CWMGWRACH AND TONMAWR POST OFFICES TO RECEIVE FUNDING BOOST

Labour Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has congratulated Cwmgwrach and Tonmawr Post Offices for their successful application to the new Post Office Diversification Fund.

These Post Offices are among the first to be awarded part of a new £4.5m fund to help sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses diversify and improve their facilities. The fund, which will run for three years and is open to every sub post office in Wales, aims to help with business and marketing advice, advertising, training and some set-up costs for new services. Funding can also be applied for improvements such as creating better access to buildings, upgrading computer equipment, improving security or providing better signs for the outside of premises.

Under the scheme 63 post offices throughout Wales have been awarded grants worth over £1.1million. 15 Post Offices have been awarded grants of up to £5,000 each for small capital projects and 48 have been awarded up to £20,000 each for larger capital projects.

19 of the Post Offices have also received up to £15,000 in revenue funding which will help employ new staff or increase staff hours to provide more services.

Labour Neath AM Gwenda Thomas said “I am delighted Cwmgwrach and Tonmawr Post Offices are to benefit from this fund. Post Offices are at the heart of the community, and are a necessary line of communication for vulnerable and disadvantaged people. This money will help us to keep Post Offices open by ensuring that they are sustainable and viable businesses, and I am delighted that two Post Offices in my Constituency have taken advantage of this scheme.”

Welsh Child Trust Fund top-up to begin in September

Labour Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has today welcomed the announcement by the Minister for Social Justice and Local Government Dr Brian Gibbons, that from September, thousands of families across Wales will be able to claim the new Welsh top-up to the Child Trust Fund.

The Child Trust Fund Cymru will mean eligible children will be entitled to a voucher worth £50 to be paid into their Child Trust Fund account. Children from families on low incomes will be eligible for a further £50. More than 32,000 children in Wales will be eligible to claim the top-up.
The top-up is a key One Wales initiative to help address the consequences of child poverty in Wales and will encourage saving, improve financial literacy and tackle financial exclusion.
Child Trust Fund accounts enable families to start saving for their childrens’ future by providing £250 at birth and again at age seven with additional payments for children from low income households. The Child Trust Fund Cymru will be in addition to this.

Gwenda Thomas AM said: ‘One of the priorities of the Labour led Welsh Assembly Government is to tackle child poverty and financial exclusion, giving a whole generation of children a better future. The Child Trust Fund Cymru will help to achieve this aim’.
‘This Child Trust Fund Cymru means that Welsh teenagers will have extra in their bank accounts when they turn eighteen, and act as an incentive to save more. They will have savings as they move into adulthood, and managing an account will also improve their financial capabilities. Hopefully the accounts will also encourage family and friends to invest in the future of Welsh children.’
The announcement is the first in a series of 24 events and engagements to mark the second anniversary of the One Wales agreement. The 24 events – one for every month since the One Wales agreement was signed - have been chosen to highlight progress made in delivering the ambitious programme of commitments.

Neath Guardian Column - June 09.

I was very pleased to recently meet Superintendent Julian Williams, the new Divisional Commander of Neath Port Talbot Police, to discuss with him the problems which the people of Neath and the surrounding areas face with regard to issues of law and order.

People have the perception that crime is increasing and getting worse. However, the latest figures released by the Home Office show that crime in Neath Port Talbot is continuing to fall.

Statistics for the last quarter of 2008 show a reduction in crime of 14.6 per cent compared to the previous year. House burglaries fell by 38.9 per cent, while violent crime was down 18.9 per cent and car crime down by 23.5 per cent.

The police’s performance in crime reduction is excellent, and they are making Neath Port Talbot a safer place to live, work and visit. They recognise that it is not all about figures, and are working hard on issues such as making people feel safer and ensuring that people’s perception of crime reflects the true figures.

Of particular interest to me was the work being done with trading standards officers to target rogue traders who prey on the vulnerable and elderly. A number of operations have been aimed at tackling bogus workmen and traders, who are often linked to distraction burglaries. Examples of this include charging for unnecessary work, damaging property deliberately in order to obtain money to repair it, leaving work unfinished or even intimidating residents in order to extort money. I ask for local residents to look out for elderly relatives or neighbours to ensure they do not become victims.

An important problem which the Police and Fire Service are tackling is the Illegal use of off-road motorcycles on roads and pavements. This is a problem which I have raised many times, and last month saw the launch of a new joint police and fire service off-road team which will now be deployed in hotspot areas.

Anti-social behaviour is taken seriously in Neath Port Talbot, and it is the only area of Wales to have a dedicated public referral telephone service for people to report individuals who commit anti-social behaviour. The Safer Neath Port Talbot Partnership, run by the Labour run Council and the Police, has resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of anti-social behaviour incidents over the past 12 months. The Anti-Social Behaviour Hotline is 01639 889709.

Residents can find latest PACT meeting information, updates on PACT priorities and contact details for their local Neighbourhood Police Officer at www.ourbobby.com

Gwenda Thomas supports plan to reduce free one-use carrier bags in Wales

Labour Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has today welcomed plans to reduce the number of free single-use plastic carrier bags in Wales, which were unveiled by Jane Davidson, Minister for the Environment, Sustainability and Housing this week.
A consultation was launched by the Labour-led Assembly Government asking for views on proposals to introduce a charge on single use carrier bags at the annual Welsh Litter summit at the Swalec Stadium, Cardiff.
Supermarket members of the British Retail Consortium (BRC) have already agreed to reduce the amount of single-use carrier bags they give out by 50% by spring 2009.
Gwenda Thomas AM said: “The voluntary agreement is excellent but it is important that we continue our efforts to improve the quality of the environment in Wales. Not all retailers subscribe to this agreement, and this means that half of all plastic bags are still used only once.
“It is vital to examine how we can further reduce the amount of single use carrier bags, and how to encourage more people to re-use bags.
“Approximately 480 million plastic bags are used every year in Wales. These bags can take between 500 and 1000 years to degrade.
Gwenda added: “The pollution caused by these bags cannot be sustained, and we must think of the legacy of environmental damage being left for future generations.”
ENDS

Gwenda opens her Books

Following the publication of AMs allowances for 2008-2009 Gwenda Thomas AM, the Assembly Member for Neath has taken the decision to publish her expenses on her website. Hard copies will also be available for public scrutiny at her constituency office.

Gwenda Thomas said “I have always felt that as elected representatives we are fully accountable to the people that we serve. In the interests of accountability and transparency, I have taken the decision to publish my expenditure for 2008-2009 and in future I will publish my expenses on a monthly basis on my website”.

She continued “The expenses that I have incurred for 2008-09 are all listed here - http://www.allowances.assemblywales.org.uk/

GWENDA THOMAS WELCOMES NEW RIGHTS FOR RESTAURANT WORKERS

Gwenda has welcomed new rules which will make it illegal to use customers' tips to make up the minimum wage in her Neath constituency.

The UK Government announced this week that from October this year, any tips left for staff will be in addition to basic pay.

Current rules mean restaurant and pub owners can use tips to make up the minimum wage.

Gwenda said:

“Staff who work hard in our restaurants and pubs deserve tips as well as their basic wage. Waiters and waitresses who provide good service deserve to be rewarded in addition to their basic pay, and customers who give tips expect it be in addition to basic pay. Restaurant and pub owners will not now to be able to use tips to make up the minimum wage."

"People should receive fair pay for their hard work, and this is another step towards Labour's vision of justice in the workplace."

Gwenda Thomas pays tribute to Neath Port Talbot Council Leader and Chief Executive
Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has today paid tribute to Cllr. Derek Vaughan, Leader of Neath Port Talbot Council and to the Authority’s Chief Executive Ken Sawyers, who have announced their departures from the County Borough Council.
Derek Vaughan, Labour Councillor for Neath North, will be standing down as Council Leader later this month to contest the upcoming election to the European Parliament as Labour’s top placed candidate. Ken Sawyers has announced his retirement as Chief Executive after 14 years at Neath Port Talbot and 48 years in Local Government.
GWENDA THOMAS said:
"It has been an honour and a privilege to work with both Derek and Ken and I wish them both well for the future.
"Derek has been an outstanding Leader of the Council and has been a strong voice for local government in Wales. Under his leadership, Neath Port Talbot CBC has excelled.
"I have worked with Ken Sawyers since 1989, firstly as an elected member of West Glamorgan County Council then as an elected member of Neath Port Talbot CBC, and latterly as Assembly Member for Neath.
"I know Ken to be committed, compassionate, and an advocate for fair play and equality, and I wish him and his family well for the future.
ENDS