Dear resident,
The way you register to vote has recently changed and all new registration applications must be done individually. We have two important elections in May for the National Assembly and our Police and Crime Commissioner. I have included some useful information on registration below.
In my view, our local health service and the NHS services which we access over the border are the most important issues for Mid Wales residents. I will therefore be producing a dedicated update on this subject over the next few weeks.
I hope you find this update of interest and please let me know if you have any issues or concerns or would like my help on any matter.
Best regards,
Russell George
National Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire
Transport
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Newtown Bypass
On 7th March, construction work started on the long-awaited Newtown Bypass. The Welsh Government has informed me that works will take two years to complete. Earlier this month, I was delighted to watch work starting around the Glandulas area with machinery moving on site. Work has also started near Black Hall, Dolfor where a works compound has been constructed.
You can view an interactive drive through of the bypass by following this link - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_o0NtpQzpY&feature=player_embedded
Dyfi Bridge
I have called on the Welsh Government for many years to resolve the flooding issues at the existing Dyfi Bridge. Local flooding results in the bridge often being closed and creating a massive diversion of up to 30 miles on this main arterial north/south and east/west trunk road. I am pleased that the Welsh Government has appointed Alun Griffiths Contractors to construct a new bridge and road scheme approximately 480 metres upstream of the existing bridge.
The proposed timetable for the scheme is:
Publication of draft orders and environmental statement: summer 2016
Public local inquiry (if required): winter 2016/2017
Start of construction: winter 2016/2017
Road open: 2019
The Minister for the Economy, Science and Transport, Edwina Hart AM, also informs me that short-term interventions to address the problems caused by flooding are underway which include works to improve the efficiency of the drainage systems to help cope with flood conditions.
The works will also act as a survey for further improvement. The Minister has also confirmed that the new scheme will be designed so that it does not exacerbate flooding at Dyfi Eco Parc and the railway bridge.
I will of course continue to keep the pressure on the Welsh Government to ensure the scheme remains on schedule.
Digital Connectivity
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Ofcom’s Strategic Review of Digital Communications was published earlier this month. The report highlighted what people across Montgomeryshire tell me all the time - the vital importance of being able to access a reliable and efficient internet connection.
Having campaigned for better broadband and mobile coverage for Mid Wales over the last five years as Montgomeryshire’s Assembly Member and Chairman of the National Assembly’s Cross Party Group on Digital Communications, I am pleased that Ofcom has made a commitment to make affordable broadband a universal right for all UK homes and small businesses.
Whether connecting with family and friends, helping children study from home or advertising a local business, digital connectivity is now critical to our day-to-day lives; and provision should not be a postcode lottery.
Regrettably, this postcode lottery is evident, especially in rural areas of Montgomeryshire and by opening up cable networks and allowing competition, great strides can be made to tackle rural isolation and provide critical connectivity to all parts of Wales.
For those considering ways to improve their broadband speeds and are outside the scope of the Superfast Cymru fibre broadband rollout, there are alternatives to fixed broadband.
The Welsh Government is offering assistance to communities in the form of two grant-aided schemes, the Access Broadband Cymru grant and the Ultrafast Connectivity Voucher Scheme.
Access to central funding enables alternative network suppliers to deploy alternative delivery methods. Typical of the alternative methodology is the delivery of broadband services using wireless technology. Upon confirmation of community demand, microwave connectivity to an existing network can be established with delivery costs subsidised by aggregated grant funding.
Alternatively, in the absence of connectivity to an existing network, the alternative provider can deliver a business grade fibre to a location central to the community establishing a new community network. Community access to the fibre-backed network will be wireless.
Cost of fibre delivery to a single user can be prohibitively high. As a cost shared by the community, superfast broadband can become a reality. There are a number of providers available and if you would like more information, please let me know.
Farming
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I have been very disappointed at the way in which the Welsh Government has handled the payments to farmers under the basic payment scheme (BPS).
Over the last couple of months, I have received dozens of complaints from desperate farmers who were yet to receive letters outlining a timetable for BPS payments.
The continuing uncertainty has had a significant effect on the whole agriculture industry and it has made it impossible for farmers and suppliers to plan financially.
In spite of my repeated calls for ministerial action to provide clarity to farmers, the Welsh Government has kept farmers in the dark about the reasons for the delays or when they will receive their payments.
The Welsh Government has now confirmed that Rural Payments Wales “expect all but the most complex claims will be paid by the end of this month”.
The Welsh Government has assured me that if an eligible farm business has not received their BPS part payment by the end of this month, they will receive a personalised letter in early April explaining why they have not been paid, and detailing any outstanding issues.
I will be scrutinising the government further to ensure it meets these commitments.
I also raised a number of issues relevant to our farming community in the monthly scrutiny session of the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans AM.
Changes to planning for energy projects
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From March 1st, Councils in England were empowered to determine onshore wind applications - regardless of size. Meanwhile, Welsh Government Ministers have acted – immediately - to centralise this power in Wales.
As such, only small onshore wind applications, under 10 megawatts in size, will be determined locally in Wales. I believe that this has created a stark deficit of empowerment between the role of local planning authorities either side of the border – and risks ignoring the wishes of local people in the determination of onshore wind applications.
I strongly believe that it is vital that decisions are made closer to the people they impact upon, not further away. We must shift power away from central government, bringing transparency to the heart of local decision-making, and restoring public confidence. Regrettably, in my view, the Welsh Government has done the opposite.
Community Banking
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Last month, I spoke in the National Assembly in support of a cross party motion which deplored the number of bank branch closures in Wales, and called upon the banks to consider the impact of bank branch closures on individuals, especially older people and small businesses before final decisions on closures are made.
There have been 130 bank branch closures in Wales over the last five years. By the end of April this year, HSBC will have shut 51 of 131 branches, NatWest 52, Barclays 18 and Lloyds seven.
In Powys, HSBC has recently closed two of its branches in Llanfyllin and Llanfair Caereinion. This disappointing news follows a series of other bank closures across North Powys.
The closure of banks in rural Mid Wales is having a devastating effect on our rural villages and town centres. I have recently received hundreds of responses to my recent campaign to save HSBC branches in Llanfyllin and Llanfair Caereinion, showing just how important the retention of local bank branches are for our high streets if they are to continue to flourish; not just for ordinary customers but particularly for local businesses which require a daily “over-the-counter service”.
I am calling on banks to urgently consider the wider social and economic consequences of closing bank branches, especially when they are the only remaining bank in the area.
Tourism
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Earlier this month, I welcomed a commitment to an innovative new fund to help small and medium-sized tourism businesses in Powys to expand and grow.
The proposal for a dedicated fund, which would be trialled over the first two years of a Welsh Conservative Government, would offer vital support to tourism businesses and attractions across Wales. This would help sustain high-quality jobs in this growing industry which is of huge importance to the Mid Wales economy.
Under the proposals, businesses could apply for grant funding in return for ‘up-skilling’ an existing employee to help boost the status of tourism as a career path. The scheme would also be available to firms recruiting new employees on a permanent basis – fuelling efforts to promote tourist attractions and destinations across Wales.
Many small firms in the industry also complain that VAT bills are a barrier to development, and these grants would help them to meet their VAT bills as well as encouraging the creation of new jobs for the Mid Wales economy.
Clearly, the above commitment is subject to the outcome of the National Assembly elections in May.
Voter registration
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The way you register to vote has recently changed and all new registration applications must be done individually.
Each applicant will be asked to give their name, address and previous address, nationality, date of birth, and national insurance number.
As long as you have the information above, it takes less than 5 minutes to complete. To register, go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote
If you are unsure if you are on the election register, contact Powys County Council’s Election department on:
Email: [email protected]
Tel: 01597 826202