Read Lesley’s weekly column, Scribblings from the Senedd is featured most weeks in The Leader Wrexham Edition:
| 10/05/2012 |
| To start on a positive note at least from my perspective, this is my first column since the results of the Local Elections were known. The results in Wrexham and across Wales showed people turning back to Labour. In Wrexham County Borough, the number of seats controlled by Labour almost doubled with the majority of gains being in the Wrexham Constituency. I believe this is not just a reflection of national trends but of hard fought positive campaigns which highlighted the local issues which really matter to people. I congratulate all new and returned Councillors, wish them well for the forthcoming term and look forward to working which whatever alignment of groupings comes to control Wrexham County Borough Council. This is also, however, the first time I have written since the results of the playoff Semi-finals were known. Due to the Elections, I could only attend the second leg of the Luton Town – Wrexham AFC clashes. Although Wrexham bravely overcame a one goal deficit to win on the day, heartbreakingly, it was not enough to change the aggregate result. Although sad, fans must take heart from the progress made over the season by Wrexham. This time last year nobody was even sure the club would exist. Now we have a Club owned by the fans for the fans, which has played great football all season be it in the FA cup or the Conference. Congratulations to Andy Morell and all the team, staff and fans for the way they have conducted themselves this season. We will be back. In Cardiff, Jane Hutt this week unveiled the publication of a review into the effect of proposed regional pay levels for Welsh Public Sector workers. This Conservative-Liberal Democrat UK Government policy is based on flawed evidence and would lead to negative long- term effect upon local economies across Wales, with the largest impacts being upon lower paid and female workers. This is not my view, but that of the Welsh Government’s Chief Economist. I hope we see this evidence taken into account by the Conservative-led UK Government. Nobody hold their breath. |
| 03/05/2012 |
| This week, the Welsh Government has announced a funding package of £2m for 2012-13 to support children and adults with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) across Wales. This will support existing projects and action plans across all 22 Local Authority areas, including provision of full-time national autism co-coordinator to run the Learning and Improvement Network (LIN). The Government’s approach to improving services for people with ASD has come on in leaps and bounds in recent years, and it is great to see this support being maintained and extended. Huw Lewis, Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage has announced the Welsh Government is to publish a White Paper which will outline a new preventative approach to combatting homelessness in Wales. This will provide Local Authorities with more flexibility, increase affordable housing and make better use of the private rented sector to bring empty homes back into use through initiatives such as the ‘houses to homes’ scheme. The Welsh Government has provided £7 million this year alone for services which support the homeless, alongside a further £1.4 million to help local authorities mitigate housing benefit cuts over the next two years, Homelessness is blight on lives, and housing a huge issue for my constituents. It is good to see the Welsh Government taking a proactive and joined up approach to the issue. Finally, I want to wish Andy Morell and the entire team the very best of luck as they head down the M1 to play Luton Town in the first leg of the playoff semi-finals. I have written to Andy to express my very best wishes to him and the team, and how proud I am of the way they have played all season. Remembering back to last year, nobody was even sure we would have a club at this stage. It is testament to all Wrexham AFC staff and supporters we have got this far. Any other season our impressive haul of 98 points would have guaranteed automatic promotion, and if our performance at Luton is reflective of what we have seen this year, we have every chance. |
| 24/07/2012 |
| In Wrexham this week I had the honour of bowling the first wood to officially open Bradley Park Bowling Club. The green has been unused for twelve years after the Bowling Club folded. In the intervening years the site has remained derelict and has been plagued by vandalism. However, thanks to grants from the Wales Sports Lottery, Aggregates Levy, and money raised locally with Gwersyllt Community Council, the site has been brought back to life. The club is now the only one of its kind in the Wrexham area, and the opening attracted a good crowd of local residents. It is great to see facilities such as this brought back into use for the community. Congratulations to all who have worked long and hard to bring this about. It is official. The UK has entered technical recession, with last quarters GDP figures showing a contraction of -0.2% , the second quarter of negative growth in a row, making this recession a ‘double dip’. Chancellor George Osborne repeatedly assured us his austerity measures would not lead to a ‘double dip’ recession. However, despite warnings from economists and politicians alike that he is cutting too far and too fast, - we are shrinking as an economy. This means we will have to borrow more, not less long term. Time for the Conservative – Liberal Democrat UK Government to change direction. It is hurting but clearer than ever now that it is not working. Of course, before my next update comes around, the Local Elections will have taken place and the results will be known. It is really important you use your vote on 3rd May . Local Democracy is incredibly important, the Council control many of the services we all rely upon, what is built around us and the future of our town. The vote is a right not everybody has the privilege of and it only takes a few minutes to exercise it. |
| 19/04/2012 |
| Nick Clegg made a sweeping visit to Wrexham last Thursday. Remploy workers asked to meet with him to discuss the UK Government’s proposed closure of the Wrexham factory, but he refused to meet them. I therefore joined around 60 others to protest against this unfair proposal. Later in the week, I accompanied Welsh Minister for Education and Skills, Leighton Andrews, on a visit to meet the under-threat Wrexham Remploy workers. It was a striking contrast between the manner in which Nick Clegg practically ran from concerned Remploy workers and the engagement shown by the Welsh Minister. Remploy workers can be assured the Welsh Government will continue to engage with them and the UK Government both to prevent these closures. We want to see funding for Remploy devolved to the Welsh Government for the next three years, with a view to saving sites such as Wrexham Remploy. The Welsh Government announce a further round of funding for Care & Repair services across Wales this week, which included £155,000 for Care & Repair services in Wrexham. Care & Repair makes adaptions to the homes of older and disabled people. This can allow them to be cared for and remain at home, as opposed to relying upon Social Services or Hospital stay. The vast majority of people prefer to remain in their own homes, and this also saves government £7.50 for every £1 spent. This further round of funding reiterates the Welsh Government’s commitment to this win – win policy, despite budget pressures. Also in Wrexham this week, in my role as Minister for Health and Social Services, I ended up dribbling at Llwyn Isaf. Dribbling, that is, with a hockey stick and ball. The npower ‘Big Dribble’ was hosted in Wrexham and is being launched in 40 cities and towns across the UK. It aims to set the record for dribbling hockey balls a total of 2012km across Great Britain with the aid of youth hockey internationals and the public. I added my 100m dribble to the thousands to set this record and mark 100 days until the opening of the 2012 London Olympics. |
| 12/04/2012 |
| I hope everyone enjoyed the Easter bank holiday break. The Senedd remains in recess, however, this week Welsh Minister for Housing, Regeneration and Heritage, Huw Lewis announced a £100,000 cash boost is to be shared by local radio stations across Wales. Of that money, Calon FM is to receive £18,000, the largest sum given to any of the eight Welsh community radio stations. Since 2008 Calon FM has established itself as a great source of information on all aspects of community life here in Wrexham, even winning a Times Higher Education Award in recognition of its work supporting local schools and charities. I work regularly with the staff there who make a fantastic contribution to the community of Wrexham. This money recognises their efforts and will allow their work to continue. Since I last wrote, it has also been announced that Techniquest is also to receive a Welsh Government funding boost of £1.7million pounds. Wrexham – based Techniquest Glyndwr is to receive £349,400 as part of the package announced by Education Minister Leighton Andrews. The money will be used to provide STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities for more able pupils in all 21 Secondary Schools across Wrexham and Flintshire. 1,890 pupils from the two counties will benefit from two day STEM courses aimed to boost Welsh performance at Key stage 3. It is vital for the future economy of Wales that more young people take up study in these areas and I know this money will come as a welcome boost to the great work already being undertook at Techniquest Glyndwr. The long awaited match between Wrexham and Fleetwood last Tuesday had the team putting in a much improved performance. However the result, a 1-1 draw, now means it is all but mathematical that Wrexham’s promotion hopes look to the playoffs once again. However, if we play the way we did on Tuesday, we have every chance. Best of luck to the boys. Hopefully a fantastic day in Wembley awaits fans – reminiscent of that wonderful, sunny April day seven years ago when Wrexham won the LDV Vans Trophy in Cardiff. |
| 05/04/2012 |
| This week is recess in the Senedd, however despite this, we have seen some significant launches from the Welsh Government, including the £75 million Growth Wales project. This will create 12,000 temporary jobs at or above minimum wage, offering work to young people of 25 hours per week or more and providing young people not just with work but long terms skills which can help them into permanent positions. The jobs will last six months, but the scheme is designed to ensure there are jobs at the end of the scheme whilst helping businesses to expand at the same time. With one in five young people out of work thanks to the unending macroeconomic situation, the Welsh Government is acting, as part of a range of measures, to ensure the young people of Wales do not become another 'lost generation' such as that of the 1980's. We also saw the £5million 'Houses to Homes' recyclable loans scheme launched this week. This win-win scheme provides cheap credit to landlords and owners across Wales for the purposes of bringing unused properties into habitable use. When paid back the money goes back into the pot to help further landlords do the same in future. With 22,000 unoccupied properties across Wales, this can help house people without encroaching on green space. In Wrexham, congratulations are due to the Fre-Energy team, who reached the end of a long road of attrition with Wrexham planners this week. Council planners have finally allowed their anaerobic digester facility to process the biowaste for which it was designed, despite previously rejecting the scheme. This Wrexham borne innovation makes higher quality fertilizer and produces more energy than its nearest competitors, all from what is otherwise thrown away. This innovative and environmentally friendly scheme should have the support of all levels of Government and I am pleased Council planners have finally seen sense upon it. |
| 29/03/2012 |
| This week the Welsh Government launched the new improved Blue Badge parking scheme. Unfortunately, the former scheme resulted in some unscrupulous individuals forging Blue Badges, at the expense of disabled people’s access to shops and amenities. This can cause distress and pain in some cases, as some disabled people rely heavily upon motorised transport. The Welsh Government wants to see this stamped out and has this week launched a new Blue Badge scheme which uses technology to make the new badges more difficulty to forge, linking them to a nationwide database. The best news though is the Welsh Government has elected to make these badges available free to those eligible. This is in contrast to other areas of the UK which can charge up to £20 per badge. Many disabled people have limited earning potential so this will be welcome news on both counts. In the Senedd, I was happy to sign a WWF pledge to show my support for ‘earth hour’. This year, many famous landmarks across Wales and the world will have their lighting turned down or off, to mark ‘earth hour’. The Millennium Stadium, Caernarfon Castle and the National Library in Aberystwyth will join Big Ben and the Sydney Harbour bridge in darkness as a reminder of the impact human activity is having upon the planet. If you want to join in with earth hour you can sign up at http://bit.ly/zSig4y or simply remember to dim your lights at or after 8.30pm on Saturday. On Friday I visited Ysgol Bryn Alyn to talk with Welsh Baccalaureate students about my role as Assembly Member for Wrexham, Minister for Health and Social Services and the work of the Welsh Government. Welsh Baccalaureate qualifications are a recent Welsh Government addition to the curriculum which aims to give young people a well-rounded education, including grounding in the machinery of public life as well as workplace skills. The young people I spoke to certainly seemed very knowledgeable and tuned into current and world affairs and it was a pleasure as always, to speak with them. |
| 22/03/2012 |
| This week, the Welsh Government announced its plans on the eradication of Bovine TB. I am pleased the Welsh Government has fulfilled its promise to review the science base for the Bovine Tb programme. The Government, in considering the uncertainties of any course of action and the Animal Health Act test, has decided not to cull badgers but take forward a vaccination project which will be implemented from summer 2012. I have received many letters and emails from constituents who were in favour of a vaccination programme and I know they will welcome this announcement. The UK budget was announced this week too. No surprises from a Conservative-led Government of millionaires that the flagship measure was to reduce taxation on the rich. To make the lesser half feel better, there was also a measure to make the tax free allowance threshold higher. This would be welcome if the Chancellor wasn’t taking that money straight away again - through abolishing tax credits for the lowest paid, a £3 billion ‘stealth’ raid on pensioners and maintenance of the 20% VAT rates which hurt not just the poor but also business. For Wales this is even worse – with no action on fuel duties and plans to bring in regional pay in the public sector. This will end one of the last bastions of redistribution to regions, such as Wales, which have lower economic bases. Lower public sector wages here mean less money spent in struggling Welsh businesses as well as making life more difficult for many of our workers. On a more positive front, figures emerged this week for the funding the Welsh Government is allocating to re -dual the Wrexham- Saltney railway line. This formed part of the National Transport plan, and now with £36.66 million Welsh Government funding in place we will finally see this anomaly, caused by Tory cuts in the 1980’s, rectified by 2015. This will improve links to major cities, and boost the local economy as a result. |
| 14/03/2012 |
| This week the Welsh Government has taken a pincer approach to promoting a vibrant science and technology sector in Wales. Firstly, the Welsh Governments ‘Sêr Cymru (Stars Wales)’ programme will provide £50 million to attract top level science professors to Wales. Through attracting the best scientists, it is hoped Welsh universities and other research organisations will be able to attract a greater proportion of top-level research grants, and with that high calibre research students and graduates. This will help boost the Welsh Economy as part of Welsh Labours ‘Science for Wales’ agenda. Hand-in-hand with this came also the announcement of an £100million fund to boost the Life Sciences industry in Wales to help companies in the sector grow and start up here. With the Life Sciences industry already worth £1.3Billion to the Welsh Economy, I believe these two funds can help establish Wales as the UK science, research and development hub. With the monthly jobs data out again this week, we can see Wales, along with the rest of the UK , is far from out of the woods, with 1000 more jobless as compared to last month. However, there are grounds for positivity. Over the quarter, unemployment is down 3,000, economic inactivity down 14,000 and employment up by 21,000. These trends stack up well in the UK context, especially given the Westminster Conservatives and Liberal Democrats damaging cuts programme. On that topic, reverberations from the Remploy closures announcement still abound. The Welsh Government this week asked the UK Government to devolve Remploy funding in order to retain jobs, but was refused. It is important people send a message to the UK Government that Remploy sites have greater value than money alone, keeping disabled people in work, off benefits and giving them skills which benefit everyone. We have already seen a well-attended event in the Senedd this week. This Saturday, the people of Wrexham can make themselves heard. A march will process from the Remploy site on Regent Street into the town centre from 10.00am and I encourage others to join us. |
| 07/03/2012 |
| The UK Government announcement this week that it is to close Wrexham Remploy along with six others in Wales and thirty-six across the UK, has hit everyone for six. This is a tragedy for all involved. I know many of the employees at Wrexham and have known successive waves of disabled people find a route to sustainable employment through skills gained at Remploy. Some may argue that it is better for disabled people to work in a unsegregated workplace. However how you get to that goal matters, and the Conservative and Liberal Democrat UK Government has chosen a brutal and counterproductive method, if that is the aim. The announcement arrived with no warning to the people involved and via a written statement , avoiding the need for the Minister to make it in person. Nor has the UK Government released the figures upon which their decisions about site viability are based. The timing of this means vulnerable individuals may be offloaded into a jobs market where a number of able bodied people chase every vacancy, making a mockery of Conservative and Liberal talk of wanting to help people into jobs. I will be doing all I can with the Welsh Government, to see what jobs can be retained at Wrexham Remploy and make the argument that this site is viable. In more positive news, the Welsh Government this week announced that a scheme to get school children reading ad foundation stage – trialled here in Wrexham- is to be extended across the whole of Wales with funding support. The scheme provides ‘bookbags’ to children and teaching support at foundations level. The bookbags contain books in Welsh and English which are designed to aid reading and which the children can take home. I had heard good feedback from the trial and am thrilled this is now to be extended across wales. Literacy is a vital key to enable youngster to achieve their potential in life and I am please the Welsh Government is showing its continued commitment to finding creative ways to promote it. |