WORKING4DWYFORMEIRIONNYDD

 

 

Hi,

 

I'm Mary. I'm from a local Welsh farming family.

 

I've spent 13 years working as a project manager, working on Legal Aid projects for the Department of Constitutional Affairs and later economic development projects for the GLA, including the 2012 Olympic bid and the £100m Business Link London programme. I set up my own change management consultancy in 2008, so I know what it's like to run your own business and how tough it can be.

 

I am a disabled rights campaigner and Co-Chair of Disability Labour. I've sat on Ken Livingstone's Equalities Committee. I believe in fairness to all citizens and for the right to live independently and with dignity - to achieve this policy must be inclusive and attitudinal barriers must to be challenged.

 

I'm a director of a law centre. I am very concerned about the dinimishing level of human rights in the UK, from zero hour contracts to cruel welfare reforms punishing the most vulnerable.

 

Why is there no law centre in Gwynedd? They offer the only source of comprehensive free legal support. Government changes have de-scoped things like domestic violence from Legal Aid, so even pro-bono practising solicitors are reluctant to take on such cases, lives are at risk. Staying safe should not be for only those who can afford it or live in London.

 

To develop my international acumen I have recently been on a political visit to Palestine to meet with the UN and leading politicians as I believe anyone serious about wanting to become an MP needs to understand international issues.

 

On local matters I have been campaigning for the past couple of years for Small Business Saturday - small businesses account for the second largest source of employment locally and they must be supported. If I am elected I will introduce more business support initiatives, as they are sorely lacking locally at the moment.

 

I am also campaging for better infrastructure - it's holding the area back economically. The delays with Pont Briwet are unacceptable and there must be an investigation into why the contract managers allowed things to drift. It's costing the average commuter an extra £2,500 a year in fuel whilst this fiasco continues and with wages the lowest in the UK, people just can't afford it.

 

Likewise the way people in Fairbourne have been treated over SMP announcements has been equally shoddy. It shows considerable contempt to announce plans for sea defence managed retreat to the media before informing the residents who live there.

 

What about the future of the Cambrian Coastline? What's going to happen to the sites where schools are being closed, how will they be re-developed to the benefit of the local community? There are so many questions that need answering. As your MP, I'd make sure there were answers.

 

In my bid to be your next MP I hope to fix the broken link between Dwyfor Meirionnydd and Parliament and make sure the voices of rural communities are effectivly heard, not overlooked as they have been for so many years. 

 

You need a representative who is part of UK government, not just someone shouting from the sidelines in opposition.

 

I hope to draw Parliamentary attention for the urgent need of economic, social and infrastucture investment for the area and to work with Labour colleagues at a national and regional level to make things happen - Dwyfor Meirionnydd has been neglected for far to long and the good people of this beautiful area deverve better.

 

Please support me in my campaign and don't hesitate to contact me if you have any queries.

 

Best wishes,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labour Prospective Parliamentary Candidate,

Dwyfor Meirionnydd