By Hannah Blythyn

MS for Delyn

It was great last week to join colleagues from Westminster and the Welsh Government alongside my trade union, Unite, at the announcement of a major investment of more than £1bn in the redevelopment of Shotton Mill in Deeside – an investment that will safeguard 147 jobs and create a further 220, thanks to the support of a UK and Welsh Labour Government working together in partnership. The original papermill there was built on the site of the old Shotton steelworks blast furnace and I, like many of us in our area, have strong family connections to the steelworks. The news means that Shotton Mill will become UK’s largest recycled paper manufacturer helping the UK’s transition to net zero and creating jobs in green industries of the future, as well as hopefully offering opportunities to the Kimberly Clark workforce.

In the Senedd this week, I managed to secure the first short debate of this term and I chose to talk about what we can do with the levers we have here to make the economy work better for workers and Wales. As part of this, I focused on how we can better use procurement, the power of the public purse and how the health of the public sector links to the wealth of our nation. In my view, any organisation receiving public funds should be committed to paying at least the Real Living Wage, offer all of their workers contracted hours should they want them and allow access to trade unions. The public sector is core not just to providing the services we all depend upon, but it’s where we have the most leverage around fair work and delivering provision in a way which brings broader benefits for Wales and Welsh workers.

I was also able to show my support for the WI’s Clean Rivers campaign at the Senedd during its Week of River Action. The WI is a force for change and I’m committed to backing their campaign to raise awareness and protect rivers for our wildlife and for our communities – something which has been in the news a lot across the country recently, not least in our corner of Wales.

Back in Flintshire, I held my latest Democracy in Action Day with local schools from across the county alongside my colleague Jack Sargeant MS at the Coleg Cambria Business School in Northop. Five schools took part in the day, which was designed to encourage young people to take a real interest in democracy and to outline what they want to see for young people in Wales in the future as well as learn more about devolution and decision making. It’s important that young people have a voice, both locally and nationally – young people have so much to say about issues that are specific to their futures and these students will be the people driving Wales’ future.

Since being elected in 2016, I’ve worked with and supported Holywell Town Council others to take forward proposals for a new train station in Greenfield. It is something I first raised in the Senedd Siambr back in 2017 and I was pleased that funding for a feasibility study was forthcoming from the Welsh Government in 2021 and since then I’ve followed up with Transport for Wales and the Welsh Government. More recently, I’ve raised the case with UK Government rail minister Lord Hendy and invited Ken Skates MS back to Holywell in his current role covering transport and North Wales

– this proposal has been on the agenda for years and I want to see further action in our area.

And on a related note, Transport for Wales has sent me an update on the work being carried out at Flint Station – TfW has successfully installed the bridge and canopies to the lift, the lift shafts and stairs and work will now continue while the station is open to clad the lift shafts before moving on to the mechanical and electrical installations. Also, the majority of the car park has now been reopened as the crane has now been moved off site.

As always, if you would like advice and/or support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on any of the following contact details – 52 High Street, Mold, Flintshire, on 01352 753464 or by email hannah.blythyn@senedd.wales. You can also keep up to date via my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/HannahBlythynForDelyn. Constituents are, of course, welcome to contact my office to arrange an appointment to see me, you don’t need to wait for an advice surgery.