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In Cardiff Central |
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Macmillan Coffee Morning |
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My annual coffee morning in support of Macmillan, the cancer charity, took place this month at Sparrow coffee house in Clifton Street, Adamsdown. Sparrow’s owners, Nick and Dai very generously allowed me to host the coffee morning there and have donated all their takings from the sale of coffee and cake during the whole day, to Macmillan, which was a wonderful gesture.
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Shocking, Deliberate Cultural Vandalism of Guilford Crescent |
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In 2019, following a long community campaign, I joined over 1,000 campaigners to save Guilford Crescent from redevelopment. Whilst the campaign didn’t manage to preserve the buildings in their entirety, the historical facades were saved and remained a critical and protected element of the owners’ plans approved by Cardiff Council's Planning Committee. The historic façade has just been deliberately destroyed by the developers, in breach of the planning decision. I wrote to the developers demanding an explanation from them. I hope all possible sanctions will be taken against them and the owners of the land. Read my letter in full here. |
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Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) in Schools Update |
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Issues surrounding the presence of RAAC in schools across the UK has been in the news this month and caused a lot of concern. I’m pleased that parents, pupils and staff have now received confirmation that no RAAC has been found in any schools in Cardiff.
This reflects the multi-million pound investment in our schools over the last decade, with support from both Cardiff Labour Council and the Welsh Labour Government's 21st Century Schools scheme. |
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New Post Office Services in Penylan |
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The Post Office has announced the launch of new services in Penylan. This “lighter format” branch, located in Zac's Convenience Store on Clarendon Road, will provide access for customers to pay their bills, collect parcels and process returns. |
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Cardiff Met Sport Grants |
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Sports clubs and organisations in Cardiff who would like to upgrade or renovate their facilities can apply for a new capital grant scheme from Cardiff Met Sport.
Grants of between £5,000 and £20,000 are available for projects that are not yet underway and should contribute to the provision of physical activity for disadvantaged groups. improve physical wellbeing and increase participation.
Find out more here. |
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Welcoming Students to Cardiff |
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September always sees the start of the new academic year and the arrival in Cardiff of thousands of new students starting out on their university experience in Cardiff Central at Cardiff University, Cardiff Met, University of South Wales and the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.
I went along to Cardiff University's Freshers Fair to welcome many of the new students. Cardiff really is one of the best places in the country to be a student and I wish all the new arrivals a great time in our wonderful city. |
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Cardiff Dogs Home Awards |
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The RSPCA has awarded Cardiff Dogs Home two awards in recognition of the standard of kennelling they provide, and the way they look after stray dogs. This is the 15th year in a row that the team has received a RSPCA Pawprints Award.
This is in no small part to the efforts of residents in Cardiff Central, who helped to raise more than £500,000 over the last few years to ensure lost dogs benefit from new and refurbished kennels whilst they wait to be reunited with their owners or re-homed.
Read more here. |
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Cardiff Market Restoration Moves A Step Closer |
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Cardiff Market and its independent traders have been a jewel in our city centre serving the people of Cardiff and beyond for more than 130 years. The market welcomes more than two million people through its doors every year! This will continue long into the future thanks to funding of more than £2.1 million to restore this precious building to its former glory.
The proposed restoration is expected to require an investment of approximately £6.5 million. If full funding is secured, the restoration would see original design features revealed, traditional entrances and original stalls restored and the iconic glass roof repaired.
Read more about the restoration project here. |
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Advice Surgeries |
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My advice surgery dates for October and November are below. These are an opportunity for anyone living in Cardiff Central to come and chat to me about an issues you might need assistance with, or to ask any question you have about my work in Parliament and here, on your behalf.
Please call my office on 029 2132 9736 - or email me at [email protected] to make an appointment.
My team and I can also help residents over email and telephone. You are very welcome to get in touch. |
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In Parliament |
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September saw lots of legislation bouncing between the House of Commons and the House of Lords as we voted on lots of amendments to lengthy Bills. |
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Online Safety Bill |
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After six long years, the Online Safety Bill reached its final stages. I first started working on the issue of online safety in 2017 as a member of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee. We held two detailed enquiries and produced two lengthy reports with a substantial number of recommendations for government about bringing regulation to the tech sector, for the first time. As Shadow Secretary of State for DCMS for eighteen months, I led Labour’s response to the early scrutiny. The Bill was an opportunity to match the product safety approach of regulation in many other sectors of the economy to the tech sector, with the objective of a regulatory system not just for now, but fit for the future. The government’s approach over those six years was lackadaisical, contradictory and half-hearted and we have ended up with legislation that could have been so much better. I’m relieved we have something on the statute book but it feels like a wasted opportunity. |
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Energy Bill |
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Labour proposed amendments to the Conservative government’s Energy Bill that would have cut customers’ bills by £93 billion, make Britain energy secure and end, once and for all, the Tories' ban on onshore wind in England. This would put us on the path to becoming a clean energy superpower by 2030. The government refused to support them. Every family and business in Britain have paid the price of the Conservatives’ failed energy policy which has left Britain as the worst hit country in Western Europe during the energy crisis. Every family and business are paying the price, in higher energy bills, of 13 years of failed Tory energy policy.
The tragedy is that while Labour focuses on lower bills and good jobs, Rishi Sunak has decided to double down on the Tories' disastrous mistakes – lurching desperately towards a culture war on climate, rather than delivering the plan we need to strengthen Britain’s energy security.
Only Labour has a plan to cut bills and boost energy security once and for all - with our plan to make Britain a clean energy superpower by 2030. |
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Labour Is The Party of Economic Stability |
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The economic damage done by the Conservatives’ mini-budget last year is still being felt by people right across Cardiff Central. Never again can a Prime Minister or Chancellor be allowed to repeat those disastrous mistakes which have left our economy in tatters.
As Rishi Sunak contemplates unfunded tax cuts for the top 4%, Labour has pledged to guarantee that any future government will subject any significant tax and spending changes to an independent forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility. These changes would bring about “a new fiscal lock” to strengthen the UK’s financial stability and ensure that those disastrous mistakes, which are causing such difficulty for so many households and businesses, are never repeated. |
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Businesses Flocking to Labour |
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Labour's New Deal for Working People |
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Labour's 'New Deal for Working People' is a 'cast-iron' commitment. That was the message Labour took to the Trades Union Congress in Liverpool this month.
A UK Labour Government will bring forward an Employment Bill within its first 100 days which will: • Strengthen rights at work, from day one on the job • End fire and rehire • Make work more family-friendly, and it easier to balance work with home, community and family life. • Ban zero-hours contracts. • Strengthen trade union rights, raising pay and conditions
Read more about our plan here. |
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Wales Innovation Network |
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It was great to catch up with Wales Innovation Network at their event in the House of Lords to celebrate Wales Innovation Week.
The event highlighted the invaluable contribution of research and innovation across our Welsh Universities, which continues to generate economic and societal benefits for current and future generations. |
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World Alzheimer's Day |
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There are around 780 people living with dementia in Cardiff Central and many more caring for someone with the condition.
Ahead of World Alzheimer's Month, I met with representatives from Alzheimer's Research UK in Parliament, to hear about their work to change the future of dementia with innovative new treatments and early diagnosis. |
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Across Wales |
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20MPH Roll Out |
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This month saw the biggest change in road safety for decades, with the introduction of a new 20mph default speed limit for residential areas. In Cardiff Central, 20mph limits have been a normal part of our road network for some time. The new changes follow a recent public health study which estimated that the new limit could save up to £92 million a year for our NHS, with a reduction of between 1,200 and 2,000 injuries and crucially, 6 to 10 fatalities each year.
Local Councils across Wales will continue to review the impact of roads that have been reduced to 20mph and may consider changes and exclusions if evidence suggests they are inappropriate.
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Save Our Steel |
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News of a deal between the UK Government and Tata Steel should have brought relief to the workforce in Port Talbot, instead it has raised more questions, including for steelworkers living in Cardiff Central. A deal narrowly focused on electric arc furnaces – rather than hydrogen, direct reduced iron and carbon capture – is deeply troubling because it means that Tata Steel will no longer be able to produce all the qualities and grades of steel needed to meet the demands of its customers, which in turn will result in thousands of unnecessary job losses. |
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Newport Wafer Fab |
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Potential job losses at Newport Wafer Fab are deeply concerning and will come as a blow for the workforce, some of whom I met with in Parliament recently. We had warned the UK Government that dither and delay over sale of Newport Wafer Fab would have serious consequences and after an inexorable wait for its semi-conductor strategy, it is clear that the strategy falls far short of the ambition we need for a thriving South Wales semi-conductor cluster. The government’s inaction has done nothing to restore the confidence we need to grow the semi-conductor industry and protect jobs in South Wales. It should treat the sale of Newport Wafer Fab as a critical priority for the future success of the Welsh and wider UK economy. Listen to my radio appearance here.
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