The Welsh Liberal Democrats have demanded that the UK Government provides emergency support to rural communities who have been left without power for days after Storm Arwen. The calls come as many in Powys, Ceredigion, the Dee Vally and Shropshire face their fourth night without power. 

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS & Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs Spokesperson Tim Farron MP

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have accused the Powys’ Conservative MPs of failing to use their influence in Westminster to protect local farmers in the wake the of Conservative Government’s post-Brexit trade policy.

Jane Dodds - Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales

Today Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales Jane Dodds highlighted her concern that a Powys farmer had been given a £15,000 fine after some of the trees he planted in a Welsh government scheme were in the wrong place, some by just a few inches.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Mid and West Wales Senedd Member Jane Dodds

Commenting on the decision not to close Churchstoke CP school Jane Dodds, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales stated:

“I am absolutely thrilled to learn that Churckstoke School will not be closing. This decision is testimony to the extraordinary community-led campaign to fight the proposals. This is a significant victory not only for Churchstoke, but all those in Powys’ whose community schools face closure.

“I am proud of the role Powys Liberal Democrats played in supporting community campaigners in Churckstoke to oppose the closure and know we will continue to work closely with the community to address remaining concerns.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to call on the Conservative-Independent Council to halt its rural schools closure programme, including in Castle Caereinion, Dolau and Llanbedr and others that remain in consideration for closure.”

Jane Dodds, Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have accused Powys’ Conservative MPs of watering down proposals to tackle river pollution as the UK Government sought to push through a weakened version of the environmental act last night.  

Both Fay Jones MP (Brecon and Radnorshire) and Craig Williams MP Montgomeryshire voted in favour of an amendment that the opposition and environment campaigners have stated is a cop-out for forcing water companies to tackle water pollution with urgency.  

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have slammed moves by Powys’ Conservative MPs Fay Jones and Craig Williams to vote to stop the suspension of a Tory MP who committed an “egregious” breach of lobbying rules, stating that the MPs have repeatedly failed to exercise any independence and do the right thing.

POWYS Liberal Democrats are up in arms over Tory-Independent councillors’ misleading statements about a parliamentary Bill aiming to reverse the dramatic decline in UK wildlife.

Llanfyllin County Councillor Peter Lewis last week railed against a Liberal Democrat Motion asking Powys County Council (PCC) to support the Climate and Ecological Emergency (CEE) Bill, accusing the opposition group of providing “a political platform for the activist group Extinction Rebellion” (XR).

His comments follow those of Powys County Council (PCC) Leader Rosemarie Harris who last month recommended fellow councillors reject the CEE Bill because of its associations with the environmental protest group.

Powys’s Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to double the Warm Home Discount for existing recipients and make it available to 579 extra pensioners across the County. The Party says the measure would prevent pensioners being forced to “choose between eating and heating this winter”. 

The call comes amid fears that local residents, particularly 3,574 pensioners on low incomes, could be at risk from the energy crisis this winter. 

Elderly Woman Trying to Keep Warm by the Fireside - Getty Images

Jane Dodds today has called on the Welsh Government to introduce mobile dentist service for communities in Powys, after raising residents’ concerns over extreme waiting lists.

Jane Dodds, Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats

The rejection of a Welsh Labour Group Motion at a meeting of Powys County Council today (Thurs 23^rd Sept) seeking to commit the County Council to oppose the UK Government’s proposed £20 reduction in Universal Credit payments to families on low incomes is ‘a major blow to the people of the county and will push even more families into poverty, damage the Powys economy and increase the pressure on county council services’, according to the Council’s Welsh Liberal Democrat – Green Group.