'These men and women have played a key role in helping Wales to deliver a world leading vaccination programme'

MS for Delyn

Over the weekend I joined with thousands of others across the country to give my thanks to our armed forces community, on Armed Forces Day. Over the last year our armed forces community have stepped in and stepped up when called upon, to support our NHS and our communities through these challenging times – your sacrifice is always appreciated and never forgotten.

10 years ago the Welsh Government signed up to the Armed Forces Covenant to commit to supporting our serving personnel and our veterans as much as possible. Through increasing access to both physical and mental health services, and offering support to the wider family, here in Wales we recognise the importance of supporting our armed forces.

These men and women have played a key role in helping Wales to deliver a world leading vaccination programme which has now seen over 50% of the population receive both doses of the vaccine.

Vaccines continue to be one of our best ways of tackling coronavirus, particularly with the Delta variant being so widespread here in Flintshire. Almost all cases of the virus in North Wales are of the delta variant, showing how quickly it is spreading. The case rate here in Flintshire is more than double the average rate for Wales, and I want to urge constituents to ensure that they are following the rules in place and take up the vaccine when offered.

The First Minister outlined the situation on Friday as he confirmed that restrictions would remain as they are before being reviewed again in July. He also explained the Welsh Government’s approach to increase the speed of vaccination to ensure that as many people as possible have received both doses of the vaccine.

Whilst coronavirus continues to have a large impact on our every day lives, I have continued to support constituents with different issues which continue to affect their quality of life. A few weeks ago I wrote about the impact of crime and anti-social behaviour and my intentions to work closely with North Wales Police and others to address these concerns.

Last week I held a positive meeting with the police and Flintshire County Council to discuss local issues in Flint and how partners can work together to tackle the issues and improve community safety. Though this meeting was specific to issues in Flint, I will soon be meeting with the new Police and Crime Commissioner, Andy Dunbobbin, to talk about how we can work together to make our areas safer places to live in.

I also want to encourage constituents to complete the PCC’s survey to highlight any concerns they have and shape his Police and Crime plan for this term. The survey also asks where North Wales Police should base their 20 new PCSOs, funded by the Welsh Government as part of their commitment to fund an additional 100 PCSOs across Wales. A link to the survey has been shared on my Facebook page and I would be happy to arrange hard copies for anyone who requires them.

As always if you have any questions please email me at Hannah.Blythyn@senedd.wales or call my office on 01352762102. You can also follow my Facebook page – Hannah Blythyn MS – or join my regular mailing list, by emailing me, for regular updates.