Plaid Cymru Ceredigion Your representatives in Ceredigion

Ben Lake MP has called on the UK Government to introduce a second round of alternative funding to provide support for off-grid premises ahead of next winter.

The UK Government have announced that support for homes and businesses connected to the mains has grid will be extended for another year, albeit at a reduced rate, but it appears that the single round of alternative funding announced for off-grid households will be expected to last for the full 18 months.

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has announced that the Energy Price Guarantee will be extended to April 2024. From April 2023, the annual energy bill of the typical household will increase to £3,000; an estimated £500 saving compared to the expected Ofgem price cap. No equivalent support has been announced for off-grid premises.

Elin Jones MS for Ceredigion was pleased to attend the Welsh Wool Alliance’s special event at the Senedd last week, entitled “Wool – the new Welsh Gold”.

The MP for Ceredigion has once again urged the UK Government to provide clarity on the one-off payment promised to UK households and businesses that are not on the mains gas grid, and therefore depend on heating oil, LPG gas, and alternative fuels to heat their homes. 

The UK Government has confirmed that a one-off payment of £100 will be made to off-grid households and that the payment will ensure that a typical customer using alternative fuel does not face a higher rate of growth in their heating costs since last winter, in comparison to those using mains gas who are supported by the Energy Price Guarantee.

Plaid Cymru MP for Ceredigion, Ben Lake, has warned the UK Government that “prime agricultural land” is being sold to corporations with the intent of “greenwashing” their own emissions rather than a genuine intention to lower their carbon footprint.

During a debate in the House of Commons on the National Food Strategy and food security, Ben Lake MP highlighted that the Green Finance Observatory has expressed concerns about such schemes, warning that they are “fundamentally not about mitigating climate change, or even about removing past emissions, but about enabling future emissions, about protecting economic growth and corporate profits”.

Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament for Ceredigion, Ben Lake and Senedd Member Elin Jones are to host two public drop-in session to provide constituents with an opportunity to seek advice and support on the cost-of-living crisis.    

The drop-in clinics will be attended by a number of organisations, including energy providers and charitable bodies, and will be held at: 

• Penparcau Community Hub on Thursday, 10th November 2022, between 12.30pm and 2.30pm 
• Radley Room, Guildhall, Cardigan on Friday, 18th November 2022, between 12pm and 2pm 

Police and Crime Commissioner Dafydd Llywelyn has confirmed that additional CCTV cameras will be installed in Aberystwyth as part of the Commissioner’s Safer Streets initiative. 

Funding has been secured by PCC Dafydd Llywelyn from the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund to install  additional CCTV Cameras near South Beach, Aberystwyth as an intervention to mitigate issues including drug misuse and anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the town, following concerns raised by local residents in recent months. 

Elin Jones MS is proud to sponsor Pete Davis’ exhibition in the Pierhead, Cardiff, which was launched this week.

Elin Jones MS and Ben Lake MP are pleased to announce that they are opening a new pop-up office in Cardigan. The hope is that a regular presence in the town will make it easier for constituents to meet face-to-face once again.

This week the Agriculture Bill was introduced at the Senedd. This is the first Agriculture Bill ever to be created specifically for the agriculture sector in Wales, informed by contributions and consultations with farmers and businesses.

The Welsh Government has opened a consultation to seek feedback from those who pay non-domestic tax rates on the proposed changes to the rates.