What a glorious afternoon to recognise the sterling achievement of a local community project in saving an historic and much-loved town hall. The sun shone and the residents of Grosmont turned out in fine force on Saturday for a party to celebrate the village’s National Lottery award of £300,000. A successful funding bid from Grosmont Community Council and Grosmont Futures will see the town hall, built in 1832, refurbished into a new community hub. Once the building works are complete, Grosmont Futures will roll out a programme of activities for people of all ages or abilities to enjoy. The tireless hard work, dedication and perseverance of everyone involved behind the scenes must be congratulated. It was fantastic to join in the celebrations and I very much look forward to seeing this vision come to life.
I was a vocal opponent of proposals to remove overnight minor injury services at Nevill Hall Hospital in Abergavenny. I remain firm in my opinion that bosses at Aneurin Bevan University Health Board have made the wrong call by refusing to listen to the views and obvious concerns of the residents they claim to serve. The consultation period and public engagement sessions, which I took part in, simply felt like a box-ticking exercise and the entire process smacked of a fait accompli from the outset. It has now been confirmed that the reduced hours will commence on Monday 6 May 2024, with minor injury provision axed between the hours of 1:00am and 7:00am. Anyone requiring treatment during these times will have to travel to Newport’s Royal Gwent Hospital. I am concerned lives could be put at risk in the future because of this dangerous decision and the fact the Labour Welsh Government repeatedly refused to intervene speaks volumes.
The long-awaited road safety study for the A40 at Raglan is finally with the Welsh Government for consideration and we await the outcome with bated breath. I understand one recommendation from the study is the introduction of a reduced 50mph speed limit, which has recently been implemented – albeit as a temporary measure for 18 months while compliance and collision data is monitored. It is certainly a welcome step in the right direction to address the significant concerns which have been raised for years over the dangerous junctions crossing the Raglan stretch of the busy A40 dual carriageway. I commend Raglan ward member Cllr Penny Jones, Mitchel Troy ward members Cllr Richard John and Cllr Jayne McKenna, Peter Fox MS and community councillors in Raglan and Mitchel Troy for fighting on behalf of residents. Let us hope further permanent measures will be forthcoming.
*Published in the Monmouthshire Beacon and Abergavenny Chronicle on 17 April 2024*