November 2022 Newsletter
Welcome to my November newsletter.
The roll-out of winter flu and COVID booster vaccinations is continuing in Montgomeryshire and full details can be found at Home - Powys Teaching Health Board (nhs.wales)
My Christmas Card Design competition is up and running for anyone living in Montgomeryshire aged under 16. Full details are included at the bottom of this newsletter.
I was a supporter of Rishi Sunak in my own party’s leadership election over the summer. Having a credible economic plan to support growth and the cost-of-living challenges must be the priority of the UK Government. I believe Rishi Sunak is best placed to tackle these challenges as Prime Minister and I congratulate him on his appointment as Prime Minister.
If I can help you with an issue or concern, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me by email - [email protected]
Air Ambulance Base Update
Wales Air Ambulance provides an invaluable service to Mid Wales from their base in Welshpool. There are huge doubts about the proposals to centralise the North and Mid Wales service at a single site with the potential closure of the base in Welshpool.
I have deep concerns about how this proposal will impact safe emergency medical cover in Mid Wales which has so many rural and hard to reach areas.
We now need openness, transparency and full scrutiny of the Welsh NHS Emergency Medical Retrieval and Transfer Service data that has been used to underpin the proposals.
For full details of the background and latest position, use the link below.
School Transport
I know from many conversations with families locally that there have been serious issues with the allocation of school transport and therefore the choice of parents face about where their children can learn.
Residents have brought cases to me where one sibling is offered free school transport and another denied it or where a couple of hundreds yards stops parents sending their children to the best school for them.
A review of Powys County Council's policy in this area is long overdue and I am pleased that a proposal made by Cllr Lucy Roberts in Llandrinio was unanimously accepted in October.
Supporting Our Farmers
In October, I met, alongside Craig Williams MP, with local farmers and National Farmer Union members at Dyfrryn, Meifod, to discuss a variety of challenges and opportunities that face the industry.
The news last month that the American ban on Welsh lamb has been lifted after many decades is very much welcomed by the farming community in Montgomeryshire. It gives small farming businesses right across Montgomeryshire a potentially lucrative market to sell to.
An issue discussed at length was the loneliness and mental health challenges that farmers can face. It is so important that problems like these are not internalised but are talked about openly. We also discussed the need for policy from Welsh Government that consider farmers' mental health and its potential impacts.
More Mobile Phone Masts Soon
Throughout my time as a Senedd member, I have campaigned for better broadband and mobile connectivity for Montgomeryshire. Although good progress has been made, there is more work to do.
I have regularly met with network providers to ask for an update on their plans and to press them to prioritise Mid Wales. They reassured me that work is planned to significantly improve connectivity in Montgomeryshire. Through the Shared Rural Network, Montgomeryshire will benefit from twelve new sites.
For information about these new sites, and a further update on broadband, please read my article.
All-Wales Cancer Community
Launched In The Senedd
I was proud to sponsor an event in the Senedd in October celebrating the creation of the All-Wales Cancer Community.
It is vitally important that those suffering with cancer and their loved ones know that they are not experiencing this awful disease alone.
I hope that the community will mean that cancer sufferers can contribute understanding and knowledge into how Governments and the NHS make decisions about patients are treated.
