Local AM Helen Mary Jones and Plaid Cymru’s Parliamentary Candidate for Llanelli, Myfanwy Davies have welcomed the news that Hendy Post Office is one of 75 branches in Wales that have been awarded a total of £1.5m from the Post Office Diversification Fund.
The funding will lead to the equivalent of 57 full time jobs at post offices throughout Wales. This is the second round of funding which is designed to help sub – postmasters and sub – postmistresses diversify and improve their Post Offices. A total of £1.1million for sixty three post offices was announced in July.
The £4.5million fund, which will run for three years and is open to every sub pos office in Wales, aims to help with business and marketing advice, advertising, training and some set-up costs for new services. Funding can also be applied for improvements such as creating better access to buildings, upgrading computer equipment, improving security or providing better signs for the outside of premises.
Twelve Post Offices have been awarded grants of up to £5,000 each for small capital projects such as new air conditioning or security systems and sixty three have been awarded up to £20,000 each for larger capital projects such as renovation, improving access or installing facilities for new services. Thirty four of the Post Offices have also received up to £15,000 in revenue funding which will help employ new staff or increase
Plaid's Helen Mary Jones said:
"I am delighted that the Hendy branch will be benefiting from the funding that has been made available from the Welsh Assembly Government. Post Offices are often the heart in the community, and I know that in Hendy, this is certainly the case. This money will help us to keep branches open and I am delighted that so many post offices in Wales have been able to take advantage of the fund.”
Myfanwy added:
"The extra investment in Hendy post office is a real boost to the community and particularly to people who do not want to travel out of Hendy to shop. The investment package is very important in safeguarding post offices that remain a kept part of community and business life but it is sad that this investment is happening against a backdrop of a post office closure campaign by the London labour Government and the withdrawal of post office services like passport applications and the post office card."
Tuesday 8 December 2009
Wednesday 2 December 2009
Helen Mary and Myfanwy pleased as plans to shut care homes are shelved
Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones and Plaid's Parliamentary candidate for Llanelli Myfanwy Davies have expressed their delight that council plans to close Caemaen and St Paul’s residential homes in Llanelli have been shelved. Both Helen Mary and Myfanwy last week pledged their to support an action group that has been fighting hard against these closure plans.
The County Council had wanted to close the residential homes in order to finance new home care services but the plans made no provision for care while those services were being delivered and had no detail of the costs or savings to be made. The plans contained no detail about where residents who were too frail for home care would be housed , but officers’ remarks about empty beds in private care homes raised residents fears that they would be sent out of Council care.
Myfanwy travelled to Carmarthen in a convoy of two buses of protesters from Caemaen home yesterday and helped lobby councillors as they arrived for the meeting of the County Council’s Scrutiny Committee. During the meeting, members of the Plaid Cymru group time and again drew attention to the weakness of the report and warned about privatising care by stealth. To the protesters delight, the Plaid group insisted on a vote to reject the plans as they stand. However, a task and finish group will be convened to examine the plans in detail.
Plaid’s Helen Mary Jones said:
"I’m very pleased indeed that the Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee has rejected the proposal to shut St Paul’s and Caemaen. I am concerned however that the discussions of the task and finish group around the future of social care in Carmarthenshire should not end up coming to the same conclusions but behind closed doors.
There has been a great campaign in the community to support the care that’s being provided at Caemaen and St Paul’s, and both Myfanwy and I have been fully supportive of the hard work that's been going on. I will continue to support those campaigning to keep this provision available for the people who want it and need it.”
Myfanwy added:
“The Council’s plans were ill-conceived and it was quite right for the Plaid members of the scrutiny committee to reject them on those grounds. It is entirely wrong to make savings at the expense of our most vulnerable people but it seems the Council had not even calculated the costs and had not considered how residents would be cared for while the new accommodation was built.
Moving older people from their homes is distressing and some may not survive a move. I am very pleased that we have been able to win the first battle in this war. Our older people will not be sacrificed to the Council’s half-baked ideas about privatisation. "
The County Council had wanted to close the residential homes in order to finance new home care services but the plans made no provision for care while those services were being delivered and had no detail of the costs or savings to be made. The plans contained no detail about where residents who were too frail for home care would be housed , but officers’ remarks about empty beds in private care homes raised residents fears that they would be sent out of Council care.
Myfanwy travelled to Carmarthen in a convoy of two buses of protesters from Caemaen home yesterday and helped lobby councillors as they arrived for the meeting of the County Council’s Scrutiny Committee. During the meeting, members of the Plaid Cymru group time and again drew attention to the weakness of the report and warned about privatising care by stealth. To the protesters delight, the Plaid group insisted on a vote to reject the plans as they stand. However, a task and finish group will be convened to examine the plans in detail.
Plaid’s Helen Mary Jones said:
"I’m very pleased indeed that the Council’s Health and Social Care Scrutiny Committee has rejected the proposal to shut St Paul’s and Caemaen. I am concerned however that the discussions of the task and finish group around the future of social care in Carmarthenshire should not end up coming to the same conclusions but behind closed doors.
There has been a great campaign in the community to support the care that’s being provided at Caemaen and St Paul’s, and both Myfanwy and I have been fully supportive of the hard work that's been going on. I will continue to support those campaigning to keep this provision available for the people who want it and need it.”
Myfanwy added:
“The Council’s plans were ill-conceived and it was quite right for the Plaid members of the scrutiny committee to reject them on those grounds. It is entirely wrong to make savings at the expense of our most vulnerable people but it seems the Council had not even calculated the costs and had not considered how residents would be cared for while the new accommodation was built.
Moving older people from their homes is distressing and some may not survive a move. I am very pleased that we have been able to win the first battle in this war. Our older people will not be sacrificed to the Council’s half-baked ideas about privatisation. "
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Dwr Cymru give their commitment to Helen Mary and Myfanwy
Llanelli AM Helen Mary Jones and Plaid’s Westminster candidate for Llanelli Myfanwy Davies have been left feeling reassured following a positive meeting with Dwr Cymru. Senior Management from Dwr Cymru met with both Helen Mary and Myfanwy to discuss the ongoing issues in Llanelli with regards to water quality and flooding.
During the meeting, Dwr Cymru gave their commitment that they will continue to do everything that they can to ensure that the issue will be resolved. Even though the water quality has improved, it is still unclear what is causing the mass cockle deaths which is affecting the livelihoods of many local fishermen and cockle pickers in the area.
Both Helen Mary and Myfanwy has been very concerned about the worrying possibility that cockle beds in the Burry Estuary may continue to die this year – a situation that would cause devastation to the local industry.
Plaid's Helen Mary Jones said:
“I was pleased after the meeting that the Senior Manager from Welsh Water were taking the issues with regards to water quality and flooding in Llanelli very seriously. It is disappointing that Ofwat’s interference means that some of the planned investment will now not be met, but I do have some confidence that working together with the other appropriate agencies, Dwr Cymru will make what progress they can on these issues. They have committed to keeping myself and Myfanwy informed on progress, and we will certainly be keeping a very close eye on developments as they move forward.”
Myfanwy added:
"I’m very pleased that Senior Managers from Welsh Water were able to come and have a wide ranging discussion with us. We touched on a number of issues to do with the Estuary and also flooding within the area. I’m particularly pleased that they were able to make an unequivocal commitment that they would do what had to be done to ensure that Dwr Cymru is not contributing to the cockle deaths. I think that this is an important commitment for cockle fishermen in Llanelli and for other people who are reliant on the industry.”
During the meeting, Dwr Cymru gave their commitment that they will continue to do everything that they can to ensure that the issue will be resolved. Even though the water quality has improved, it is still unclear what is causing the mass cockle deaths which is affecting the livelihoods of many local fishermen and cockle pickers in the area.
Both Helen Mary and Myfanwy has been very concerned about the worrying possibility that cockle beds in the Burry Estuary may continue to die this year – a situation that would cause devastation to the local industry.
Plaid's Helen Mary Jones said:
“I was pleased after the meeting that the Senior Manager from Welsh Water were taking the issues with regards to water quality and flooding in Llanelli very seriously. It is disappointing that Ofwat’s interference means that some of the planned investment will now not be met, but I do have some confidence that working together with the other appropriate agencies, Dwr Cymru will make what progress they can on these issues. They have committed to keeping myself and Myfanwy informed on progress, and we will certainly be keeping a very close eye on developments as they move forward.”
Myfanwy added:
"I’m very pleased that Senior Managers from Welsh Water were able to come and have a wide ranging discussion with us. We touched on a number of issues to do with the Estuary and also flooding within the area. I’m particularly pleased that they were able to make an unequivocal commitment that they would do what had to be done to ensure that Dwr Cymru is not contributing to the cockle deaths. I think that this is an important commitment for cockle fishermen in Llanelli and for other people who are reliant on the industry.”
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