Summer Recess has been a joy to me as I’m doing the favourite part of my job – being out and about in the constituency.
This summer, I’ve been running pop up surgeries and it has been a delight to meet people in new corners of Builth, Hay, Brecon and Crickhowell. The new gazebo in Talgarth provided excellent shelter from some heavy rain during an important conversation about the future for Bronllys Hospital.
Just before Recess I secured a debate in Westminster on rural banking. Protecting access to cash in our communities is essential and, like many, I find the trend for bank closures troubling. During the debate, the Treasury Minister confirmed that the Government has changed the law to make cashback available without a purchase – something which is working extremely well in Hay on Wye. Rules will also be brought in to force banks to provide a deposit and withdrawal facility for customers within a certain geographical distance. I reminded the Minister not to forget about rural areas, and how our needs are different to towns and cities.
It was a real joy to visit Brecon Cathedral and meet the staff involved in the Green Minds Project. Working together, the Green minds team have created a wonderful space as part of the ‘1000 Years of Calm’ Heritage Landscape Trail. Surrounding parts of the Cathedral with vibrant gardens has brought an overgrown, abandoned space back to life – providing much needed green space for peace, calm and reflection. Many of the volunteers who came to help create the gardens reported a real change in their mental health and I would urge you to call and see their tremendous work.
I’ll be staycationing for a few days this summer but if there is anything you’d like to raise with me, please get in touch: [email protected]
