A view from Clwyd South’s Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited local 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 Clwyd South’s Member of the Senedd, Ken Skates writes:

I’m delighted that the Welsh Government has backed another major project in our area with the recent announcement of a £300,000 grant for the Stori Brymbo development.

I visited the site recently to catch up with Brymbo Heritage trustee Andrew Foster and chief executive Nicola Eaton Sawford, and head of Cadw Gwilym Hughes (left to right above).

The plans to transform the former ironworks and steelworks site and neighbouring fossil forest into a unique tourist attraction recently cleared the final hurdle when Brymbo Heritage Trust was granted permission to start on the Stori Brymbo project.

Once completed, the visitor attraction will move from the swamp forests of 300 million years ago through the industrial processes which followed in Brymbo. A new community parkland space – Lodge Valley Park – will also be created.

Safety upgrades and a major rail capacity boost are planned for the North Wales Mainline – as well as an £800m investment in new trains.

Transport for Wales will increase capacity by 40%, with 50% more services which will be supported by the recruitment of moredrivers and crew. The announcement was made at Flint Station recently.

We now have firm plans in place to deliver this massive increase in rail capacity for North Wales, and it shows what partnership working can deliver – at industry level through Network Rail and Transport for Wales and with a UK Government in Westminster working with the Welsh Government.

Last month I met with UK Government Rail Minister Lord Hendy to discuss the Welsh Government’s priorities, which include delivering on commitments to create a Welsh enhancements programme and giving Wales a greater say on cross-border services.

Together, we committed to working in partnership, alongside the rail industry, and I’m pleased that the agreement finally calls time on the broken franchising system.

The Welsh Government and UK Government will work together to reform the railway and improve infrastructure to deliver better services for passengers.

I’m excited about the UK Government’s plans for reform. It means the Wales and Borders rail service will remain in public hands – making it easier to integrate rail with bus and deliver on our vision of One Network, One Timetable, One Ticket. I am also working closely with the UK Government to develop a programme of future rail infrastructure enhancements in Wales.

The unlocking of increased rail capacity in North Wales is just the beginning.

First Minister Eluned Morgan recently announced above-inflation pay awards for hundreds of thousands of public sector workers in Wales.

NHS staff, teachers and public sector workers in many other devolved services will receive pay rises of between 5% and 6%, which I know many of my constituents will be happy about.

The announcement came after the Welsh Government accepted the recommendations from independent pay review bodies in full. As a result:

• Teachers will receive a 5.5% pay rise
• NHS staff on Agenda for Change terms and conditions will receive a 5.5% pay award
• Doctors and dentists, including GPs and salaried GPs, will receive a 6% pay increase – with an additional £1,000 for junior doctors.
• Public sector workers are the backbone of the services we all rely on – from the nurses in our NHS to the teachers in our classrooms.

People want them to be fairly rewarded for the vital work they do, and these pay rises reflect how the Welsh people and the Welsh Government value them.

The National Tourism Awards will return in 2025, and I’m encouraging businesses to apply.

We have so many fantastic tourism businesses in Clwyd South and Wrexham which deserve to be recognised, so it would be amazing to see as many as possible put themselves forward.

There are 12 categories, and the winners of the Regional Awards this year will go through to the National Awards in March. So local businesses need to apply to the Go North Wales Awards first – more information is available here and the closing date is October 7.

The latest figures show that tourism-related industries generate 5.1% of Wales’ GVA. In 2023, more than 8.5m visitors from within Britain came to Wales – as well as 892,000 international visitors. The National Tourism Awards is an opportunity to celebrate the people and businesses behind these numbers and recognise what makes Wales a world-renowned tourism destination.

If you are a constituent of Clwyd South and need help or advice, please email [email protected] or call my office on 01978 869058. You can also follow me on Facebook and subscribe to my e-newsletters by contacting my office.