By Sarah Atherton

MP for Wrexham

I’ve written and spoken many times about the unique part that Wrexham plays in the modern UK. From the fill-and-finish of the UK-made Covid vaccine, to the huge Industrial Estate that has employees and clients both sides of the England-Wales border, and to the Football club that stands alone as the Welsh representative in the National League.

These, and many other factors make Wrexham a forward-looking town, and one better prepared than most for the challenges of the 21st Century. It was with this in mind that I welcomed the Prime Minister, the Secretary of State for Wales and the leader of the Welsh Conservatives to our town over the past couple of weeks. Between them they visited several local businesses and saw for themselves how our town can be a model for the rest of the country. The events were a brilliant way to showcase Wrexham and all it has to offer, putting our town back on the map.

As Wrexham continues to develop, new and exciting opportunities also create new challenges. For example, the creation of more jobs has meant more traffic. So how we deal with things such as noise pollution on the A483 from that traffic, which I have been working with residents to rectify, is going to be an issue for local representatives to address. Another is how we deal with more cars requiring parking in the town as we grow. I know that many residents have been in touch about sharp practices from parking enforcement companies, and I am encouraging everybody to take part in my parking survey, so that I can better make representations that reflect your opinions. The survey can be found at www.sarahatherton.org.uk/surveys or by telephoning my office on 01978 291 742, where a member of staff can go through the questions.

Diverting people towards public transport and cycling will also be an important part of the mix, and I have been lobbying hard to secure funding for better infrastructure for Wrexham in these areas. Cycling and public transport will also become more important as we move towards a net-zero carbon economy, and I am looking forward to the 26th Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26), which will be hosted in Glasgow, later this year.

When the UK hosts COP26, we will bring together world leaders, climate experts, business leaders and citizens to agree ambitious action to tackle climate change. This will build on our already world-leading contribution to tackling global climate change; I am proud that the UK was the first major economy to legislate to achieve net zero by 2050.

However, while this 2050 date is a good start, we must do all we can to accelerate our efforts to become carbon neutral, and to carry the rest of the world with us as we do so. On energy, we now have plans to produce enough offshore wind to power every home by the end of the decade. Let’s get the rest of the world to do the same. We have a plan to develop the first town heated entirely by hydrogen by 2030. Let’s encourage the rest of the world to follow suit. We are investing £200 million into carbon capture, so that we can remove 10 million tons of CO2 from the atmosphere by 2030. Let’s get the rest of the world to do the same.

When it comes to leading the world in dealing with climate change, we can all be proud to be British. And as Wrexhamites we can look forward to the opportunities that the future has in store for us, as a central player in our United Kingdom.

As always if you are resident in Wrexham and need my assistance with any local or national issue, please make contact with me by emailing sarah.atherton.mp@parliament.uk