Datganiadau i'r wasg diweddaraf Lesley gyda manylion am ei gweithgareddau lleol a datblygiadau yn y Senedd:
| AM: AFFORDABLE HOMES PLAN ADDRESSES KEY ISSUE 15/05/2012 |
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Assembly Member for Wrexham Lesley Griffiths has welcomed Welsh Government plans to bring of 12,500 new affordable homes on to the market this year alone, and has claimed affordability is a key issue for Wrexham Constituents. Housing, Regenerations and Heritage Minister Huw Lewis unveiled plans this week to increase the number of Affordable Houses in Wales by 7,500 in 2011-12, an increase of a thousand on the previous year. In addition, it is intended that 5,000 empty homes will be brought back into use through the ‘Housing to Homes’ initiative and other measures. Measures to achieve the targets include a 22 million pound increase in the social housing grant (SHG) for 2011-12 (bring this to total to £97M), supporting the development of a ‘Welsh Housing Bond’, accelerating Land Release for housing, and developing new and innovative ways to access housing such as co-operative housing and mutual home ownership. A White Paper on the measures will be published next week. Commenting, Lesley Griffiths said: “The affordability of housing is becoming a key issue for the people of Wrexham and the number of constituents who contact me about this is increasing. “It is, therefore, welcome to see the Welsh Government stepping up to the plate on the issue, using a creative mixture of measures which will see expansion in housing supply whilst minimising the number of greenfield sites needed. “This will boost local economies across Wales, whilst also ensuring people and families who are making their way in the world are able to find a decent home. “I am pleased to see a Labour Welsh Government following through on yet another manifesto commitment, for which they were given a mandate by the people of Wales.” |
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| AM: IT WOULD BE WRONG TO STAND IDLE WHILE HOMES LIE EMPTY 10/05/2012 |
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Lesley Griffiths has lauded the Welsh Government’s announcement of an extra £5million alongside a range of measures to enable Local Authorities to bring empty homes into use. The Assembly Member for Wrexham also commented that ‘standing by’ while homes lie empty would be ‘wrong’ in the current climate. The comments follow an announcement by Huw Lewis, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage which detailed extra investment in the ‘Houses to Homes’ scheme and how Welsh Government is to further assist Local Authorities to bring more empty homes into use as social housing, for private rent or sale. The Houses into Homes scheme is one of a number of routes Local Authorities can seek to increase housing supply by bringing empty homes into use. Other measures being looked at include varying rates of council tax in relation to second homes and empty properties, alongside more severe approaches such as enforced sales, empty dwelling management orders and compulsory purchase orders. Official figures for 2010-11 empty private sector properties at 21,970. Action by Local Authorities in partnership with the Welsh Government brought nearly 1000 of these back into use last year alone. The Welsh Government are looking to increase this number using schemes such as ‘Housing to Homes’. Commenting, Lesley Griffiths AM said: “I am pleased to see the Welsh Labour Government leading the way with this policy. “Long-term empty properties cause a social and environmental blight on communities, and prevent families from finding a home. This extra £5million will help to tackle this. “The Welsh Government is rightly taking strong yet creative action on this issue. Currently thousands of properties lie unused and thousands of families require homes. Standing by and allowing this to continue would be simply wrong. “However, the aim is not to punish landlords who feel unable to renovate properties, but to help them find the resources to do so. The ‘ House to Homes’ scheme provides this cheaply and easily. “ |
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| AM- WREXHAM FC ARE PRIDE OF TOWN AND WILL BE BACK 08/05/2012 |
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Wrexham Assembly Member, Lesley Griffiths, has spoken of her pride in Wrexham Football Club’s achievements on and off the pitch this season, despite the club narrowly missing out on a place in the playoff finals at Wembley. Having finished second in the Blue Square Premiership, Wrexham narrowly missed out on automatic promotion, despite an impressive haul of 98 points. On Monday, although fighting valiantly back from a goal down to secure victory on the night, Wrexham lost 3-2 to Luton Town on aggregate in the playoff semi-final. For fans this was a painful reminder of last season where Wrexham lost also to Luton in the same fixture. Following the match, Lesley said: “For want of better words I am gutted. Gutted for all our incredibly loyal fans and even more for the players and staff who have performed so magnificently to bring us this far. “However , we must all remember how far the club has come in the last year and just how many hurdles have been overcome to get there. This time last year nobody was even sure we would have a club, let alone one owned by the fans, for the fans, and which would go on to exhibit such great form on the pitch. “Be it our FA Cup run or our performances in the Conference, the team have had some fantastic results this season, and are the pride of our Town as ever. We may not have made it this time, but we will be back - in contention and fighting as strongly as ever next season.” |
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| LESLEY GRIFFITHS: LABOUR BACK IN DRIVING SEAT 04/05/2012 |
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AM for Wrexham Lesley Griffiths has spoken of an 'emphatic endorsement' of Welsh Labour following Fridays Local Election results in Wrexham and across Wales. Voters in the Wrexham County Borough Council area returned 23 Labour Councillors, almost doubling their representation at the Guildhall and making Labour the largest Council grouping. Across Wales, Labour now has the greatest number of Councillors since local government was reorganised in 1996, having taken control of Councils in Cardiff, Caerphilly, Merthyr Tydfil, and putting Labour in a controlling position in Flintshire and Wrexham. Commenting on the results, AM Lesley Griffiths said: "It was a great night for Labour with nine new Labour Councillors in the Wrexham constituency. Our candidates fought positive campaigns firmly grounded in local issues and the concerns of their communities. "They fully deserve congratulations after all the hard work they have put in, and I look forward to working with them towards improving the lives and services of the people of Wrexham. "The results across Wales represent an emphatic endorsement of Welsh Labour. Voters are responding to the fact that Labour representatives are in touch with their lives, concerns and communities. "It is great to see Labour back in the driving seat as the natural party of Local Government in Wales." |
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| AM: ADDITIONAL FUNDING WILL SECURE STEP CHANGE IN ASD SERVICES 03/05/2012 |
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AM for Wrexham Lesley Griffiths believes a new Welsh Government funding package of £2m for services for people with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can help secure a ‘step change’ seen over recent years in services for people with the disorder. The funding will: • Provide £880,000 to maintain local ASD leads and action plans in each of the 22 local authority areas. • Fund a full-time national autism co-coordinator to run the Learning and Improvement Network (LIN). • Extend the Wales ASD Employment Ambassador’s contract for a further 12 months. • Allow for the Welsh Governments Expert Adviser on Autism to be retained. In addition Ministers have agreed to launch public consultation event upon how the ASD action plan should be taken forwards up to 2015. Since the ASD action plan was launched in 2008, the Welsh Government has provided £5.4m ring-fenced funding for ASD, a further £5.1m Revenue Support Grant for Local Authorities for services to children with ASD, and last year a further £2.076 was announced. The new funding is in addition to this. Commenting on the announcement AM Lesley Griffiths said: “I know many organisations and people who do great work to highlight the needs of people with ASD will welcome this announcement of additional funds. “The money will help to build upon the step change we have seen over recent years in the responsiveness of the services available to people with ASD in Wales. “Unique in the UK, we now have a network of nominated lead officers for ASD in each Local Authority in addition to regional support teams across Wales. On top of this, just recently an Expert Advisor on ASD has been appointed and a new e-resource centre launched. “This announcement shows the continued commitment of the Welsh Labour Government to the services for people with ASD, despite tight financial circumstances.” |
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| AM SENDS PLAYOFF WISHES TO MORELL AND CO. 02/05/2012 |
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AM Lesley Griffiths has written to Wrexham AFC's Manager, Andy Morell, to wish him and all of his team the best of luck in today’s playoffs, speaking of how ‘very proud’ the teams achievements this season have made her. The AM for Wrexham and lifelong follower of Wrexham FC, also noted how ‘hard it is to believe that promotion was not achieved (despite) a total of 98 points’. The first leg of the play offs is to go ahead at the Luton Ground on Thursday at 7.30 despite fears that a waterlogged pitch at Luton Town may force the match to be rescheduled. Commenting ahead of the match, Lesley said: “ I wanted to take the opportunity to wish the team the very best of luck. 98 points over the season is an unbelievable tally to come away with and still face playoffs. “As we know from last years’ experience, the playoffs can be a testing time. However, I am confident Andy and the boys will have every chance if their performances reflect those we have seen this season already. “Having been at both the Newport and Braintree matches it is clear to me the team is playing with confidence, something I’m sure we will take into the game against Luton.” |
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| AM LESLEY RAISES THE VOLUME IN SUPPORT OF CYSTIC FIBROSIS WEEK 02/05/2012 |
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Lesley Griffiths AM has shown her support for Cystic Fibrosis sufferers by having the volume of air her lungs can hold measured at an event held to mark Cystic Fibrosis Week 2012 . The Cystic Fibrosis Trust this week invited Assembly Members from across the political spectrum to have their lung capacities measured to see how they fared in comparison to people with the condition. Cystic Fibrosis is a progressive disease which makes breathing more and more difficult. Two die each week as a result of Cystic Fibrosis and average life expectancy people who live with the condition is around 29 years old. However, clinical advances and improvements in treatment mean this is increasing every year. Average lung capacity for an adult with cystic fibrosis is around one fifth of the normal expected capacity of a UK adult, measuring 65 ‘percent’ as compared to the expected 80 ‘percent’ for a person without the condition. After taking the Spirometry test, Lesley Griffiths measured 102 ‘percent’ making her amongst the highest scoring Assembly Members on the day. Commenting, Lesley Griffiths AM said: “This event really served to highlight the plight of people who live with Cystic Fibrosis, and I was pleased to have been able to show my support for the valuable work of the Cystic Fibrosis Trust. “The lung function test really brings home how difficult it can be for people who live with Cystic Fibrosis to simply take a breath. The average lung capacity of someone with the condition is almost exactly two thirds of my own. Imagine having to put in 150% of the normal effort in simply to breathe. “There are numerous event as part of Cystic Fibrosis week taking place across Wales, I would encourage people to go to www.cftrust.org.uk , to see what is taking place near you and show your support. “ |
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| AM: COST PRICE SCHOOL MEALS MOVE WILL HELP FUEL LEARNING 01/05/2012 |
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AM for Wrexham Lesley Griffiths believes plans to ensure school meals cost no more than the price of producing them can make ‘a massive difference’ to families on low incomes. The move comes as part of the School Standards and Organisation (Wales) Bill announced this week by Welsh Education Minister, Leighton Andrews. This will mean schools can be flexible at a local level over the price of school meals, subsidising school food where they feel this may be beneficial to children from families on low incomes. However, a cap will also be introduced to ensure schools do not charge more than the price of producing the food itself. There is currently no upper level on the price of school meals in Wales. The Bill will place duties upon local authorities to provide, or continue to provide, primary school free breakfasts and school-based counselling on transfer of the specific grant funding to the Revenue Support Grant. The transfer will give local authorities flexibility to establish the level of need, make decisions based on local knowledge and circumstances and manage funding levels locally. Commenting on the move, Lesley Griffiths said: “Children cannot learn to their full capacity without the fuel to do so. This move will allow more families on lower incomes to afford school meals for their children. “With this Bill, the Welsh Government will enable schools to decide at a local level whether meals should be further subsidised to help those on low incomes, where there is need. “For the first time, schools will also have to ensure they serve meals at no more than cost price. This will ensure schools do not charge more than needed to the detriment of children of lesser means. “This will make a massive difference to struggling families on low incomes who do not currently qualify for free school meals. “ |
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| AM: GROWTH OF FOOD COOPS CAN HELP LOCAL PRODUCERS 23/04/2012 |
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Following a visit to ‘Roots & Fruits‘ Food Cooperative, Wrexham Assembly Member Lesley Griffiths has spoken of how the growth of food cooperatives can help support local economies and food producers. The ‘Roots & Fruits‘ Caia Park Food Coop sources produce from the Wrexham and Flintshire area and sells this direct to the consumer in ‘veg boxes’. It is one of a growing number of food cooperatives in the Wrexham area. Food co-operatives link volunteers with local suppliers to provide their customers with fresh, affordable, fruit, veg and salad at a wholesale price. As a result food co-ops usually provide better value than other outlets. ‘Roots and Fruits’ veg boxes are on sale for £1.50 for a small veg box and £3.00 for a large, which is typical of other food coops in the Wrexham area. Commenting, Lesley Griffiths said: “Food cooperatives are a great way to support local producers, save the environment and save money. “Many of our groceries today are overpackaged and come from halfway around the globe when we have great produce right on our doorstep. “The veg box service food cooperatives provide cuts all this out, reducing air miles and unnecessary landfill, passing the savings on to the consumer. “I would encourage people to find out about their local food cooperative, as a way to look after your own pocket and support the local economy at the same time.“ Roots & Fruits Caia Park Partnership Food Co-op operates out of Prince Charles Road, Caia Park each Thursday from 11–12pm & 2-3.30pm. |
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| AM JOINS SKILLS MINISTER TO MEET UNDER-THREAT WREXHAM REMPLOY WORKERS 19/04/2012 |
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Wrexham Assembly Member Lesley Griffiths has joined Leighton Andrews, the Welsh Government’s Education and Skills Minister, to meet with under-threat Wrexham Remploy workers. Leighton and Lesley met staff at the Remploy Stansty road factory site on the morning of Thursday 19th April. The AM for Wrexham and the Minister for Education and Skills took a tour of the factory and spoke with factory floor workers about their concerns. Seven of the nine Remploy sites in Wales have been earmarked for closure under proposals recently outlined by the UK Conservative – Liberal Democrat Coalition Government. The visit follows a series of protests over the planned closure, including a protest last Thursday over Nick Cleggs refusal to meet with workers on a visit to the town. Commenting on the visit, Lesley Griffiths said: “You meet the workers and your heart simply goes out to them. This is a period of intense worry for these people and their families. “I applaud Leighton for his efforts to engage with these people whose livelihoods are under threat as a result of this unfair UK Government proposal. This marks a stark contrast to the way Nick Clegg refused to meet with them and ran away from Remploy workers a week ago. “Remploy workers can be assured the Welsh Government will continue to engage fully with them, as we look for a positive way forward. The UK Minister, Maria Miller, really needs to visit these Remploy sites for herself to see what excellent work is undertaken at them. “We hope to see the next three years of funding for Welsh Remploy sites devolved to the Welsh Government, so we can save sites such as Wrexham Remploy and retain as many jobs as possible.” |
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