A view from Wrexham’s Member of Parliament

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members 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 her column for September, Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton writes…

I submit an article for Wrexham.com at the same time every month, but Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II died the day I submitted this, and I wanted to say the following:

The loss of our Queen, who never showed anything but decency, humility, and kindness, has touched everybody’s hearts and left a hole in families’ lives not only in the UK but across the world.

Few of us can remember a time without Her Majesty’s devoted and impartial service to the British people: Her Majesty’s strong sense of duty, integrity, and stability has been a beacon of light in all of our lives for 70 years.

Her Majesty visited Wrexham during every milestone of her Reign. Indeed, one of Her Majesty’s last duties was to sign the Letter Patent to make Wrexham a Platinum Jubilee city. Wrexham will be forever grateful to the Queen and the UK Government for recognising Wrexham’s potential, ambition, and contribution to our United Kingdom.

But now, we turn to the bittersweet moment of embracing this period of change and saying the words that this country did not expect to hear just quite yet. God Save The King.

I was pleased to welcome the result of the Conservative Party Leadership contest and would like to congratulate Liz Truss on becoming the Party’s new Leader, and our Prime Minster. I was also pleased to attend Number 10 to support Boris Johnson in his final speech.

There is no denying that he delivered as our Prime Minister. He steered the country through the pandemic, got Brexit done, and was steadfast in his support for Ukraine.

 

We now need a period of stability and a concentration on the priorities of my constituents; the rising cost of living, tackling immigration, continuing our support for the people of Ukraine, and making sure that devolution works for the people of Wrexham so that they can get access to timely healthcare and GP appointments.

As Liz Truss’s former Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Foreign Office, I have seen her first-hand in action, and I am confident that she will tackle the challenges that lie ahead for Wrexham.

A recent visit to the Urgent Primary Care Centre (UPCC) at Wrexham Maelor Hospital with Ian Donnelly, Managing Director, showed that progress on plans to reduce wait times is finally being made.

The UPCC is designed to relieve the pressure on A&E by taking direct referrals from GP’s, Pharmacists, and the 111 service.

In addition to this, I heard of plans to open Plas Gororau, an off-site unit that will move services from the Maelor and, in turn, relieve space within the hospital to enable the Emergency Department to work more efficiently.

Whilst healthcare provision in Wrexham has a long way to go, these are steps in the right direction. But with the Maelor recently being ranked the worst in Wales for the number of patients seen within the four-hour waiting time target, improvements cannot wait any longer.

Due to this, my health campaign continues where you can send the Welsh Government a strong message that we deserve better healthcare! Follow this link to give your say: https://www.sarahatherton.org.uk/healthcare-wrexham.

Over the summer recess, the main issue that constituents were raising with me on the doorstep was the rising cost of living.  Whilst Parliament was in recess, I raised constituents’ concerns with the Chancellor during a briefing on the current economic situation and made sure that Wrexham’s interests are at the heart of Government policy.

The UK Government has listened and is putting together a range of measures for our new Prime Minister Liz Truss and the new Government to consider.

In the meantime, I have created a cost-of-living section on my website, where you can find resources and support. Follow this link to see what you might be eligible for: https://www.sarahatherton.org.uk/cost-living.

It was a real pleasure to host my second Business Networking Event at Moneypenny in Wrexham, alongside a guest speaker from Wrexham Council. It was an excellent chance to meet new businesses and put businesses who do not know each other in touch.

During the event, we heard from businesses from across our new city and discussed how we can all harness the multitude of opportunities that are heading our way so that we can promote all that Wrexham has to offer on a national and global stage.

If any businesses would like to come along to a future event, please do not hesitate to email: [email protected].

Lastly, if you are a resident in Wrexham and need my assistance with any local or national issues, please contact me by emailing [email protected].