Welsh Assembly Election Results 2016
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David Rees AM, Unit 6, Water Street Business Centre, Gwyn Terrace, Aberavon 01639 870779 Welsh Assembly Carwyn Jones AM Election Results re-nominated Wales’s First Minister 2016 David Rees has been unanimously re-elected to Carwyn Jones AM has been re-nominated as First represent the people of Aberavon in the Welsh Minister after the deadlock of last week was broken Assembly’s Fifth Term. We saw Assembly Members from Plaid Cymru, Welsh Tories and UKIP join together to stop the nomination of Carwyn Jones as our First Minister, which would He said: “I would like to thank everyone who have allowed him to form a Welsh Government that would have tackled the difficult supported me and helped me to return to the issues facing Wales today - including the future of our Steel Industry. Now at last Senedd as Aberavon's AM and I would particularly Carwyn Jones has been able to form a Government and can get on with the work like to thank my Agent, John Cronin for his needed across Wales, and particularly in Port Talbot on addressing the challenges remarkable support. The people of Aberavon will facing our Steel Industry. always have a passionate champion in me who will speak up for them if decisions put their interests at Following his nomination as First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones has set out his risk. The priorities continue to be the future of our priorities for the first 100 days of the next Welsh Government and taking Wales steel works, our public services and our Forward the First Minister has announced his new Cabinet and Ministers. Titles communities have changed this term, from Ministers to Cabinet Members and from Deputy Ministers to Ministers. Ken Skates Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure Welsh Labour Vaughan Gething Candidates David Rees Votes 10,578 50.7% Net Cabinet Secretary for Health, Well-being and Sport percentage change in seats −13.4 Mark Drakeford Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government Plaid Cymru Kirsty Williams Candidates Bethan Jenkins Votes 4,176 20.0% Cabinet Secretary for Education Net percentage change in seats +5.2 Lesley Griffiths Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs UKIP Wales Carl Sargeant Candidates Glenda Davies Votes 3,119 15.0% Cabinet Secretary for Communities and Children published by David Rees AM, Unit 6, Water Street Business Centre, Gwyn Terrace, Aberavon, Port Talbot SA12 6LG Net percentage change in seats +15.0 Jane Hutt Leader of the House and Chief Whip Welsh Conservative Julie James Candidates David Jenkins Votes 1,342 6.4% Net Minister for Skills and Science Printed and percentage change in seats −7.9 Alun Davies Minister for Lifelong Learning and Welsh Language Welsh Liberal Democrat Rebecca Evans Candidates Helen Ceri Clarke Votes 1,248 6.0% Minister for Social Services and Public Health Net percentage change in seats −0.8 £12.8M TO REGENERATE WELSH NHS SUCCESS OUTLINED TOWN CENTRES AND Fewer people in Wales are dying and more are surviving conditions such as cancer, diabetes, stroke and heart disease thanks to action CREATE JOBS taken by the Welsh Government and NHS Wales to improve services, Welsh Labour’s then Deputy Health Minister Vaughan Gething said. The Welsh Labour Government is providing twelve regeneration projects The Deputy Minister said the Welsh NHS is helping people to live healthier lives with with a £12.8m funding boost, creating more than the development of new services and record levels of investment from the Welsh 400 new jobs, 50 traineeships and over 220 new homes. Government, and praised the quality of care being delivered by doctors, nurses and NHS staff across Wales. The Welsh Labour Government’s health strategy, Together Welsh Labour’s then Communities and Tackling Poverty Minister, for Health, published in 2011, set a five-year vision for the Welsh NHS and its Lesley Griffiths, announced projects including the creation of 16 two- partners, including the creation of delivery plans for major health conditions. bedroom flats in Holyhead town centre, a new employment hub on the Kingsway in Swansea and a family entertainment zone on the Rhyl The delivery plans have been developed by clinicians, patients and advocates for waterfront are set to benefit from the significant Vibrant and Viable excellent care. They outline actions to improve services, with a particular focus on Places funding boost. prevention and early diagnosis, integrated and efficient care, better information and targeted research. In June 2015, the Welsh Labour Government announced that The additional funding brings the total investment in the Welsh £10m would be invested directly in the plans - £1m for each of the 10 plans – which Government’s flagship regeneration scheme to £118 million. A recent has been used to improve services for people in Wales. report found, between 2014 - 17, the programme will create more than 2,000 jobs, support 3,000 people into work and bring a further £300 million into Wales. It is also expected to provide 1,000 affordable COUNCIL TAX IN WALES homes and more than 2,300 homes in the private sector. This includes Neath Port Talbot – £2.7 million to create 41 social housing apartments in the town and £356,000 to restore the former art deco Plaza Cinema. REMAINS LOWER THAN ENGLAND NEW STANDARDS TO Council Tax in Wales remains lower than in England according DRIVE UP QUALITY OF BUS to new figures. SERVICES IN WALES The latest official Welsh Government figures show that average Band D council tax for Wales in 2016-17 will be £1,374, much lower than the average Band D in Welsh Labour’s then Transport Minister, Edwina Hart, has England, which stands at £1,530 – despite the cuts imposed on Wales by the published new standards for local bus services across Wales Tory UK Government. to improve quality, accessibility and information for passengers. The average band D council tax rise in Wales is lower than the figure for England, excluding London, based on estimates published by CIPFA. Welsh tax payers will see an average Band D rise of £47 (3.5%); a smaller increase than was seen in 2015/16, when the average increase was £52 (4.1%). The Welsh Labour Government has also maintained its support to over 300,000 households who need assistance in meeting their council tax bills. Of these approximately 200,000 pay no council tax at all. The Voluntary Welsh Bus Quality Standard sets out some core requirements bus operators will need to meet in order to receive the Welsh Labour Government’s Bus Services Support Grant. The standard also incudes some enhanced requirements that are designed to encourage and reward operators to further improve the quality of local bus services. The Welsh Labour Government has already revamped the Traws Cymru @DavidReesAM long distance bus service and the new Voluntary Welsh Bus Quality Standard will improve standards on local services. By March 2017, bus operators will be required to meet the core standards http://www.david-rees.com on young persons’ discounted fares, information, accessibility and cleanliness in order to receive Welsh Government grant funding. These standards have been developed by the Bus Policy Advisory Group https://www.facebook.com/DavidReesAMAberavon and are based on the quality standard introduced in south east Wales earlier this year. Watch and listen WELSH LABOUR GOVERNMENT INVESTS £10.3M IN 94 NEW AMBULANCES The Welsh Ambulance Service will receive 94 new vehicles thanks to a £10.3m investment from the Welsh Labour Government, Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has announced. The investment will allow the service to purchase: • 35 new emergency ambulances. • 13 rapid response vehicles/emergency patient vehicles. Watch the National Assembly for Wales on the web. • 10 patient care services vehicles, capable of carrying stretchers. You can watch committee meetings and Plenary live • 32 patient care services vehicles, capable of carrying wheelchairs. in Senedd TV at http://www.senedd.tv, or watch • Four specialist vehicles. explainer videos and more on our Youtube channel at https://www.youtube.com/user/Assembly The Welsh Ambulance Service currently has 706 vehicles in its fleet, which cover an area of more than 8,000 square miles across Wales. Petitions Welsh Labour’s then Minister for Finance and Government Business Jane Hutt allocated £10m for the Welsh Ambulance Service as part of the Welsh Labour Government’s Budget for 2016-17.Since 2011, the Welsh Labour Government has invested almost £45m in new ambulance vehicles for the Welsh Ambulance Service. NEW HOSPITAL TEAMS TO SUPPORT PEOPLE WITH MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS A petition is a way of asking the National Assembly New dedicated teams of staff to provide hands-on support for people with to consider any issue, problem or proposal that the mental health needs will be set up in Welsh hospitals, Welsh Labour’s then Assembly has the power to do something about. Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford has announced. The Assembly’s rules mean that any petition that the Presiding Officer decides is admissible must be As part of £30m for mental health and older people in 2016-17, the Welsh Labour considered by the Assembly. The Assembly has set up a Government will invest £2.3m to create new teams who will provide extra support, Petitions Committee to consider admissible petitions especially in the evening and at night, for people with mental health needs, including and to decide what action should be taken. dementia. An extra £1.5m is being made available to local primary care mental health support services to further support the Mental Health (Wales) Measure. This will provide If you need any assistance with the e-petitions system more capacity to respond to people’s mental health needs locally.