COLUMN: A look back, and looking ahead
“I’d like to wish all MyWelshpool readers a very Happy Christmas and extend my best wishes for 2025.
In the coming year, I will continue to champion vital causes, including the Air Ambulance service, improvements to our health services, and the fight for fair funding for our area.
Unfortunately, we haven’t received much festive cheer from the leader of Powys County Council, who has announced that a 13.5% increase in council tax will be necessary to maintain critical public services.
Councils across Wales are set to receive an overall 4.3% rise in funding, amounting to £6.1 billion in total. However, the allocation varies under the current funding formula. Newport and Cardiff benefit the most, while Powys and Monmouthshire remain at the bottom of the table.
This disparity in funding is not a new issue for Powys. It’s important to note that this is only a provisional settlement and has not yet been agreed. Since the Welsh Labour Government lacks a majority, the budget will only pass if at least one member from another party supports it or abstains. The funding formula must be reformed to reflect the realities on the ground and ensure fairness across the whole of Wales, rather than favouring certain areas.
I remain deeply engaged in the campaign to oppose the decision to close the Welshpool Air Ambulance base, which serves Mid Wales. The closure would severely impact emergency response times and critical care services. Encouragingly, in October, the High Court granted permission for the case to proceed to a full hearing, recognising its importance. The hearing, scheduled for January, will be pivotal.
In October, I visited the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, where construction has been ongoing to establish it as the main emergency hospital for North Powys, Shropshire, and Telford & Wrekin. This is a significant development for mid Wales, promising enhanced life-saving emergency care. The plans also include the return of women and children’s consultant-led inpatient services, as well as critical care, the stroke unit, and the head and neck department, all moving back to Shrewsbury.
Closer to home, progress on the proposed 32-bed hospital and health facility in Newtown has been disappointing. The plans still require Welsh Government approval. I remain optimistic that the project will advance in 2026, and I will continue to prioritise pushing for this important development.
Earlier this year, we saw thousands of farmers and supporters rally in the largest-ever protest at the Senedd, highlighting the urgent need for change in the agricultural sector. Labour in the Senedd continues to show hostility towards farming, compounded by Westminster Labour’s new inheritance tax on farms. I meet regularly with farming unions and raise these issues in the Senedd, maintaining pressure on Labour to shift its approach.
Additionally, I continue to support Montgomeryshire Against Pylons in opposing large-scale grid infrastructure projects proposed by Bute Energy and Green GEN Cymru.
Montgomeryshire has a long tradition of defending its landscape from industrialisation, and we must remain resolute in opposing unsuitable developments.
In 2024, I remained focused on improving transport connections, which are crucial to our local economy. I have actively campaigned for projects such as the Newtown bypass and the Dyfi Bridge at Machynlleth. My efforts this year have also included lobbying for improvements to the A458 at Middletown, the Pant–Llanymynech bypass, schemes at Caersws, the A44 from Llangurig to Aberystwyth, and enhancements to rail services. I’m pleased to have secured commitments to progress some of these initiatives.
Trusting you all have a peaceful Christmas. As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me if I can assist you in any way.”
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