Plaid Cymru urge stores: think Welsh

Plaid Cymru’s Clwyd West candidate Llyr Huws Gruffydd is urging stores in the constituency to ensure the availability of Welsh milk on their shelves. He has expressed disappointment that the Cooperative and Somerfield are not stocking Welsh-branded milk.

Llyr Huws Gruffydd said:

“Some supermarkets sell milk clearly labelled as Welsh, but this is by no means universal. The Welsh dairy industry should be supported and I urge stores to ensure the availability of Welsh milk.

“I am particularly disappointed that the Cooperative is not stocking Welsh milk at the moment, and this applies to Somerfield, now that it is part of the Cooperative. This was clear when I called into the Somerfield store at Pensarn, Abergele, as well as the Cooperative in Ruthin, and they did not stock Welsh milk.

“I hope this is a temporary supply problem, as it is a blemish on the Coop’s record of supporting the Welsh economy, especially such a staple product. It’s essential that we support our local agriculture industry as much as possible and I believe that supermarkets have a role to play to help consumers proactively purchase Welsh milk.

“The Coop has a fine record in striving to provide Welsh produce in its stores, as well as placing great emphasis on fair trade and organic produce, but I look forward to them once more showing their support to local producers by stocking their shelves with bottles of milk bearing the Welsh flag.”

Llyr added:

“Over recent years, supermarkets have made efforts to provide beef and lamb originating from Wales on their shelves. I believe that it’s about time that they make more of an effort to do the same for Welsh milk.”

The photograph shows Llyr Huws Gruffydd at the Somerfield store at Pensarn.

Plaid puts heart into town centre campaign

Plaid Cymru put its heart into saving our town centres this week as Clwyd West candidate Llyr Huws Gruffydd and honorary president Dafydd Wigley brought the campaign to the centres of Colwyn Bay, Abergele and Ruthin.

Plaid’s campaign “Town Centre Y of our community” is calling for action to reverse the trend over recent years that has seen local shops, banks, pubs and newsagents in town centres close down while large scale retailers have moved to out of town developments. Plaid Cymru say that all levels of government need to adopt policies that ensure a sustainable and healthy future for our town centres.

Llyr Huws Gruffydd said:

"Successive London governments have failed to stand up to big business, and have failed to protect our local town centre economies."

Plaid’s honorary president, Dafydd Wigley added that all levels of government need to work together in partnership with communities to ensure that town centre businesses have a viable future.

Plaid have outlined a number of proposals to put town centres back at the heart of our communities including:

· the extension of credit union principles to support small and medium sized businesses
· a change in planning regulations to promote sustainable communities
· a mandatory retail impact assessment with each major planning development
· a level playing field for smaller, local businesses

Plaid's Clwyd West candidate Llyr Huws Gruffydd said:

“We need to restate that town centres are not only an essential part, but also the heart, of our communities and should be protected and enhanced. So much influence and power is vested in the larger retailers, many of which have moved to out of town developments. The resulting reduction of footfall in town centres has had a detrimental effect and has caused many local businesses to close.

“I believe that the Plaid proposals will go some way towards reversing this trend and redress the balance. The Westminster parties have failed Wales once more, with London governments failing to create a level playing field for smaller, local companies. Plaid's measures will help to change things around, and give local businesses the support they need to make town centres viable again.”

Dafydd Wigley, who went to school in Colwyn Bay, added:

“Town centres have an invaluable role to play. Not only are they important in terms of attracting visitors, they are also play a vital social role. Many of the most vulnerable people in our communities are unable to access the large out of town developments and rely heavily on smaller, local shops.

“We all need to work together to ensure that our town centres have a viable future. Local councils, the Assembly government and the UK government must all take steps, but this won’t achieve anything if the community itself doesn’t get involved and support our local, town centre businesses.

"The UK government needs to work together with the Welsh and local government to introduce policies to sustain our town centres. For too long the London government has left small businesses to fend for themselves while they prop up big business. Despite bailing out the banks, many small businesses are unable to secure the credit they need to survive.

"This cannot be allowed to continue and this is why Plaid is calling for action now to put our town centres back at the heart of our communities.”

PHOTO: Llyr Huws Gruffydd and Dafydd Wigley in Colwyn Bay.

Llyr's Abergele call - town centre the heart of our communities

Llyr Huws Gruffydd, Plaid Cymru parliamentary candidate for Clwyd West, says town centres like Abergele and Colwyn Bay are at the heart of our communities, in this week's Journal.

Culture Minister back at Ruthin Craft Centre

Culture Minister Alun Ffred Jones AM will this week be paying a return visit to Ruthin Craft Centre. In December 2008 he did the honours at the official opening ceremony, and tonight he will be the guest speaker at the Plaid Cymru Clwyd West dinner and election campaign launch.

Plaid’s Westminster candidate Llyr Huws Gruffydd said that he was delighted that the Plaid Cymru Minister had made the time to speak at the party’s Clwyd West launch:

“Alun Ffred Jones has been very generous with his time in agreeing to be our guest speaker. The news has clearly been very well received as we have sold all the tickets available for the dinner.

“Of course, Alun Ffred had another highly successful career before entering politics, as he was renowned for his work in film and television.

“This will be our formal launch for the election, but the tone will be light-hearted, with Alun Ffred, in his inimitable way, talking about his career in film and television as well as his role as Culture Minister in our One Wales government. And who knows – party politics may get a mention.”

The venue for the dinner is the Café R, at the Ruthin Craft Centre, Heol y Parc, Ruthin.

Gweinidog dros Dreftadaeth – Alun Ffred Jones yn ol yng nghanolfan grefftau Rhuthun

Wythnos yma bydd Alun Ffred Jones AC yn ymweld a chanolfan grefftau Rhuthun. Yn mis Rhagfyr 2008 anrhydeddodd Rhuthun a’I bresenoldeb o’r blaen gan iddo fod yma yn agor yn swyddogol y Ganolfan Grefftau’. Dydd Gwener yma y 26ain y fo fydd y gwr gwadd yng nghinio lansio ymgyrch etholiad Plaid Cymru Gorllewin Clwyd.

Mynegodd Llyr Huws Gruffydd ymgeisydd Plaid Cymru yn etholiad San Steffan ei fod yn filch dros ben o feddwl fod y Gweinidog Treftadaeth wedi medru gwneud amser I annerch yn Lansiad ymgyrch Plaid Cymru yn Ngorllewin Clwyd:

“Mae Alun Ffred Jones I’w edmygu am ei barodwydd I fod yn siaradwr gwadd, a chroesawyd y newyddion yn fawr iawn gan fod yr holl docynnau I’r cinio wedi eu gwerthu.

“Wrth gwrs yr oedd Alun Ffred Jones yn dilyn gyrfa lwyddianus iawn cyn mentro I’r byd politicaidd gan ei fod wedi body n adnabyddus am ei gyfraniad I fyd ffilm a theledu.

“Dyma ein Lansiad ffurfiol ar gyfer yr etholiad, ond bydd y naws yn ysgafn a hwyliog, gan y bydd Alun Ffred yn ei ffordd ddigyffelyb yn son am ei yrfa ym myd ffilm a theledu yn ogystal ei swydd fel gweinidog treftadaeth yn Llywodraeth Cymru’n Un – a phwy a wyr efallai y cawn glywed am wleidyddiaeth parti hefyd.”

Cynleir y cinio yn Café R yn y ganolfan grefftau, Heol y Parc, Rhuthun.

Llyr Huws Gruffydd: ‘Fuel duty hike must be postponed’

Plaid Cymru’s Clwyd West candidate Llyr Huws Gruffydd has today called for a freeze on fuel duty as Wednesday’s Budget looms.

Fuel duty is set to rise by 2.55 pence per litre from April 2010 (1% above the rate of inflation) which will cost the average family an extra £200 a year and cause further problems to small businesses already struggling with higher fuel duties. Plaid has insisted that this duty hike should be postponed.

Campaign organisations such as the Road Haulage Association and the Farmers Union of Wales have come out in support of Plaid’s calls for a fair fuel duty regulator. Under such a plan, an unexpected spike in petrol prices would lead to a freeze on fuel duty.

MPs from Plaid and the SNP have tabled an EDM urging a freeze on fuel duty and repeating calls for the establishment of a fuel duty regulator.

Llyr Huws Gruffydd said:

“It is the people of Clwyd West that will feel the pinch of this fuel hike, which will hit families, the haulage industry and agriculture.

“This is an issue that affects all parts of Clwyd West. Hard-working families see prices rise week by week, with many more people struggling to run a car. But these sky high fuel taxes impact on businesses and on prices in the shops, as costs rise to deliver food and other products to retailers.

“A freeze on fuel duty is essential.”

Geoff Dunning, chief executive of the RHA, says:

“The Road Haulage Association fully supports Plaid Cymru’s calls for a fuel duty regulator – a move that would ensure price stability as well as lower fuel taxes."

Plaid’s Westminster leader Elfyn Llwyd MP added:

“This is just punishing ordinary people for a banking system failure that the London government helped to create.

“We will continue to fight this fuel hike and urge the introduction of a fuel duty regulator at the Budget to ensure price stability as well as lower fuel taxes.”

Plaid Cymru has long campaigned for a new mechanism to cap petrol prices. Together with the SNP, a motion to amend the Finance Bill in 2008 to create a fuel duty regulator was voted down by Labour.

The creation of such a regulator is backed by leading industry voices such as the Road Haulage Association. Under such a plan, an unexpected spike in petrol prices would lead to a freeze on fuel duty.

Llyr’s pledge to protect children

Llyr Huws Gruffydd has pledged to support the NSPCC’s ‘I stand for children’ campaign which aims to make child protection a priority for the next Parliament.

Llyr said:

“As Plaid Cymru candidate for Clwyd West, I’m supporting the NSPCC’s new campaign to ensure protecting children is a political priority: I Stand for Children.”

The NSPCC’s campaign is calling on candidates to commit to a range of child protection measures including:

Making the internet safer for children

Continued funding of helpline services for children and for adults concerned about the safety or welfare of a child

Tackling domestic violence from a child's point of view

The charity’s Diana Sutton, head of the public affairs and campaigns unit at the NSPCC, said:

“We need to make sure that the next elected Government keeps child protection high on its list of priorities. By signing up to our campaign, candidates in this next general election can help. The public can play their role by letting the politicians know what they want done.”