Plaid Cymru Ceredigion Your representatives in Ceredigion

The Welsh Secretary has announced that there will be £55m of UK Government spending available for projects to boost parts of mid-Wales.

The Mid Wales Growth Deal, announced back in 2017, is still at a very early stage. It promises to pool funding from both Welsh and UK Governments in order to leverage private investment to make a significant contribution to the economy of Ceredigion and Powys. 

The expectation is that in return for the money from the UK Treasury, the projects chosen will provide a boost to the local economy in terms of productivity or Gross Value Added. 

The Post Office has announced a new Banking Framework agreement with 28 UK banks to ensure that millions of their customers continue to have national, free access to everyday banking services, at the same time as ensuring postmasters and Post Office receive a fair remuneration for providing these vital services.

Last year Post Office branches handled over 130 million transactions on behalf of UK banks.  With over 11,500 branches the Post Office is ideally positioned to provide everyday banking services for individuals and businesses. Post Office branches remain at the heart of communities across the UK, including those where bank branches no longer exist.  Millions of customers of UK banks rely on these vital services – more than a quarter of people (28 percent) have withdrawn cash at their local Post Office in the last year.

Ben Lake held the second in a series of public meetings in Lampeter to discuss the future and prosperity of the town on Friday, September 13.

The meeting was well attended, with business owners, town and county councillors, representatives of organizations, representatives from the University, local police and residents of the area being represented.

In small groups, and with Ben Lake facilitating the evening, Lampeter’s assets were listed and how those assets could help the neighbourhood create and build on the town's identity and brand. It was generally agreed that the University, language and culture, the Quilt Centre, natural resources and the diversity of the town's composition were its main assets.

One in five UK adults still incorrectly believe that dementia is an inevitable part of getting older

• The charity is on a mission to battle the serious misconception that dementia is an inevitability of old age. Its new ‘#ShareTheOrange’ campaign, featuring Samuel L. Jackson, highlights that physical diseases cause dementia, most commonly Alzheimer’s using an orange to symbolise the weight of matter lost in the brain as the condition develops. 

• The campaign runs during World Alzheimer’s Month, from 16 to 30 September.

Ben Lake, Member of Parliament for Ceredigion is joining Alzheimer’s Research UK to call for greater awareness of dementia and the need for more research. The announcement comes ahead of World Alzheimer’s Day (Saturday 21 September) and as the charity launches a major new awareness campaign fronted by Samuel L. Jackson.

Elin Jones calls for further work as specialist Parkinson’s Nurse position at Bronglais remains unfilled

Having recently shadowed Dyfed Powys Police officers in Aberystwyth, the Ceredigion MP has again urged the UK Government to review the police funding formula for rural areas. 

Mr Lake visited Aberystwyth police station as part of the #GiveADayToPolicing campaign, a scheme for Members of Parliament to better understand the challenges currently facing police forces across the UK.

During his visit Mr Lake had the opportunity to experience a variety of aspects of local policing – from spending time with the neighbourhood policing team, meeting officers from different departments, and discussing policing challenges with front-line police officers.

The MP of the Year Awards celebrate the work of MPs from across the UK who actively work with underrepresented and disadvantaged communities across the UK. The awards will take place in December at the Speaker’s House in the House of Commons and are organised by the Patchwork Foundation.

The work that Ben Lake has been nominated for covers three areas: supporting disabled people; tackling inequalities and bringing communities together, including hosting a ‘Real Talk’ workshop aimed at young women; and supporting WASPI’s (Women Against State Pension Injustice) grassroots campaign in Ceredigion. 

Charles Randell, Chair of the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR), visited Aberaeron for discussions with local MP, Ben Lake about the work the regulator is doing to make sure people have the choice and ability to access cash to pay for things.

While UK consumers and society are increasingly using a wide range of ways to pay, being able to pay with cash remains important.  Use of cards and other digital methods is increasing, which means that cards are now the most frequently used payment method in the UK. However, the PSR’s research shows that over 80% of us pay for something using cash each week and there is a significant minority who, for a range of reasons, remain reliant on paying in cash.

Plaid Cymru has today unveiled a three-point-plan to eradicate Wales of broadband not-spots by 2025. The party will do so by listening to industry concerns and getting to the root of the problems telecoms providers face when attempting to install full fibre broadband in hard-to-reach areas.

Unveiling the plan, Ceredigion MP, Ben Lake said that the current lack of connectivity is “restraining the rural economy in Wales, perhaps more than anything else”.

The Prime Minister’s broad brush plan to roll out full fibre broadband came under attack from telecoms companies when it was launched earlier in June for not providing any detail and for failing to address the hurdles to delivering full fibre broadband.

70 local business owners, organisation representatives and stakeholders came together on Friday, 26 July at Lampeter Rugby Club to discuss the future of the university town.

Ben Lake MP was joined by a panel of guest speakers – Rob Basini, Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Wales; Bronwen Raine, Director of Antur Teifi and Cllr. Clive Davies, County Councillor and Cardigan Town Councillor.