A view from Clwyd South’s Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).

Clwyd South MS Ken Skates writes…

It was a pleasure to attend Wrexham’s UK City of Culture 2025 submission event to represent Wrexham’s MS Lesley Griffiths.

It has been fantastic to see so many people and so many different organisations get behind the bid, as the only Welsh entrant on the final shortlist.

I raised the Wrecsam 2025 bid in the Senedd just before Christmas, and was very pleased to hear Economy Minister Vaughan Gething voice his support and say he believed it could be a catalyst for investment into the county borough. The Minister also said his officials would explore opportunities to collaborate on showcase events for 2025 should Wrexham be successful.

I’m proud that the First Minister is also backing the campaign.

In the Senedd earlier this month, I repeated my calls for rail to be fully devolved to Wales.

While transport is devolved, responsibility for track, station infrastructure and signalling remains with the UK Government at Westminster. Over the past 20 years, Wales has had less than 2% of the £102bn that the UK Government has spent on improvements – and that’s despite us having 5% of the population and 11% of the track miles.

Wales’ share of the £100bn being spent on HS2 rail infrastructure should be around £5bn, but we are not seeing a penny because the UK Government says the line from London to Birmingham is going to benefit Wales. Our bid for investment on the Wrexham-Bidston line has also been ignored.

HS2 should be reclassified as an England-only scheme – which would generate huge consequential funds for Wales, and the most straightforward way to address the historic underfunding of our railways would be to devolve all responsibilities and appropriate funding to the Welsh Government.

The issue of buses, which is an important one in Clwyd South, has also been raised again recently.

De-regulation of the industry by the UK Government hasn’t worked. The subsequent deterioration in bus provision throughout Wales has damaged local economies and left communities isolated.

Wales now has the powers to put this right and develop a stronger regulatory system for bus services, and I am pleased that the Welsh Government has signalled its intent to a deliver a new, fairer deal for passengers which puts them – and not company shareholders – at the heart of policy.

I look forward to hearing more about the Welsh Government’s plans to right this wrong.

As chair of the Senedd’s Cross Party Group on Mental Health, it was brilliant to welcome Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing, Lynne Neagle, to our meeting earlier this month.

Ahead of Time to Talk Day on February 3, it was a very welcome opportunity to hear the Minister reflect on her first eight months in the role, which was newly created by the First Minister last year, and discuss her priorities and plans for improving the nation’s mental health.

I was also delighted to welcome Richard Parks and ITV Wales to Clwyd South to film for their upcoming documentary Climbing Out of Covid, which airs in March.

Richard is an inspiration, and his work around mental health is crucial. The past couple of years have been extremely difficult for a lot of people, but together we can emerge stronger.

I held my latest virtual surgery on Friday, January 28, and another is planned for Friday, March 4.

Appointments can be held over the phone or via Zoom, and can be booked by contacting my office. The easiest way is to email [email protected], or you can call 0300 200 7114 or send a message through my Facebook page. If all the slots get filled early and you are unable to get an appointment, my team and I will still be able to take up your case as normal.

I have also held recent street surgeries in Chirk and Plas Madoc with local councillors Frank Hemmings and Paul Blackwell. These door-to-door engagement sessions are a really useful addition to regular surgeries and provide another valuable opportunity to speak directly with constituents who might not normally reach out about all manner of local and national issues.

You can find regular updates on my Facebook page and sign up to my weekly newsletters here.

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South constituency Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd to write a monthly article with updates on their work in Parliament and the Senedd, and closer to home. (You can view an archive here).