Latest news with #PeterFox
South Wales Argus
10 hours ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Controversial 'Great Wall of Clydach' to be removed
The so-called "Great Wall of Clydach," a 200-metre structure erected last month along Pwll Du Road in the Monmouthshire village, will be removed following public outcry. Peter Fox, Member of the Senedd for Monmouth, said: "This fence has been a huge topic of conversation for local residents and has certainly gained some national attention. "I think everyone agreed the intentions behind the fence were correct, but the execution was somewhat wrong." Monmouthshire County Council has agreed to replace the fence with stock fencing that will be lower in height and painted to better blend with the surrounding countryside. Mr Fox thanked council officers for their engagement with the community but criticised council leadership. He said: "The recent meeting in the village of Clydach was well attended, and I am grateful to the officers of Monmouthshire County Council for attending. "They stood there for a number of hours, held their hands up to getting it wrong, responded to concerns, and began to look for a solution. "I was disappointed at the meeting by the Labour Leader of the Council, Mary Ann Brocklesby, for not standing up herself to take even some of the criticism and feedback from residents. "As a past leader myself, that is your job." He welcomed the council's revised approach, saying: "I am pleased to see the community have been listened to."
South Wales Argus
a day ago
- Health
- South Wales Argus
More than 1,000 patients spent longer than 12 hours in A&E
The figures were released by Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB) and fall "well short" of the Welsh Government's target of zero. The latest statistics also revealed that seven per cent of patients waited more than 12 hours in A&E. A spokesperson for the health board said the area had some of the lowest percentage of patients with long waits to be seen in an Emergency Department across Wales. But the figures were criticised by Senedd member for Monmouth, Peter Fox. He said: "Once again, these statistics make for some very grim reading. "We continue to read of stories from patients who have poor experiences in our hospitals, and my inbox is full of the same. "I have always said, and will continue to advocate, that this is not the fault of our outstanding doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. "They go above and beyond to provide for our residents. They are being let down by those in charge. "The Welsh Labour Government must get a grip of their systemic failure." Last autumn Wales First Minister Eluned Morgan said she wanted the number of people waiting for more than two years from referral to treatment to be reduced to "around" 8,000 by the spring, and recent figures show that target was broadly met. The statistics also revealed that NHS waiting lists remained at 790,020 pathways across Wales, which is the equivalent of nearly one in four people in Wales. The number of patient pathways decreased from 793,900 in February to 790,020 in March. A pathway represents a wait for treatment, so one patient can be on more than one pathway, for example if they have been referred to different departments for different ailments. Though the 'two-year waits' across Wales have fallen, there remain 269 in the ABUHB area, compared to just 147 across the entirety of England, who have a population of over 57 million. Mr Fox has called on the Welsh Government to urgently address this systemic failure, and to provide the improved service the people of Wales deserve. He added: "Only the Welsh Conservatives have a plan to fix Wales. Labour has broken our Welsh NHS, we will fix it." Wales' health minister Jeremy Miles said: "The latest NHS performance figures show long waiting times are now at their lowest levels since April 2021 and the overall size of the waiting list has fallen for four months in a row. "There are now just under 8,400 people waiting more than two years "I would particularly like to praise Swansea Bay and Hywel Dda university health boards which have joined Powys Health Board in having no patients waiting more than a year for a first outpatient appointment or two years for treatment." A spokesperson for Aneurin Bevan University Health Board said: 'Our staff have worked very hard over recent years to reduce waiting times across all of our services. We continue to see incremental improvement in the number of patients waiting for care. Out of the 25 services we provide; 5 services have zero waits over 52 weeks and only 4 services have patients with waits over 104 weeks. 'The health board continues to report some of the lowest percentage of patients with long waits to be seen in an Emergency Department across Wales. We are actively continuing an improvement programme which includes recent investments in a new Transfer Lounge to support timelier care, an extended Emergency Department waiting room to improve patient experience and reduce waits due to increased assessment space, and additional consultant capacity to ensure rapid senior assessment and treatment. 'Patients on our waiting lists are not just numbers to us; every one of them is an individual whose life is being affected by having to wait. Our staff are continuing to do everything they can to reduce our waiting times and to prioritise the most clinically urgent cases. 'It's important to recognise that these challenges are not unique to any one Health Board; we are currently experiencing these issues right across NHS Wales and in other parts of the UK.'
South Wales Argus
4 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Monmouth MS Peter Fox calls for better rail resilience
Monmouth MS Peter Fox has written to the Welsh Government to raise concerns about recent disruption on the Welsh Marches Line, which runs through Monmouthshire and connects Manchester and North Wales with Cardiff. Recent incidents have caused widespread delays and cancellations, including a collapsed culvert north of Hereford and structural problems with a bridge outside Cardiff Central. Mr Fox said: "Our railways are crucial to commuters and tourists across Wales. "I have two major stations in my constituency, in Abergavenny and Chepstow, which for a lot of people are their only way of commuting. "We have seen a lot of bad news around recent incidents on the Welsh Marches Line, and whilst these examples were not necessarily preventable, the knock-on effect is something that needs to be addressed. "Passengers were held up for hours, if not days by these problems, impacting on the whole network and affecting others across Wales. "I have written to the Welsh Government to ask for action to improve our resilience, to ensure that when incidents happen, passengers impact is minimalised." In his letter to the cabinet secretary for transport and north Wales, Mr Fox argued that while such incidents may not always be avoidable, the line currently lacks the resilience needed to cope with disruptions. He warned that any issues along the route have a 'dramatic effect' on the wider Welsh rail network, and called for steps to ensure essential services remain running when incidents occur.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
MS calls for urgent improvements to railway resilience
A Senedd member is calling for urgent improvements to railway resilience. Monmouth MS Peter Fox has written to the Welsh Government to raise concerns about recent disruption on the Welsh Marches Line, which runs through Monmouthshire and connects Manchester and North Wales with Cardiff. Recent incidents have caused widespread delays and cancellations, including a collapsed culvert north of Hereford and structural problems with a bridge outside Cardiff Central. Mr Fox said: "Our railways are crucial to commuters and tourists across Wales. "I have two major stations in my constituency, in Abergavenny and Chepstow, which for a lot of people are their only way of commuting. "We have seen a lot of bad news around recent incidents on the Welsh Marches Line, and whilst these examples were not necessarily preventable, the knock-on effect is something that needs to be addressed. "Passengers were held up for hours, if not days by these problems, impacting on the whole network and affecting others across Wales. "I have written to the Welsh Government to ask for action to improve our resilience, to ensure that when incidents happen, passengers impact is minimalised." In his letter to the cabinet secretary for transport and north Wales, Mr Fox argued that while such incidents may not always be avoidable, the line currently lacks the resilience needed to cope with disruptions. He warned that any issues along the route have a 'dramatic effect' on the wider Welsh rail network, and called for steps to ensure essential services remain running when incidents occur.
South Wales Argus
5 days ago
- South Wales Argus
Monmouth Senedd member praises improvements to canal
Peter Fox has specifically highlighted the access improvements to the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal at Gilwern. The improvements will allow visitors to have better access over the summer period. There have also been upgrades to the picnic area, making it accessible for wheelchair users. The improvements are part of the 225th anniversary of the canal. The canal has been previously highlighted in the news due to concerns over its sustainability, following restrictions on water abstraction from the River Usk. The resource was recently granted an emergency short-term water supply to prevent it from running dry. Mr Fox, a keen advocate for the canal, said: "Any project to improve access is a good news story. "With these works being completed, and us hopefully now seeing an influx of visitors over the summer months, it's more important than ever that a long-term solution is found in supplying the canal with water." He also announced his intent to continue discussions with the Welsh Government, the Canal and River Trust, and other stakeholders to secure the canal's future through a sustainable long-term water supply solution.
