By Simon Baynes

MP for Clwyd South

We have all been deeply shocked and saddened by the news that Sir David Amess was killed at his constituency advice surgery in Essex. He was a much liked and respected Member of Parliament and my thoughts and prayers, like those of so many Clwyd South residents I have spoken to, are with all his family, friends, and staff.

Recently, with the reduction in Covid restrictions, I have started to hold MP advice surgeries in person again. These have included surgeries in Overton and Llangollen, during which I was able to help residents on a one-to-one basis with their issues and, in Llangollen, to catch up with members of North Wales Police and get an update on local policing issues. And I will continue to hold such face-to-face MP advice surgeries across the constituency in close co-ordination with the police and by Zoom.

I have also continued to visit local businesses, groups, and organisations this month, to pay tribute to their amazing work and growth in the face of adversity. On Friday 1st October, I visited Ruabon-based business, AE Sewing Machines, for a first-hand look at how the company runs, which included meeting with staff and a tour of the factory. I previously praised the team at AE Sewing Machines in the House of Commons Chamber, citing them as an example of a local Welsh business in Clwyd South that successfully exports many of their products.

On Friday 24th September, it was a privilege to join the owners of the Sun Trevor, near Llangollen, Paul and Katy Jones, and Maggie Smith, who organises the Sun Trevor Quiz, and Nightingale House Community Engagement Officer, Sue Williams, for the handing over of a cheque worth £1,300 to Nightingale House Hospice. This amazing sum of money was raised from the Sun Trevor Quiz over the last few months.

As part of Great Big Green Week which ran from 18 - 26 September, I visited students and teachers at Ysgol Dinas Brân in Llangollen to learn more about their week of activities to encourage awareness of climate change and to listen to students’ concerns. I was so impressed to see first-hand the huge effort made by the teachers and staff who put on a fantastic series of events. I was particularly impressed to hear from pupils about their priorities for the COP26 Climate Conference and their ideas about how to reduce the school’s carbon footprint in conjunction with Denbighshire County Council.

On Saturday 25th September 2021, I joined the Friends of Ruabon for a celebration of the renewal and enhancement of the Ruabon Heritage Trail at Ysgol Rhiwabon. The Heritage Trail was originally developed over twenty years ago, and they outlined their future plans to develop the historical information available on the village of Ruabon and surrounding area. The group has worked incredibly hard to get this off the ground and I’m so pleased to see it all coming to fruition.

In Westminster, on 21st September, I met with the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, at 11 Downing Street, alongside some other Parliamentary colleagues. I discussed a range of issues with the Chancellor, including levelling up the local economy in Clwyd South, and securing good long-term employment opportunities for people in the constituency.

I was very happy to take part in a debate recently in the House of Commons on the role and the response of the devolved governments in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland to COP26 - the United Nations Climate Change Conference being held in Glasgow later this month. And I used my speech to talk about the importance of community groups in tackling climate change, highlighting examples of initiatives from Clwyd South, like the Corwen Electricity Co-operative.

I continue to send out a monthly e-newsletter so constituents can read more about my activities in Clwyd South and Westminster. If you’d like to start receiving this monthly MP’s e-newsletter, you can sign up using the following link: www.simonbaynes.co.uk/sign-simons-e-newsletter.

As Clwyd South’s MP, I am always here to provide advice and support. If you’re a Clwyd South constituent, you can contact me and my team at any time by email on simon.baynes.mp@parliament.uk. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch if there’s anything I can do to help you.