Latest news with #Andrew.Ranger.mp
Leader Live
6 days ago
- Politics
- Leader Live
Wrexham MP urges organisations to apply for funding
MP for Wrexham We are really starting to see projects connected with our 2029 City of Culture bid take shape: from the incredible Public Art Trail to the Football Museum for Wales which is due to be completed next year. The City of Culture Trust was awarded £175,000 by Wrexham County Borough Council following a recent successful grant application to the UK Government Shared Prosperity Fund (SPF). Organisations are invited to submit proposals for grants from £5,000 to £10,000 to develop test events, e.g. an artistic or cultural projects that could be part of the new Cultural Commissions Programme which ultimately supports the City of Culture bid. The test events must be completed by 31st January 2026 and the closing date for this fund is midday 1st July 2025. The idea being the test events could be scaled up to bigger projects by 2029. Being the UK City of Culture would bring significant economic and social benefits to Wrexham in terms of inward investment, job creation, increasing access to cultural activity and amplifying Wrexham's story to the whole of the UK. Whilst the formal bidding process for 2029 is yet to open, last month I asked the Secretary of State for Culture Media and Sport when the guidance for would be released. The response was that it would be released in 'due course'. I will of course continue to press for this. Interestingly, as we mark Refugee Week, the theme of community, bridging divides and offering support is something that definitely resonates here in Wrexham. This Refugee Week everyone is invited to spend time with friends and build new connections in and beyond our neighbourhoods, to extend our sense of connection and build relationships across our neighbourhoods, something which I know already happens in Wrexham. It might be through an interaction, a visit to somewhere new, having time for a meaningful conversation, or volunteering. There are lots of ways to build and develop community. As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or
Leader Live
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
Wrexham MP celebrates volunteers during special Week
MP for Wrexham Last week saw my Private Member's Bill on Licensing Hours Extensions pass on to the next stage following my presentation of the Bill to the committee. The Bill proposes that pubs and other licensed premises should be able to open for extended hours for significant national events. The benefit of this small change to existing legislation will mean that at short notice, such as Wales progressing in a major tournament whether it's the Rugby World Cup or the Football Euros, venues would be able to open their doors to customers at times of the day that suit the events. The important change being that they would be able to serve their full range of drinks. Ultimately if the Bill becomes law it will reduce costs, time and bureaucracy for hospitality venues, local council licensing offices and Parliament, whilst making it easier for communities to come together in pubs and bars to celebrate major national moments. The Bill now moves on to the report stage and 3rd Reading in the House of Commons. Volunteers' Week is a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the incredible contribution that volunteers make to our communities. I visited CALL Mental Health Helpline which is staffed by volunteers and operators to hear about the vital support that they provide. Their service is free and confidential and listens to those who call as well as offering guidance and emotional support for people facing mental health challenges and signposting them to other relevant support services. I also visited the Venture on Caia Park to hear from Chief Officer Councillor Malcolm King about their plans for their share of the Welsh Government Child Poverty Innovation and Supporting Communities Grant. The Venture plan to use the money to build on the Children's Commissioner's 'No Wrong Door' report. This aims to reduce the effects of child poverty by helping more families access services by creating additional capacity. We also talked more widely about the range of community-based services that The Venture provides, vital to the community in Caia Park. What really shone through was the importance of working collaboratively, something which Caia does so well through its Caia Park Together initiative and this is something that other areas of Wrexham would benefit from. As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or
Leader Live
03-06-2025
- Politics
- Leader Live
MP for Wrexham speaks out on pressures facing HMP Berwyn
MP for Wrexham Last week, along with colleagues on the Welsh Affairs Select Committee, we took evidence from a number of witnesses for our enquiry into Prisons, Probation and Rehabilitation in Wales. As MP for the constituency with the largest prison in the UK, HMP Berwyn, this session was particularly relevant to our area. I also wanted to hear the experiences of those representing people working in the prison and probation services. Berwyn faces pressures as it is increasingly being used to house the remand population from North-West England. The dynamics at Berwyn alongside its size is very different to jails like Swansea or Cardiff that tend to house inmates who are more local to the area. Furthermore, there have also been staffing challenges at Berwyn however recently the staffing levels have come close to a full complement. The importance of staffing and leadership was emphasised at all prisons. High recall rates in Wales are also putting pressure on the prison and probation services. There is no women's prison in Wales and we heard about the impact of this on women and their families. Welsh women are held in prisons in England, often meaning significant journeys for relatives wanting to visit them. Women from Wrexham for example, might be taken to HMP Styal near Manchester. A report entitled 'Time to Care' emphasised the importance of keeping close ties with families to support. Following on from this, I welcome the Justice Secretary's announcement on Thursday that the Government will take the recommendations of the Gauke report and introduce a presumption against custodial sentences of less than a year. As 77% of women sentenced to custody received a sentence of 12 months or less, this change should have a significant aspect on women. Having spoken to organisations working in our community like the Wallich and NACRO, I understand the issues around homelessness and reoffending and I am looking to work with them to see how we can strengthen prevention and rehabilitation efforts. As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or
Leader Live
27-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Wrexham MP welcomes UK Government's trade deal with the EU
MP for Wrexham I welcome the UK Government's trade deal with the EU as announced last week. The EU is our biggest trading partner, and this deal helps to right the many wrongs of the previous government. When Labour was elected, we said that we would reduce barriers to trade and economic growth, and we meant it. The UK Government is respecting the decision made by the British people in 2016 and whilst there is no return to the EU, this deal make things easier for businesses as well as people in day-to-day life. Before I was elected as MP for Wrexham, and since, different businesses both large and small, locally and regionally, have told me time and time again how the Conservative Government's Brexit deal had made their daily experience as a business more challenging: more expensive, more difficult, more barriers, higher costs. This had led to some being forced to close due to the higher costs and increased bureaucracy. We have all seen the impact on our own pockets with food prices rising and hospitality businesses struggling as well as those who previously exported to the EU. The deal includes: · Making it easier for food and drink to be imported and exported by reducing the red tape. This agreement will have no time limit, giving vital certainty to businesses. · Some routine checks on animal and plant products will be removed completely. · Closer co-operation on emissions through linking our respective Emissions Trading System. · British steel exports are protected from new EU rules and restrictive tariffs, through a bespoke arrangement for the UK. · British holidaymakers will be able to use more eGates in Europe. · Introduction of 'pet passports' for UK cats and dogs. · The EU-UK security and defence partnership means that British firms will be treated as European, so can benefit from defence procurement. I welcome the agreement to explore access to Erasmus + as well as a Youth Mobility scheme; it is important that young people have access to opportunities that previous generations enjoyed and were denied to them for too long. Co-operation on defence is also part of the deal. The EU and the UK share the same challenging security environment, and both have vital interests in the peace, security and stability of Europe and beyond. As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or
Leader Live
27-05-2025
- Business
- Leader Live
Wrexham MP Andrew Ranger welcomes UK Government's trade deal with the EU
MP for Wrexham I welcome the UK Government's trade deal with the EU as announced last week. The EU is our biggest trading partner, and this deal helps to right the many wrongs of the previous government. When Labour was elected, we said that we would reduce barriers to trade and economic growth, and we meant it. The UK Government is respecting the decision made by the British people in 2016 and whilst there is no return to the EU, this deal make things easier for businesses as well as people in day-to-day life. Before I was elected as MP for Wrexham, and since, different businesses both large and small, locally and regionally, have told me time and time again how the Conservative Government's Brexit deal had made their daily experience as a business more challenging: more expensive, more difficult, more barriers, higher costs. This had led to some being forced to close due to the higher costs and increased bureaucracy. We have all seen the impact on our own pockets with food prices rising and hospitality businesses struggling as well as those who previously exported to the EU. The deal includes: · Making it easier for food and drink to be imported and exported by reducing the red tape. This agreement will have no time limit, giving vital certainty to businesses. · Some routine checks on animal and plant products will be removed completely. · Closer co-operation on emissions through linking our respective Emissions Trading System. · British steel exports are protected from new EU rules and restrictive tariffs, through a bespoke arrangement for the UK. · British holidaymakers will be able to use more eGates in Europe. · Introduction of 'pet passports' for UK cats and dogs. · The EU-UK security and defence partnership means that British firms will be treated as European, so can benefit from defence procurement. I welcome the agreement to explore access to Erasmus + as well as a Youth Mobility scheme; it is important that young people have access to opportunities that previous generations enjoyed and were denied to them for too long. Co-operation on defence is also part of the deal. The EU and the UK share the same challenging security environment, and both have vital interests in the peace, security and stability of Europe and beyond. As ever, if you have any queries or concerns or you have an issue that you would like me to try and assist you with, please do not hesitate to contact me on 01978 788854 or
