By Lesley Griffiths

MS for Wrexham

The Welsh Government has announced it will invest £25m to support the flagship Wrexham Gateway project. The multimillion pound scheme is a real gamechanger that centres around the Mold Road. It proposes a major redevelopment of Wrexham General Station, the construction of new commercial buildings, as well as an opportunity to improve the Racecourse Stadium. I have championed this development for a very long time and I'm sure this is something everyone in the town will support. An incredible amount of work has taken place over a number of years to get to this stage and the Welsh Government, along with its local partners, deserve great credit. Despite the challenges created by the pandemic, there has always been a determination to deliver something truly special. This ambitious project will have a transformative effect on the town and, coupled with the Wrexham AFC takeover, there are certainly exciting times ahead.

I received further updates from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB) this past week with regard to the Covid vaccine rollout. Many will have seen reports of a delay in vaccine deliveries into the UK and I was keen to discover how this will affect us here in Wrexham. Despite the setback, the North Wales Health Board remains on track to meet the mid-April milestone, which is to offer the first dose of the vaccine to everyone in Priority Groups 1 – 9. Last week BCUHB passed the impressive milestones of providing 300,000 first doses and 400,000 total vaccinations. The delay in vaccine supplies affects the whole country and means from early April, BCUHB is expecting to receive less vaccine than it originally planned for. As a result, first dose appointment invitations for people in Priority Groups 6 – 9 may arrive a little later than first indicated. Appointments for second doses are unaffected. If you are in Priority Groups 6 – 9 and you’ve not yet been contacted, please do not contact your GP or the helpline. The Health Board has reiterated you will be contacted very soon. It is frustrating for everyone. The supplies are temperamental and beyond the control of the Health Board and Welsh Government. It goes without saying if our excellent team in North Wales had more vaccine, they could vaccinate more people more quickly. In spite of the disruption, it’s important to remember BCUHB remains on course to meet the target of offering a first dose to Priority Groups 1 – 9 by 19 April. The rest of the population will also be offered the vaccine by the end of July, subject to there being no further interruption to supplies.