and finally organising and participating in the packing of a whopping 2,500 gift bags. This, of course, is a short-term project but I hope to get involved with other similar projects in the future.

To wrap this up, why should people vote for you?

I am a local girl, born and bred in Wrexham. I love and am passionate about the town and its people. I want to be an advocate for the everyday person and work closely with residents; my aim being making the council work more effectively for the community. I may not have the experience of some of the candidates standing in the by-election but I bring motivation, enthusiasm, fresh ideas and a passion for the local community.

I will be accessible and available through an array of channels: by phone, Facebook, Messenger, e-mail and regular newsletters. I will strive to be as responsive and pro-active as I can by carrying out street surgeries on a regular basis when it’s safe to do so. I want to make a difference and I believe with the support and backing of the other Plaid county councillors I can do a great job of representing the people of Maesydre.
It’s time for change, back me and I will deliver.

Contacts and Leaflets

The candidate has supplied the below election material that you should be able to click to make larger, and can also be found on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/BeccaMaesydre/