MP take fights for rural banking services to the Treasury
Working alongside a cross-party delegation of MPs representing rural constituencies, Ben Lake has met with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, John Glen, to discuss rural branch closures and make the case for innovative solutions such as community banking hubs.
These discussions form part of Ben Lake’s efforts to introduce a Bill in Parliament that will ensure that customers aren’t left without basic financial services when faced with local bank closures.
New laws to control dog attacks
A major new campaign to put an end to dog attacks across Wales has won the support of Ceredigion MP Ben Lake. The Farmers Union of Wales has linked up with other organisations to remind dog owners - “Your dog, your responsibility”and is calling for legislative changes that reflect the seriousness of the offense.
And now Mr Lake has pledged to put forward a Private Members Bill in the Commons to bring forward new legislation which will criminalise dog owners whose animals attack livestock and will provide a mechanism for compensation for farmers.
Key to the latest moves are figures from North Wales Police, the only force to maintain records and statistics, which show that 89 per cent of all dog attacks on livestock happen when they stray from home.
Regeneration Fair a step in the right direction for Llandysul
On 4 April, over 30 local organisations came together and over 100 residents gathered at Tysul Hall at an event hosted by Ceredigion's MP Ben Lake and Llandysul Pont-Tyweli Ymlaen.
The aim of Ffair Adfywio Llandysul (Regeneration Fair) was to celebrate and learn about the wide range of organisations, clubs and societies in the Llandysul area, and to take advantage of the opportunity to share good practice, share ideas and discover opportunities for better collaboration for the benefit of the local community.
A number of short and lively presentations were received from a number of organisations during the evening, sharing information about the work they do and sharing their vision for the future. The remainder of the evening was spent networking, chatting and establishing links.
CCTV project features in Westminster debate
On Thursday 11th April, Ben Lake, Ceredigion MP contributed to a Westminster Hall debate on the prevention of retail crimes. During his contribution, Mr Lake referred to the reintroduction of CCTV infrastructure in towns across Ceredigion and the Dyfed-Powys region, thanks to Dafydd Llywelyn, Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner.
The Police and Crime Commissioner’s pledge to reinvest in CCTV in the Dyfed-Powys area is leading the way with the detection and prevention of retail crimes in our high streets.
Dyfed-Powys Police and Crime Commissioner, Dafydd Llywelyn said: “I am delivering on my promise to reinvest in a modern CCTV infrastructure to improve the safety of towns and contribute to the much needed regeneration of our town centres across the force area.”
Tributes paid to ‘once in a lifetime’ Councillor, Paul James
Plaid Cymru Ceredigion have paid tribute to Councillor Paul James, who passed away suddenly this week.
Elin Jones presses the case for equal access to 5G across Ceredigion with Ofcom
Ceredigion AM, Elin Jones has written to the chief executive of Ofcom, calling for equal access to 5G technologies in Ceredigion, and across the UK’s nations.
MPs call for rural roaming to tackle mobile blackspots
A cross-party group of 75 MPs have written to the Secretary of State, for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, Jeremy Wright MP, to ask the Government to make a requirement that network operators enable roaming between providers to improve mobile coverage in rural areas.
Elin Jones welcomes new planning rules to improve mobile phone signal
From the 1st of April, planning rules about the size of mobile phone masts in Wales are being relaxed to improve mobile phone signal coverage. Masts of up to 25m will no longer need to go through the full planning permission, similar to the system that has been in place in England and Scotland since 2016.
Ben Lake and Rhun ap Iorwerth launch Shared Prosperity Fund Plan
Ben Lake MP and Rhun ap Iorwerth AM demand “not a penny less” while unveiling their Shared Prosperity Fund Plan for Wales.
Despite promising a consultation on the design and implementation of the fund before the end of 2018, the British Government is yet to publish any details about the new system for allocating post-Brexit funding on a UK wide basis.
Between 2014 and 2020, Wales will have received over £2 billion from the European Union through European Structural Funds. These funds are designed to reduce regional inequalities by helping to support people into work and training, youth employment, research and innovation, connectivity and a wide range of development projects.
Young women in Ceredigion make their voices heard
Period poverty, access to mental health services and equal pay were among the issues raised by young women on International Women's Day 2019.
On 8 March, in collaboration with the Young Women’s Trust, Ben Lake MP hosted a ‘Real Talk’ workshop aimed at young women aged 16 to 30 years old. Young women from all walks of life came together at the Coliseum Coffee House to voice their concerns and share their hopes for the future with the local MP.