MIKE HEDGES CONTINUES TO PRESSURE WELSH GOVERNMENT ON SUPPORT FOR VIRGIN WORKERS

MIKE HEDGES CONTINUES TO PRESSURE WELSH GOVERNMENT ON SUPPORT FOR VIRGIN WORKERS

Speaking after the Plenary session at the Assembly, Mike Hedges AM for Swansea East said…. ‘I welcome the work already done by the Welsh Government to support the workers of Virgin Media. I have spoken to many employees who are grateful for this support. However, we must ensure that the remaining workers get the support right through to the closure of the site later in the year. We need to support these people to find alternatives for it will be damaging to everyone if people end up unemployed at the end of this process. I look forward to hearing about the future job fairs mentioned today.’

Mike Hedges AM – I want to again ask for a Government statement on support for Virgin Media staff being made redundant in Swansea. On 4 December, your predecessor said115

'There are two phases planned for next year. Our replacement support team has taken on responsibility 116

has taken on responsibility for providing staff with on-site access to key partners in the taskforce, including Careers Wales, the Department for Work and Pensions, and local employers. The Welsh Contact Centre Forum is a key partner in our taskforce, and arranged a jobs fair in October, at the Virgin Media site, and brought recruiting employers to the site, as well as providing careers advice to those staff seeking alternative employment. It's too early for me to provide specific details of those who have been successful in securing alternative employment as a result of the jobs fair, but we are holding further jobs fairs, to coincide with an additional tranche of the staff leaving the company. So, our involvement continues, in order to make sure that all of the staff who are affected by this have the best possible outcomes. I'm really asking for an update now on what has actually happened about people getting into employment, and about further actions that are taking place.117

14:35

Copy To Clipboard Share To Facebook Share To Twitter Share To LinkedIn

Copied to Clipboard

Video

Rebecca Evans - Thank you very much for your question, and for the way in which you have consistently brought this issue to the Government's attention, and to the floor of this Assembly. And I declare an interest as well, in the sense that I represent many constituents who are affected by the decision of Virgin in Swansea, as is my colleague, Julie James. The first tranche of those staff did leave in November, and there will be a further two phases planned for this year. Virgin Media's out-placement support team has taken on responsibility for providing staff with on-site access to key partners of our Welsh Government's taskforce, including Careers Wales, the Department for Work and Pensions, and local employers. The jobs fair in October took place on the Virgin Media site, and there are further jobs fairs planned to coincide with the additional tranches of staff who will be leaving. So, those further jobs fairs will be timed in relation to those further tranches, as I say, of people who will be leaving the company.

Mike Hedges AM urges people to avoid burst pipes

• Costly burst could leave homes without water or heating at coldest time of the year
• Research reveals that more than half of households in England and Wales admitted to not protecting their pipes.
• One in five water customers have no idea what to do if a pipe freezes in their home.

With winter upon us, Mike Hedges is supporting a campaign reminding customers to protect their pipes from the effects of freezing temperatures.

Mike Hedges fully supports  Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water’s ‘Wrap Up’ campaign which reminds customers to make sure water pipes in their homes and businesses are protected to avoid the disruption and expense frozen pipes can cause.

Severe cold weather, as we saw in the area back in March, can cause water pipes to freeze and burst – leaving homes and businesses with no water, low pressure or even flooding.

Frozen water expands and can crack even the strongest pipe. You may not notice this immediately, and only know you have a problem when the cracked pipe thaws and water starts leaking from it. Urgent and expensive repairs are then needed to fix the problem.

Customers can protect their pipes with inexpensive insulation or lagging kits, which are available from local homeware or DIY stores.

Businesses, schools and buildings like community centres or chapels are particularly vulnerable to burst pipes during the winter. This is because they are often empty for days, meaning a burst pipe – inside or outside the building – can go unnoticed and cause huge volumes of water to leak and flood.

When a problem occurs on pipes in homes it is the responsibility of the homeowner or landlord – therefore it’s worth taking time to check they are well insulated.  

Mike Hedges said: “Frozen pipes which burst can cause unnecessary inconvenience and expense, which is distressing,  however this can be easily avoided by taking a few moments to check and protect the pipes.”

“I’m pleased join Welsh Water in reminding people living in Swansea to take note of the advice of the campaign and make sure they don’t get caught out by pipes freezing in their homes or businesses this winter.”

Ian Christie, Welsh Water’s Managing Director of Water Services said: “Over the winter, our team will be working 24/7 to keep things flowing, but we also need a little help from our customers, by making sure their homes and businesses are ready for winter. 

“So, please take a minute to insulate any outdoor pipes or taps or taps in a cold place like a loft or garage, fix any dripping taps, make sure you know where your stop tap is, and keep the number of a qualified plumber handy in case the worst happens. We’ve got lots of more advice and how-to videos on dwrcymru.com/coldweather”.

January is love your liver Month

January is love your liver Month

Your liver is the biggest organ inside your body; in adults, it is about the size of a rugby ball.

It carries out hundreds of essential jobs that keep your body working. It cleans the blood by removing poisons and other toxic substances, including alcohol and harmful drugs. It makes vital proteins that help stop you bleeding when you are cut or injured; processes food once it has been digested; regulates fat breakdown and distribution into the bloodstream, and stores sugars, vitamins and minerals. The liver also gives you the energy to do every day tasks. On top of all of this, the liver has the ability to repair itself. However, this is limited; continuous  injury can lead to permanent scarring and eventually to it not working at all. Injury can occur without you even knowing; your liver has no nerve endings, which means you may not notice any symptoms for some time.

Mike Hedges AM urges everyone to follow these top tips for looking after your liver and it doesn’t have to be difficult! •  Enjoy more fruit and veg and avoid sugary drinks. •  Exercise regularly to burn the fat off your liver and other organs. •  Take 2-3 consecutive days off alcohol a week, to let your liver cells recover and repair themselves.

Liver disease is now the fifth largest cause of death in the UK. The good news is that most forms of liver disease can be prevented or reversed.

MIKE HEDGES AM URGES PEOPLE TO RESPECT COMMUNUITY LIFE SAVING EQUIPMENT

MIKE HEDGES AM URGES PEOPLE TO RESPECT COMMUNUITY LIFE SAVING EQUIPMENT

Speaking after the recent incident where life saving equipment located in a Bonymaen Park in memory of a local player who died after a match was stolen, Local Assembly Member Mike Hedges AM said… this is a terrible situation for the local community; this equipment is there to save lives and was located here in memory of a lad who died following a heart attack during a game. The local community worked with Cariad to locate a defibrillator in this location because of its special significance. It is simply awful that this piece of life saving equipment has been stolen. I would urge people to respect this type of equipment – I know that there are similar defibrillators in places such as Birchgrove RFC and I hope that this is not the start of a trends where these get targeted by vandals. If anyone knows anything about this incident I would urge them to contact the local police.

Note

A defibrillator placed at Bonymaen Park in Swansea in memory of local footballer Mitchell Joseph has been stolen.

The cabinet it was in has been damaged too.

Defib charity Cariad is urging anyone with information to contact its team.

Mitchell , a full-back with St Joseph’s AFC collapsed during a match and later died at Morriston Hospital.

MIKE HEDGES AM JOINS CRITICISM OF TRAIN FARE INCREASE

MIKE HEDGES AM JOINS CRITICISM OF TRAIN FARE INCREASE

Speaking on the day that Train passengers across England and Wales faced 3.1% fare increase, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges said…. ‘Following all the problems faced by passengers in 2018, it is difficult to see any justification for these increases. I am aware that constituents have faced a number of occasions in the autumn when they had services replaced by busses due to the non-availability of train sets on local services through stations such as Llansamlet. In light of this sort of scenario, how the train companies can justify these increases is beyond me. I look forward to the election of a Labour Government in Westminster which will oversee the return of the Railways to Public Ownership at the earliest opportunity.’

Note

Train fares increased by 3.1% on 2^nd January, the highest annual increase since 2013.

Press Release on Welsh Economy

OECD to lead new  project to support  regional economic development in Wales

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) will lead a new project to support the development of a regional economic development policy in Wales, Economy Minister Ken Skates and Brexit Minister Jeremy Miles have announced.

The Paris-based experts will use their extensive international experience of regional economic development to provide rigorous challenge and advice to the Welsh Government as it implements its new Economic Action Plan and develops new plans for Regional Investment in Wales after Brexit. 

As world leaders in their field, the OECD’s input will help ensure that Wales’ future regional economic development model embeds international best practice. 

The internationally-renowned body has provided advice to Welsh Government before, when in 2014 it produced a major report to help improve schools in Wales. In subsequent years it has also supported Welsh Government work on schools reform. 

This new project will see international experts visit Wales and discuss regional economic challenges and opportunities with partners. This in turn will help the Welsh Government to develop a new toolkit for action as well as clear international benchmarks to monitor performance.

Minister for Economy and Transport Ken Skates said:

“Our new Economic Action Plan is a major public policy reform and I want to ensure we receive the very best advice and strongest international challenge to help us achieve our economic ambitions.

“The changes we have outlined through the Economic Action Plan to boost regional economies across Wales are profound, as is our ambition for stronger regional partnership working in Wales to boost inclusive and sustainable growth. There is no-one better to help us deliver this than the OECD.

“We have asked the OECD to advise us on ways to strengthen regional economic governance, build capacity, and support more joined up economic policy making, including through developing a practical toolkit for both us and our partners to use to support those changes. 

“We must ensure Wales remains competitive and that we benchmark ourselves against the best and learn from great ideas and new innovation across the world.”

Minister for Brexit Jeremy Miles said:

“EU regional investment has helped improve our economy, but Wales needs further investment to address the structural economic challenges we continue to face. We continue to press the UK Government for the £370m annually we receive for our European Structural and Investment funds in Wales in keeping with promises made during the referendum campaign that Wales would not be worse off and for regional economic development in Wales to remain with the Welsh Government after we leave the EU.

“Our project with the OECD will play an important part in Wales’ development of the right policy and structures for a successor regional investment approach to replace EU regional funds, closely aligned to our Economic Action Plan. We are not looking to simply replicate the EU model in Wales, and are committed to creating a new, made in Wales approach that reflects international best practice, builds on Wales’ distinctive legislative and policy landscape, and delivers for our people, businesses and communities.

“This partnership with the OECD will help strengthen that work and give confidence to our partners that new and dynamic partnerships can be formed to innovate and link policies in fresh and imaginative ways.”

MIKE HEDGES AM JOINS CRITICISM OF TRAIN FARE INCREASE

MIKE HEDGES AM JOINS CRITICISM OF TRAIN FARE INCREASE

Speaking on the day that Train passengers across England and Wales faced 3.1% fare increase, Swansea East AM Mike Hedges said…. ‘Following all the problems faced by passengers in 2018, it is difficult to see any justification for these increases. I am aware that constituents have faced a number of occasions in the autumn when they had services replaced by busses due to the non-availability of train sets on local services through stations such as Llansamlet. In light of this sort of scenario, how the train companies can justify these increases is beyond me. I look forward to the election of a Labour Government in Westminster which will oversee the return of the Railways to Public Ownership at the earliest opportunity.’

Note

Train fares increased by 3.1% on 2^nd January, the highest annual increase since 2013.