Below is a full transcript of Sarah Atherton MP article for the August copy of Essentials Mag.
"It was an honour to deliver the petition for the ‘Stadium for the North’ to No.10, with Spencer Harris, organiser of the petition, and Thomas Wynne Lewis, from the daily post. At the moment, if you live in Wrexham and want to watch an international game in Wales, you need to travel to Swansea or Cardiff. The redevelopment of the Kop Stand would allow the heritage of the oldest football ground in the world to come alive again and put Wrexham on the map, as the centre of international sport in North Wales.
The 16,000 signatures gathered shows the strength of feeling in Wrexham and across the globe for the redevelopment of the Kop Stand, which forms part of the Gateway Levelling Up Fund bid. The UK Government’s Levelling Up Fund portal is now open, so Wrexham Council will be submitting the bid very soon. Fingers crossed for a successful outcome!
In flooding news, since August 2020, I have supported the Rossett Focus Group (RFG). The Rossett Focus Group was formed by a small number of local residents in response to an unwanted proposed housing development on land that was, and still is, prone to flooding. Their objection is based on the flood risk of the land proposed for development in Rossett by the Castle Green Development. As the situation evolves, I chaired a meeting between Natural Resources Wales (Welsh Government) and RFG to ensure both sides could put forward their case. I will continue to support Wrexham residents in any way and ensure that constituents' voices are heard within the local planning processes.
Following the Welsh Government’s controversial announcement of the proposed 20mph speed limit in built-up areas in Wales, I created a survey to hear Wrexham residents’ views. Whilst the Welsh Government will be spending £32m on this unnecessary scheme, most of the country continues to struggle with the cost of living. To be clear, I do not object to introducing 20mph speed limits outside schools and playgrounds, but a blanket roll-out is unreasonable and will make criminals of responsible drivers. This decision should be up to councils who know their local areas best. If you have not done so already, log onto my website and go on ‘Labour slowing Wales down’ under ‘Surveys’ to have your say.
I am pleased to share that through my office’s grant finder service, to date, we have facilitated more than £258,000 of funding for local charities and community groups. Recently, Wrexham Warehouse Project at Miners Rescue Centre has been awarded £10,000 from Hafren Dyfrdwy, which has provided a new kitchen for the centre. Many local charities have contacted me, and I have worked hard to help them secure alternative funding that perhaps they had not considered.
As always, if you are resident in Wrexham and need my assistance with any local, national or funding issue, please contact me by emailing sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk."