On the 21st August 2023 I wrote to the Rt Hon Lord Beynon at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding my deep concern over the potential reversal of the ban on electric shock collars in dog training.
You can read my letter in full below: Groups across Gower have joined local MP Tonia Antoniazzi in calling on Dŵr Cymru to take immediate action following the latest of several sewerage discharges at beaches in the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
These includes a discharge from a Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) at popular beach Caswell which left the water unsafe for swimmers and saw Surfability, the UK’s first adaptive surf-school, forced to cancel lessons for a day to protect the health of their staff and service users. Tom Barber, a senior coach at Surfability outlined the impact of sewage overflows, “…compromise not only the safety of sessions but the confidence to take vulnerable people into the water. This isn't the first time this happened, and we doubt this will be the last”. Now local groups are asking when Dŵr Cymru will take the urgent action needed to protect the health of people, the coastal environment, and the livelihood of people in Gower who rely on the tourist trade. Tonia Antoniazzi said “people in Gower deserve answers as to what is being done now to deal with these urgent problems. Speaking to constituents I know they are frustrated with a lack of answers and simply a reiteration of how much money is being invested in systems. I’m supportive of Dŵr Cymru’s business model but we can’t allow that to become a get out of jail free card for not dealing with the immediate issue of sewage making our beaches unsafe”. 7A campaign to collect stationary for pupils in Gower has been re-launched this week by Tonia Antoniazzi MP and Rebecca Evans MS to help parents meet the rising costs of getting children ready to return to school in September.
People wishing to support the campaign can make donations of new pens, pencils, pencil cases, erasers, rulers, notebooks, sharpeners and stationary sets at various drop off bins across Gower and Swansea. Donations are being accepted up until pupils return to school in Libraries across Gower including Pennard, Oystermouth, Clydach, Gowerton, Pontarddulais, Gorseinon. Tonia Antoniazzi, Member of Parliament for Gower said, “We’ve brought back this campaign to help parents who are being hit hard by the ongoing cost of living.” “We’ve had a decade of falling behind when we should have been forging ahead. Instead, families are having to cut back during this time of insecurity. “I want this campaign to ease a little bit of pressure on families and I want to make sure that every pupil has what they need for their education this upcoming school year. Rebecca Evans MS, said: “Getting kitted out for the new school year can be really exciting, but with it comes with financial pressure. Our local stationary campaign is a great way to help with some of that. "Our school stationary collection has been really successful in recent years, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone who has donated. "I would urge families on lower incomes, and who qualify for certain benefits, to find out more about the Welsh Government's School Essentials Grant. Depending on the year the child is going into, you could be eligible for either £125 or £200 to help with the cost of school uniform or other essential kit. You can find out more on the council's website." Tonia Antoniazzi, Member of Parliament for Gower, took part in the Macmillan Mighty Hike around Gower to raise funds for local cancer services. The event, organised by Macmillan Cancer Support, saw hundreds of people participating in a marathon walk around Gower in support of people living with cancer and to raise money and awareness for Macmillan. The marathon walk which started and finished in Penrice Castle sent participants through the UK's first Area of Outstanding National Beauty by following the world renowned coastline through Three Cliffs, Oxwich, Rhossili Bay and Worms Head. Tonia Antoniazzi, who has previously held the position as the chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, was participating for the second year in a row and raised over £1100 for Macmillan. Speaking after the event, Tonia Antoniazzi said “I am incredibly proud to have completed the Mighty Hike for Macmillan alongside my former rugby teammate Karen Samuel and my cousin David Boyce. This isn’t the first time I’ve participated in the Mighty Hike but this year everything has hit home. A few months ago, we found out my Mother would need to undergo cancer treatment, and since then she’s been looked after by the phenomenal doctors, nurses and care staff at Macmillan and Maggies in Singleton. Anyone who has undergone cancer treatment or seen their friends or family go through it knows what a distressing time it can be but the support our family have had from Macmillan and Maggies has been second to none and they deserve recognition and support. “In Wales, 1 in 2 people will be affected by cancer in their lifetime. It’s so important that you go to your cancer screenings and be vigilant to changes in your body because early detection is so important. “If you’re worried about any symptoms you’re experiencing, speak to your GP immediately. Don’t wait, don’t think you’re a nag or an inconvenience, don’t take that risk because it could save your life!” “Finally I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to everyone who generously donated to this worthy cause and extend my thanks to Macmillan, the walk organizers, stewards, and volunteers who dedicated their time to make the day a huge success and ensure we were kept safe along the route. Diolch!” Tonia Antoniazzi MP is calling on the governments of all 4 UK nations to take action to ban the handcuffing of innocent children in care when being transported from one care setting to another.
Today, Tonia Antoniazzi MP joined other politicians in the House of Commons to mark Child Safety Week and to commemorate Wales’s recent progress on this issue, where strong guidelines have been introduced. The new alliance has also called for similar guidelines to be implemented UK-wide by governments in London, Edinburgh and Belfast. A number of the politicians, including Tonia have also posed with photographs of themselves on social media posing in the style of the Hope Instead of Handcuffs campaign logo with their wrists touching, to show their support for the campaign and to send a message to the UK that they oppose this brutal practice and that action must be taken to prohibit it. Currently, some private transportation providers handcuff vulnerable children on journeys whilst they are being transported between care settings, causing them significant pain and distress, and in complete breach of their human rights as laid out by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. To be clear, these are innocent children who have not been accused of any crime. A particular concern is that there is no regulation or responsibility for transport providers to report any official record of instances of handcuffing, so the scale of the issue is likely far greater than we are currently aware of, not to mention the shocking lack of transparency and accountability. Other MPs who are major supporters of the campaign include prominent Labour politicians, such as former Shadow Women and Equalities Minister Sarah Champion and former Shadow Minister for Children and families Steve McCabe. These politicians and others are calling for mandatory regulations of this process in all 4 UK nations, ensuring that restraint is only used an absolute last resort, and that any instances of restraint must be carefully recorded and monitored by local authorities to improve transparency and accountability. The campaign’s aim is that this increased transparency and accountability will eventually end the handcuffing of innocent children altogether. Tonia Antoniazzi MP said: “It’s vital that more is done to protect children’s rights and I hope the government in Westminster bans the awful practice of private transportation providers violently restraining innocent children. “I’m delighted that Wales has taken positive steps in becoming the first UK nation to introduce regulations to protect innocent children in care from being unnecessarily restrained. But now the Tory government in Westminster needs to make sure that similar regulations are introduced to protect vulnerable children in England as well.” 8100 families in Gower hit by Tory mortgage penalty as families face annual mortgage payment increase of £2500 this year under the Conservatives. 7300 households in Swansea East will face an estimated £1500 increase, and 5700 households in Swansea West will face an estimated £2000 increase.
Labour analysis reveals that the average household in Swansea is set to be put under more pressure than ever by Conservative mismanagement of the economy. Analysis from the Labour Party allows people to search the amount that mortgages are predicted to rise, including by £2500 in Gower constituency. It follows the news that many mortgage deals are being withdrawn by Banks and interest rates being increased, with Moneyfacts data suggesting the typical rate on a two year fixed-rate loan had increased to almost 6%, almost double a year ago, and the Resolution Foundation estimating that 6.5m households will be affected by the post-mini budget rise in mortgage rates by 2026. This week, economists warned that there is a real risk of job losses and a sharp recession. The latest forecasts of economic growth this year suggest that the UK is struggling to get out of the slow lane, with growth of just 0.2% forecast on the year. Tonia Antoniazzi MP, Labour MP for Gower, said: “The Tory mortgage penalty is devastating for family finances and is holding back our economy. “The country is buckling under 13 years of Conservative mismanagement and a crashed economy, and it is families being asked to pay more on their mortgage once again. “People are asking themselves whether they or their family are better off under the Tories. The answer is no. "Labour will bring financial and economic security back, so that families are not constantly on a cliff edge, and so that we can urgently grow our economy to grab hold of opportunities of the future." |
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