With Christmas and the New Year just around the corner, I have been reflecting on all that has happened in the Vale of Clwyd over the past 12 months.
No year is full of positive news stories, but we have certainly seen a good many in the constituency in 2023.
Just last month it was announced that the Vale of Clwyd is to receive £19,973,283 in Round 3 of the UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF).
The funds are expected to help regenerate Rhyl, Prestatyn, Bodelwyddan and Denbigh, with key project locations likely to include Rhyl Town Centre, Rhyl Promenade, Prestatyn Town Centre and the former North Wales Hospital in Denbigh.
The Levelling Up Fund has already been incredibly positive for North Wales, with the region having received more financial support per head of the population than virtually any other area of the United Kingdom. Now Denbighshire has had successful bids approved in all three rounds.
The County was also allocated £2.9m from the Government’s UK Community Renewal Fund and £25.6 million from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund – other levelling up schemes. The Salusbury Arms in Tremeirchion has been able to reopen thanks to a £175,000 investment from the UK Government’s Community Ownership Scheme (COS), and the Llandyrnog Community Shop is also set to reopen thanks to £200k from the same fund.
In total, Denbighshire will have received £63.7m in levelling up funds since 2019.
All this investment in North Wales will make the region a more prosperous place to live, work and visit, and having worked closely with Denbighshire County Council, those involved in The Salusbury Arms and Llandyrnog Community Shop projects, the Department of Levelling Up, and senior ministers to help secure this funding, I look forward to watching generations benefit.
Another significant achievement in the Vale of Clwyd is the recent opening of the new Banking Hub in Prestatyn – the first one in Wales.
I was thrilled to officially open this much needed facility having worked closely with LINK and Cash Access UK in recent years to secure it.
Not surprisingly, it is already proving to be a huge hit with residents and businesses and I look forward to further Hubs opening in North Wales in the future.
There was further good news for people in the Vale of Clwyd in October when the Prime Minister announced his government’s commitment to rail electrification in North Wales during his speech at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.
A key priority for me since my election to Parliament back in 2015 has been to improve public transport connectivity, in order to help Level Up our region,
I have repeatedly said that we need to see improved connectivity - through the improvement of line speeds, signalling, reliability and ultimately electrification, under the decarbonisation of rail agenda. This investment is the culmination of many years of effective campaigning by myself and my parliamentary colleagues, ably supported by Growth Track 360 (North Wales Mersey Dee Rail Taskforce).
Having called over a number of years for the Welsh Health Minister to roll out the Electronic Prescription Service (EPS) in Wales, and to prioritise its introduction in North Wales, I welcomed its availability to patients at a surgery in Rhyl from November and look forward to it being rolled out across Wales from January 2024.
The system, which was launched in England and Scotland the decade before last, allows GPs to send prescriptions securely online to the patient’s choice of community pharmacy, without the need for a paper form.
I have referred to just a few of the successes in the Vale of Clwyd in 2023, but there have been a good number of other achievements in the constituency by groups and individuals of all ages, and throughout the year it has been a pleasure to meet some of them to congratulate them in person. I also invited some to Parliament and receptions at 10 Downing Street, where their achievements were commended by government Ministers.
Sadly, no area escapes bad news and in October homes and businesses in the constituency were hit by flooding caused by Storm Babet. This was a devastating time for all affected. I have been working with Denbighshire County Council, Welsh Water and Natural Resources Wales to ensure that the risks of repeated flooding are minimised.
More recently, there has been further unwelcome news, with announcements regarding the closure of Pontins Prestatyn Sands, and Rhyl SeaQuarium. The situation is awful for all those losing their jobs, especially at this time of year and my thoughts are with them, and anyone else in this position in the Vale of Clwyd.
Christmas can be a joyous time of the year, but for those who are without work, in poor health, grieving a loved one, or alone, it can be a particularly challenging time.
Research by Age Cymru found that 112,200 older people in Wales find Christmas Day to be the hardest day of the year, with nearly 98,000 feeling more isolated on this one day, than any other. As Age Cymru state “No one should feel forgotten”. I therefore encourage you all to reach out over the festive period to any family, friends or neighbours, particularly older people, who may be vulnerable.
We must also remember and give thanks to people who will be working over the Christmas period in the emergency services, hospitals, power stations and all other essential services, those serving in the armed forces across the world and their families here at home, and hospitality staff for who Christmas will be just another working day.
I hope that you, your family and friends have a peaceful and enjoyable festive season and a healthy, happy and prosperous 2024. Nadolig llawen a blwyddyn newydd dda.
