Mid and West Wales Senedd Member Joyce Watson comments on recent local issues

With LGBT+ History Month underway, Pride celebrations are taking place across Wales.

Many receive Welsh Government funding, including Brecon. Established in 2023, Brecon Pride goes from strength-to-strength. Alongside the marches, they have organised community events like pub quizzes and garden parties – and teamed up with local businesses to promote inclusivity in the town and surrounding villages.

Welsh Government supports pride in our environment too. The £1.2 million extra for Keep Wales Tidy will help more than 2,500 dedicated volunteers go even further to make cleaner, greener spaces that everyone can be proud of.

Mid-Wales is trialling two new Welsh Government projects. Communities across the region will roll out ground-breaking bus reforms. 

The new franchising model will replace the current de-regulated system by enabling public, private and third sector operators to bid for local bus service packages. Rural communities in Ceredigion and Powys will be the first to benefit. 

Powys will also test a pioneering approach to supporting families on the edge of the care system. 

The Fostering Network Step-Up Step-Down (SUSD) project sees specialist foster carers work with families to help stabilise their circumstances, offer short breaks for children and give parents time to address their challenges. 

In Northern Ireland, where the system is in place, 95% of children remained with their parents rather than being taken into care. For those who do enter care, the aim is for it to be as short – and as close to home – as possible.

Finally, readers may have seen my announcement that I will not be standing at next year’s Senedd election. Thank you for all the kind messages of support. Serving the Labour Party has been the privilege of my life. To do so representing Mid and West Wales, an incredible honour. I left school at 16 and returned to education as a young mum, raising a family while getting my degree. I never dreamed that one day I would be elected to serve the people and places I know and love so well. 

I look forward to doing so for the remainder of this parliament.

Mid and West Wales Senedd Member Joyce Watson