Archive for the ‘Transport’ Category

During yesterdays Welsh Affairs Committee, Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb expressed his concern over the high cost of fuel which affects many people in his constituency. In the run up to the Budget Guto Bebb called on the Secretary of State Cheryl Gillan to confirm that she is “lobbying hard for the constituents and business in Wales”.

The Secretary of State agreed that rising fuel prices are an issue.  She went on to state that the Wales Office try to engage on areas of significance to constituents and consequently the Parliamentary under- secretary of state, David Jones is looking into this matte.  She also confirmed she would encourage the Chief Secretary to the Treasury to include a fair fuel stabiliser in the forthcoming Budget.

Guto Bebb has previously offered his support to the Fair Fuel UK campaign. He stated “I understand that fuel prices continue to be a particular concern for motorists in Aberconwy, especially those living in rural areas.  This is why I have added my support to this campaign.  I am calling on people across the area affected by this issue, to add their name to the large number already signed up at www.fairfueluk.com.  It’s vital that local residents and businesses make their voices heard.”

He further added;

“Whilst our priority as a government is to ensure a controlled reduction in the UK budget deficit we cannot continue to expect motorists in rural areas such as North Wales to carry such a heavy burden whilst alternative transport options are simply not available.  As current prices we will see businesses in my constituency fail as a result of this single but vastly increased operating cost”

Aberconwy MP Guto Bebb is giving his backing to the campaign Fair Fuel UK – the national campaign for fair fuel prices in the UK led by Quentin Willson.

Local people and business have been hit hard by rocketing fuel prices. The planned April fuel duty rise could add as much as 23 pence per gallon to already sky high prices. This fills many local residents and business owners with dread.

Guto Bebb MP is backing Fair Fuel UK in their battle to scrap the planned fuel duty rise to introduce a fuel price stabiliser that will keep fuel prices down.

Guto Bebb said, “I understand that fuel prices continue to be a particular concern for motorists in Aberconwy, especially those living in rural areas.  This is why I have added my support to this campaign.  I am calling on people across the area affected by this issue, to add their name to the large number already signed up at www.fairfueluk.com. It’s vital that local residents and businesses make their voices heard.”

Fair Fuel UK has been backed by the Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association, the RAC and thousands of ordinary people and businesses.

The fuel duty paid by UK residents and businesses is nearly double the amount paid by our European competitors. Fair Fuel UK believe scrapping the fuel duty rise and the fuel price stabiliser will help level the playing field and give the UK economy a much needed boost.

The blogging has been sparse due to the excitement of the past week, massive information overload at Westminster and efforts to establish a constituency office.  As I write I feel almost relaxed for the first time in ten days but with London calling again tomorrow I suspect that things will be busy again next week.  Despite my intense schedule I am amazed at the work that David Jones MP will now need to undertake in his much deserved role as Minister of State at the Welsh Office.  Discussing a number of local issues with David on Saturday I was exhausted just listening to his intense workload for the next few weeks.  It’s a good thing that he is so clearly the right man for the job.

Due to the web designer being on holiday this site will only slowly develop into the website of your MP.  It should be sorted by the end of the month but until then blogging will be sporadic.

On a more positive note I went to my first engagement as the Aberconwy MP on Friday attending the re-launch of Llandudno Community Radio at Ty Hapus.  A great initiative which I have been proud to be associated with for months it was a pleasure to be able to accept this particular invitation as my first in the new job.  I will also be undertaking my first constituency surgery next Friday.  Since our new offices are awaiting telephone lines any interested parties wishing to make an appointment are advised to call 01492 583743 for the time being.

Guto

A long day!  Meeting of the 1922 this evening and a warm response to the position taken by the shadow cabinet.  Will it be enough or will the Liberals back Labour?  If they do then we as a country will be in serious trouble.  What we need is a stable administration able to govern for four or five years.  A Lib/Lab/SNP/PC/SDLP/DUP agreement = problems.

We as a party have worked in the interest of the country – will the Liberals do the same?

Guto

The North-South air link between Cardiff and Anglesey was grounded today.  Commonly known as Ieuan Air the service has been subsidised to the tune of £800k per year by the department of Economy and Transport under the leadership of Deputy First Minister and leader of Plaid Cymru, Ieuan Wyn Jones AM.

His ability to read Business Plans appears to be less than robust.  For many families in the Aberconwy Constituency and the community of Dolgarrog this announcement today is another slap in the face from this failed Plaid / Labour administration.  Ieuan Wyn Jones refused an application for financial support from the management at Dolgarrog due to ‘weaknesses in the Business Plan’ and yet the same Ieuan Wyn Jones defended the funding of this so called ‘vital’ service when he came to Llanrwst for an edition of 'Pawb a'i Farn'.  With a subsidy demand of £800k per year I wonder how robust the Business Plan would have been?

Meanwhile the Dolgarrog site stands empty with a tourism village now one of the preferred options for re-development.  The Plaid Cymru MP for Dolgarrog, Elfyn Llwyd, remains consistently silent on the issue whilst Gareth Jones, the Plaid Cymru AM for the area has completely failed to back-up his promises that there would be jobs created at the site.  Plaid and Labour, the marriage of convenience down in Cardiff Bay, have completely failed the residents of Dolgarrog and the economy of the Conwy Valley.       

Guto

· Mae diweithdra Cymru bellach yn uwch na’r rhelyw o ranbarthau’r DU.

· Mae gwariant ar addysg yng Nghymru yn £500 y pen yn llai nac yn Lloegr.

· Mae canlyniadau arholiadau yng Nghymru yn wannach na’r cyfartaledd yn Lloegr.

· Mae’r Cynulliad yn gofyn i bob ysgol sydd a 90 neu lai o ddisgyblion gyfiawnhau eu bodolaeth.

· Mae’r Gweinidog dros Iechyd yn y Cynulliad wedi cyfaddef nad yw’n ymwybodol o lle yr aeth £1bn o’r gyllideb Iechyd.

· Mae cynlluniau allweddol ar gyfer gwella ffyrdd yng Nghymru wedi eu gohirio.

Er gwaethaf yr uchod, ac fe allwn fod wedi parhau i ychwanegu at y rhestr, fe dreuliodd y Cynulliad ddoe yn dadlau am ‘semantics’ dyddiad pleidlais ar bwerau pellach i’r sefydliad.  Bu i Blaid Cymru fygwth gadael y llywodraeth nid oherwydd bod hanner y cynnydd mewn diweithdra Prydeinig wedi digwydd yng Nghymru'r mis diwethaf ond oherwydd bod Llafur Cymru yn hanner awgrymu na ddylid blaenoriaethu pleidlais ar bwerau pellach. 

Nid bywydau pobl Cymru sy’n poeni Plaid Cymru a Llafur yn y Cynulliad ond yn hytrach yr angen i gadw eu pleidiau eu hunain yn hapus yn achos y cwestiwn cyfansoddiadol.  Ni chafwyd gair gan neb am fywydau go iawn y boblogaeth syn dioddef o ddiffygion y llywodraeth ym Mae Caerdydd.  Yn gynyddol y mae Bae Caerdydd yn ymdebygu i ffrae deuluol gyda dim ystyriaeth o gyfrifoldeb tuag at neb y tu allan i’r dethol rhai yn yr elit gwleidyddol Cymreig.   

· Welsh unemployment is now higher than most regions in the UK.

· Education spending in Wales is £500 per head lower than in England.

· Welsh Educational achievements now lag behind the English average.

· The Welsh Assembly expects any school with less than 90 pupils to justify its existence.

· The Welsh Health Minister has acknowledged that around £1bn of spending cannot be accounted within the Health budget.

· Crucial plans to improve key Welsh roads have been cancelled.

Despite the above, and I could have extended my list significantly, the Assembly spent yesterday debating the semantic issue of the date for a referendum on further powers for the institution.  Plaid Cymru threatened to leave the coalition government not because half the increase in unemployment within the UK occurred in Wales last month but because Welsh Labour implied that the date of a referendum on further powers was not a priority. 

It would appear that Plaid and Labour politicians in Cardiff Bay are not concerned with the lives of people who live in Wales but rather the internal squabbles within their respective parties with respect to the constitutional question.  There were no discussions yesterday about the concerns of real people leading real lives in Wales who suffer due to the widespread and continued failures of the Welsh Assembly.  Increasingly the debating chamber in Cardiff Bay resembles a family argument with no consideration of the duty that they have towards those who live beyond the Welsh political elite.  

Guto

Apologies for the delay in writing - I have been busy since our return from a family holiday getting to grips with work, putting the finishing touches to three new pieces of literature to be used by the campaign in Aberconwy and wasting time dealing with an act of vandalism that has left me annoyed with the vandal and North Wales Police.

We came home late on Saturday to find my car (six weeks old) badly scratched on three doors, the front wing  and the bonnet.  The damage is in the region of £1,200.  I was one of nine cars damaged in our street with one family having three cars vandalised.  The total cost faced by the owners of these vehicles was, I suspect, in the region of £10,000.  According to my next door neighbour (two damaged cars) the incident happened on the night of the 'A' level results.  A coincidence?

The worst part of the situation is that despite telephoning a contact number at the Police Station at least twice a day since Saturday and visiting the police station in person on Monday morning I have not yet received a call to discuss the matter or to provide me with an incident number.  Is this the effective police force that our departed Chief Constable was claiming to have improved significantly?  And of course, no one, not a single person affected by this incident have any expectation that the culprits will be caught.  Is it any wonder that ordinary people are increasingly unhappy with the priorities of our police force?

Guto Bebb