Campaigns and Visits
How quickly a year goes. A year ago we were in the midst of the National Assembly campaign with some fantastic weather. It has been much more like traditional April weather this month, although with some good weather.
I have been campaigning throughout Wales – Flintshire, Denbighshire, Conwy, Wrexham, Ceredigion, Powys, Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Swansea, Newport and Monmouth – to name but a few.
Reception is pretty favourable and there is a combination of local issues often Post Offices, the state of the roads, environmental services and waste collections featuring strongly, together, of course, with the national backdrop of the worsening economic situation and particularly the withdrawal of the 10p tax band.
In North Wales I was also able to visit Nightingale House in Wrexham to see the excellent work that is being done there. Hospices provide a fantastic service up and down Wales and the voluntary sector and hospice movement need to be brought in mainstream in the provision of health services and need to be involved in shaping them, and we need to ensure a sound financial footing for hospices as well with appropriate financial support.
I believe the Minister recognises this and she is certainly very open in listening to representations on this issue. Viv Sugar, meanwhile, is conducting a review of this important and crucial area of provision.
Whilst campaigning last night, I bumped into Vaughan Gething, my local Labour Councillor, while I was on the campaign trail with our candidate in Butetown. We are now sporting our new rosettes which are partly blue and partly green, reflecting the environmental emphasis that the Party is now placing on policy development and the challenges that we face as a country.
