June Newsletter Russell George AM's monthly update on his work in Montgomeryshire and the Assembly Dear resident, It is a great privilege to have been re-elected as the Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire. If you are interested in the full results, please click here. Naturally, I’m grateful to those who voted for me and invested their trust in me to stand up for the best interests of Montgomeryshire in the National Assembly. And for those who didn’t vote for me, please be assured that I will do my best to represent all the people of Montgomeryshire to the best of my ability. In Mid Wales, we have two new regional Assembly Members with Neil Hamilton (UKIP) and Eluned Morgan (Labour) joining Simon Thomas (Plaid Cymru) and Joyce Watson (Labour). I am looking forward to my role in holding the Labour / Lib Dem Government to account for its decisions, working with all Mid Wales Assembly Members to stand up for the interests of Montgomeryshire in the Assembly. There’s an important job of work to be done in Cardiff Bay and I hope that all Assembly Members who represent our area will be committed to working together constructively for the people of Montgomeryshire. Last week, the Welsh Conservative leader, Andrew RT Davies, has also asked me to take up a new ‘shadow’ post which I have accepted. From this week, I will be the Welsh Conservative spokesperson for the economy, transport, culture, sport and tourism. This is an extended role for me, and will help me in scrutinisign the Welsh Government on their broadband roll out and on a number of transport issues across Mid Wales. I will be looking to make progress on the priorities which I set out during the election campaign - delivering the best possible outcome for local health care, jointly fighting for this vitally important service with our MP Glyn Davies; supporting and empowering our schools; backing Montgomeryshire’s businesses; supporting our farming industry; fighting for more investment and fair funding for our county; campaigning for further transport improvements to keep Mid Wales moving; and pushing for universal access to reliable broadband and mobile coverage. I look forward to representing you over the next five years and please do not hesitate to contact my office if you feel that I can be of any help. My offices are located at 13 Parker’s Lane, Newtown and 20 High Street, Welshpool. My telephone number is 01686 610887 and you can contact me by email at [email protected] I have detailed a number of news items and issues I have been working on in more detail below. Best regards, Russell George National Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire Llanfyllin High School Since being formally elected, I have been working with a number of Councillors and parents who are seeking advice on the potential of making a challenge against Powys County Council’s decision to prohibit the school from providing funding for school transport from its delegated budget. There is a real concern that, from September, many families are going to be significantly affected. Some families, with more than two children in the school, will be put in a position where they may have to find an extra £2000 per year for school transport if their children are to continue their education at Llanfyllin. As a result, parents may be forced to move their children from the school at a critical time in their children’s education with some students studying GCSE and A level subjects which are not available at other schools in the area. I’m also aware that some children who have special education needs could be adversely affected, and there is a real concern that any changes will be particularly disruptive for these pupils who would also lose their existing friendship and support groups. As a result, I have taken up the issue with the new Welsh Government’s Secretary for Education, the cabinet member at the County Council; and the Wales Audit Office. I hope to report further on this next month. Llanymynech-Pant Bypass Earlier this month, our MP, Glyn Davies, and I joined the MP for North Shropshire, Owen Paterson, and the UK Government Minister for Transport, Andrew Jones MP, to press the case for progress on the Llanymynech-Pant Bypass. Accompanied by local campaigners, we discussed the need for the UK Government to develop a close cross-border relationship with the Welsh Government to develop the scheme. I am pleased that the Minister, Andrew Jones, committed to meeting with the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates AM, to discuss the matter and that the UK Government committed to developing closer cross-border co-operation which will make it easier to make long-awaited progress on this difficult issue for local residents and visitors alike. The local campaign for a bypass has been rumbling on for decades and the lack of progress is creating significant congestion for residents, preventing tourists from visiting and spending their money in Mid Wales, and affecting local Mid Wales businesses who rely on exporting their goods across the border. I was greatly encouraged by the UK Government Minister’s willingness to listen and appreciate the necessity for a bypass but a long term solution can only go ahead if the UK and Welsh Governments work together on this crucial cross-border scheme. I will also continue to work closely with Glyn Davies MP and do everything I can to support the project. Motorsport in Mid Wales I have written to the First Minister, Carwyn Jones, to express my concern at proposals to double the charges for accessing Welsh forests for motorsport. I have asked him to intervene to safeguard the future of forest stage rallying in Mid Wales. In 2015, the Motorsports Association paid £339,000 for the provision of forest gravel roads in Welsh forests but Natural Resources Wales (NRW) claims that costs for maintaining and preparing roads in 2015 was actually £655,000. As a result, from mid-June, NRW now intends to seek reimbursement for the full cost, almost doubling charges overnight on the motorsport industry in spite of the fact that England and Scotland have proposed a modest increase in charges of 0.7%. The doubling of charges to bring them in line with the full cost of repairs may seem logical on the face of it but in my view, it fails to recognise the wider economic benefit which these events bring to the economy of Mid Wales. Rallying, such as the Wales Rally GB, and other motorsport events bring a large number of visitors and invaluable income to Montgomeryshire, often outside the main tourist periods. Motorsport is therefore of vital economic importance to the area and the consequences of doubling charges for road repairs will be catastrophic for tourism and the Mid Wales economy if event organisers are forced to pull out of Wales. Changes to Health Services in Shropshire There is currently an on-going process of evaluating services at both Shrewsbury and Telford hospitals and we, as Montgomeryshire residents, clearly want services to be retained and strengthened in Shrewsbury. I am working closely with our MP Glyn Davies and Shropshire MPs. I plan to meet the new Chief Executive of the Shrewsbury and Telford Trust soon and will report back on the updated position. Ambulance Response Times The latest Emergency Ambulance data has revealed that the percentage of ambulances arriving at the scene of emergency within 8 minutes in Powys has dramatically decreased from 66.1% in March to 56.1% in April. In spite of the continued hard work of healthcare professionals and ambulance staff, the sharp deterioration in ambulance response times for life-threatening calls in Powys is concerning. The Welsh Government must recognise the consequences of poor ambulance performance on rural Wales in particular and do more to ensure that patients in life-threatening situations receive a consistent, high quality service wherever they live. This postcode lottery is not good enough and there is a clear need to invest in and modernise our ambulance services to ensure they are fit for purpose. Montgomery Canal The Montgomery Canal Forum will take place at 2.30pm on Monday 27th June at the Elephant & Castle Hotel in Newtown. This will be an opportunity to learn more about the Montgomery Canal and plans for its future. The Forum is a public meeting, open to anyone interested in the restoration and development of the Montgomery Canal. Over £1 million has already been invested to transform a 14 mile section of the towpath between Newtown and Welshpool. After having been a long-time supporter of the canal, I believe that waterways hold vast potential to transform places and build communities. I have been inspired by the outstanding work of dedicated volunteers and the close working relationship of different partner organisations to ensure that the canal remains relevant to people today, enabling people to become more active, get in touch with their history and enjoy the environment. This is an exciting time for the Montgomery Canal and I look forward to being a part of future developments and projects. Grass Cutting in Powys I have been in contact with senior officials at Powys County Council over the past couple of weeks, after a spate of complaints from residents across Montgomeryshire about the overgrowing grass. My understanding is that the Council’s new contractors, Greenfingers Landscapes, have not been fulfilling their duties and that additional staff have now been appointed to ensure that their contractual obligations to make three-weekly visits are fulfilled without delay and the current dire situation improves. If anyone would like to make a specific complaint about an area which remains overgrown or untidy, please report the matter to the council by emailing: [email protected] and please send me a copy by emailing [email protected] Advice Surgeries I hold surgeries in my Newtown office most Fridays, If you would like to make an appointment, please call my office on 01686 610887 or email [email protected]
