December 2019
Dear Resident,
I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas and would particularly like to thank Sophie Pugh from Llandinam School for designing my Christmas card which you can see above.
It’s a busy time of year, and I was pleased to attend my first Christmas Carol Concert of the year on Sunday 1st December at Welshpool Livestock Market. As always, hundreds turned out, with money raised going to support the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution.
I hope you enjoy reading my final newsletter of 2019 and as always, if you would like further information on anything which may not be mentioned in the newsletter or would like my support on any other matter, please don't hesitate to contact me on 01686 610887 or by emailing [email protected]
Best wishes
Russell
Russell George AM
Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire
General Election
This Thursday, you will have the opportunity to vote for the next MP for Montgomeryshire. I would like to pay tribute to the former MP, Glyn Davies, who stood down last month. Glyn and I have worked closely together for the past decade.
Please find above all the candidates standing in Montgomeryshire. As you would expect, I of course have been campaigning with and supporting Craig Williams. I have worked closely with Craig for many years, and I have no doubt that he will an outstanding MP if elected on Thursday. As a person who was raised and lives in Montgomeryshire, Craig understands the opportunities and challenges for our area.
I wish all the candidates well, and will of course work with whoever is elected on Thursday, for the benefit of Montgomeryshire.
Please follow this link if you would like to know where your local polling station is: https://wheredoivote.co.uk/
Regular readers of my newsletter may be aware that I rarely mention Brexit. This is deliberate!
I focus my newsletters on the work which I am undertaking in our area, and my work in the Assembly.
In my view, the Welsh Assembly has talked far too much about Brexit, and should be concentrating on areas for which it is responsible, such as our National Health Service and education.
I have had responses to recent updates asking for my views on Brexit. My view is that we have been let down by many politicians in Westminster who have sought to frustrate the will of the public following the 2016 referendum. I am firmly opposed to a second referendum. Uncertainty is bad for our economy, and the next UK Government should respect the referendum result, and ensure that we leave the EU in an orderly way, and with a deal in place. Others will have different views to me, which I of course respect.
Small Business Saturday
I would like to take this opportunity to encourage people from across Powys to join me in showing your support for the county's small businesses by shopping locally following Small Business Saturday which took place on Saturday 7th December.
Small Business Saturday is a grassroots, non-commercial campaign, which highlights small business success and encourages consumers to 'shop local' and celebrate small businesses in their communities.
The changing retail market has been challenging for businesses to adapt as more people head to out-of-town shopping centres and online. During the lead up to the campaign, I've been able to meet and chat to independent shop owners in Welshpool, Newtown, Llanfyllin, Machynlleth and Llanidloes.
Our local high streets are instrumental in bringing people together – acting as a meeting place for friends and families and supporting jobs for local people. Let's do all we can to ensure that our high streets can flourish.
Broadband & Mobile
In the picture above, it says "fibre broadband is here" but for so many communities across Montgomeryshire, that remains a distant dream.
A fast reliable connection has very quickly become a part of everyday life and so I understand how frustrating it is for those that are unable to benefit from faster broadband speeds.
As you will be aware, Openreach is partnering with the Welsh Government again on the continued rollout of fibre broadband across Wales. A new online checker is available so that people can see whether their home or business is scheduled to be considered for completion under this project.
However, I remain very concerned about the data which was used to choose which premises were to be included in this scheme and I will be scrutinising the Welsh Government further on this at the next available opportunity. A detailed investigation of the recent broadband Open Market Review which essentially identified the premises, which were to be included in the Superfast Cymru intervention, shows that the review failed to use the most up to-date information and that information was missing or corrupt. There are inconsistent results, suggesting that some of the data was invalid or incorrectly calculated. The results have been sent to the Welsh Government for their response and I am awaiting their reply. It would be very concerning if the whole Superfast Cymru scheme was based on potentially inaccurate information.
In the meantime, I wanted to outline the options available to premises not covered by the latest phase of the rollout. Details of these such as the Access Broadband Cymru scheme and vouchers for businesses are available on the Next Generation Access Broadband Wales website here.
Residents may also be interested in a Community Fibre Partnership (CFP) where Openreach work with a local group representing two or more premises to bring superfast broadband to an area.
Where possible, Openreach bring together funding from Local Authorities, Government voucher schemes and other grants to help make things affordable, plus Openreach contribute toward the cost. More information is available here.
Also, as part of the UK Government’s Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme, the Gigabit Voucher Scheme has been launched which provides funding assistance for superfast connectivity to rural areas. Businesses and residents in some of the hardest-to-reach places in the UK, with broadband speeds of less than 30 Mbps, are eligible for vouchers worth up to £3,500 per small/medium business and £1,500 per residential address. The vouchers can part or fully fund a CFP scheme. More information can be found here
If you would like me to make enquiries on your behalf on the options available to you, please don't hesitate to contact me by emailing [email protected]
I also continue to have ongoing discussions with all mobile providers, highlighting areas where there is no mobile signal at all. My most recent discussions have been with the mobile operator EE. EE customers across the area, who once had good signal, are now finding that they have poor or no service at all. I hope to report more positively on this particular issue in the new year.
Further Palliative Care support needed
Last month, I was pleased to have been able to have the opportunity to take part in a Senedd debate which called on the Welsh Government to take action to help radically improve access to hospice and palliative care for everyone across Wales.
I was able to pay tribute to the Llanidloes Palliative Care Suite which was officially opened last year and was fully funded by the Llanidloes League of Friends and the local community.
The launch of the Palliative Care Suite in Llaindloes has been invaluable in providing care for people nearing the end of their lives, allowing people to access care and support outside of a hospital setting and emphasising the importance of providing person-centred care.
However, no funding was provided by the Welsh Government to support the establishment of Llanidloes Palliative Care Suite and this situation is replicated across the country.
Given the current pressures in Wales on the NHS and number of available hospital beds, hospices provide an opportunity to allow people to access the support they need outside of a hospital environment and according to their own preference.
I believe that Local Health Boards should develop close working relationships with hospice providers to allow people to access a package of care, and we need to see more leadership from the Welsh Government to deliver a more proactive approach to help hospices and palliative care suites meet future funding and operational challenges.
During the debate in the Senedd, I was able to make the point that the Welsh Government needs to ensure that the true value of the services which hospices provide to people needing end-of-life care, their families and communities is recognised by using its forthcoming draft budget to increase its support for hospices across Wales so that we become a compassionate country.
Funding Advice Day
A very successful event took place at the Corn Exchange, Welshpool on 8th November which resulted in a full room.
The event was aimed towards charities and community groups to receive funding advice from funding providers. I am thankful for the support from the National Lottery Community Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund, Sport Wales, The Arts Council for Wales and PAVO, who all provided information to those that attended along with the opportunity for one to one discussions.
The feedback I have received following the event is very positive and as a result I shall seek to hold a further event next year.
If you would like a copy of the presentation given at the event which include contact details of the funding providers that attended the event, please contact me.
Living with Persistent Pain
I was delighted to be able to chair an event last week hosted by the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition to help raise the profile of the issues facing those who live with chronic pain conditions in Wales and to encourage the Welsh Government to work more closely with key stakeholders to implement the guidance which was introduced earlier this year.
The Chronic Pain Policy Coalition also called on the Welsh Government to work with them and other stakeholders to ensure the implementation of new guidance at the earliest opportunity.
The closure of the chronic pain service at Oswestry's Orthopaedic Hospital earlier this year was deeply disappointing for many residents in North Powys who relied on the chronic pain service which was provided at the Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital.
The service, which sought to reduce suffering and enhance quality of life for those who suffer with chronic pain conditions, served 400 patients in Mid and North Wales, many of whom were left in the lurch after receiving little or no communication about their future pain management provision after the closure of the service.
In many respects, chronic pain management is a forgotten service and experiences a number of operational and clinical challenges, so I am hopeful that this event will encourage the Welsh Government to work with the Chronic Pain Policy Coalition and others with an interest in this area to implement the guidance at the earliest opportunity to strengthen the overall provision of chronic pain management in Wales.
Bus Pass Application - Deadline approaching...
And last but not least, just another short reminder that if you are eligible for a free bus pass, you have until 31st December to renew or apply for your new pass by clicking here.
Paper forms have also been distributed to all local councils so that people can pick them up from Council officers, and I also have paper copies available in my Newtown office.
If anyone is worried about making an application, help and support is available from the Transport for Wales helpline: 0300 303 4240.
