I visited ‘Wild Elements’ in Bangor, one of the 100 independent UK businesses championed in the run up to this year’s Small Business Saturday 2017 (2nd December), and took part in the ‘10 Pound Pledge’ at ‘The Bookshop’, Mold, on Small Business Saturday itself, encouraging people to support small businesses.
I also visited Bangor University’s School of Ocean Sciences, met ‘Dementia Friendly’ staff at the Boots store in Bangor, joined the Flintshire Food Bank Collection at Tesco Mold, and attended Wrexham’s wonderful Nightingale House Hospice Annual Christmas Concert.
I called for a Welsh Government Statement on refuse and bin bag collections, after being contacted by Flintshire residents concerned that they are no longer allowed to leave additional black bin bags and that this could lead to fly-tipping.
Learning that Flintshire Men’s Refuge is struggling to meet demand, I also called for a Welsh Government statement on support for male domestic abuse victims.
Speaking in the debate on Welsh Government legislation to abolish the Council House ‘Right to Buy’ in Wales, I stated that this would do nothing to tackle the crisis caused by Labour Welsh Government cuts to new social housing since devolution.
Because the average council house tenant will stay in their home for another 15 years, scrapping ‘Right to Buy’ will have negligible impact on waiting lists. If, as in England, the Welsh Government instead used the proceeds of ‘Right to Buy’ sales to build new social houses, more people could be given homes.
Speaking in the Welsh Conservative Debate on Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), I criticised the Welsh Government for continuing problems 30 months after they placed it in special measures. Despite “some positives since special measures”, our Health Board has registered the highest number of serious patient safety breaches in Welsh Hospitals and the worst record for patients waiting longer than 4 hours in A&E.
With Wales having double England’s level of patients waiting for treatment, the number of BCUHB patients waiting over a year for routine surgery has also risen 2550% since the start of special measures to 2,491 in September 2017.
Questioning the Cabinet Secretary for Planning and Rural Affairs, I highlighted the potential for Welsh lamb exports to Saudi Arabia.
After questioning the same Cabinet Secretary following the recent Penyffordd planning application Public Inquiry for homes outside the settlement boundary, she replied “if a local planning authority hasn't got a five-year housing land supply, they are open to speculative planning applications for housing development”. Flintshire is one of the few Welsh local authorities still without a Local Development Plan.
Assembly engagements included World AIDS Day, 'Gout: No Laughing Matter' Reception, Community Transport Association and the launch of Electrical Safety First’s Report ‘How can we keep Older People in Wales Safe?’.
If you need my help, please email mark.isherwood@assembly.wales or ring 0300 200 7217.