AM Warns of Asbestos Danger

Do you have an asbestos roofed shed in your garden? Think before you demolish it warns local AM.

Gwenda Thomas, AM for Neath, said: "I’ve recently been receiving many enquiries from constituents worried about pulling down asbestos laden out-buildings."

"One of my constituents, an elderly lady, contacted me because she was terribly worried about her son who intended to replace the roof of her garage without safety equipment. She thought it might contain asbestos but she had no idea how she could check. She was afraid that a professional survey could prove very expensive."

"Fortunately I was able to put her in touch with Neath Port Talbot Council’s free asbestos advice service. Within days an inspector had visited the property, confirmed that it did indeed contain high levels of asbestos and helped her contact professionals who were able to remove and dispose of the potentially deadly material."

"I know there are many other houses in Neath, especially in the valleys villages, that still have asbestos roofed sheds and garages. If people want to take these structures down it’s vitally important that they take care not to expose themselves to asbestos dust. Asbestos dust is linked to several deadly diseases including asbestosis and various cancers."

"I would encourage anyone who wishes to demolish and dispose of a structure that potentially contains asbestos to contact the Council’s Customer Service Centre on 01639 686868. They will be able to make an appointment with an inspector who will be able to offer help and advice about safe disposal."
　

AM WANTS VIEWS ON PLASTIC BAGS

How thick should a ‘bag for life’ be? Is 7p the right price for a disposable bag? Should bags for raw meat and fish be exempt? The Welsh Government wants your answers to these and other questions says local AM Gwenda Thomas.
Mrs Thomas, AM for Neath, today encouraged her constituents to respond to the consultation on the Single Use Carrier Bag Charge before the deadline of the 2nd of August.
Mrs Thomas said: "Once again the Welsh Assembly is at the vanguard of attempts to make Britain a more environmentally responsible country. It costs Wales over £1 million a year to dispose of plastic bag litter. Plastic bags can take hundreds of years to degrade. They often become an eyesore and a danger to wildlife. They take up huge amounts of space in landfill sites and add substantially to our nation’s carbon footprint."
"For all these reasons we’re determined to reduce the number of single use plastic bags in Wales. This is why we intend to bring in a compulsory charge for them. We’ve already consulted on the principle and I’m happy to say that it seems the majority of people support of the scheme.
"We’re now at the draft regulation stage and we’d appreciate the public’s help in ensuring we’ve got the detail of the regulations right. This is, I think, without doubt, a significant step forward but it’s vitally important that we bring the people of Wales with us."
"I really hope the shoppers and shopkeepers of Neath will take the time to let Welsh Government know what they think about the proposal as it currently stands."
Copies of the consultation document and response forms are available on the Welsh Assembly’s website (wales.gov.uk/consultations/) or by contacting Gwenda Thomas at her constituency office at 7 High Street, Pontardawe; Tel. 01792 869993.

NEATH PORT TALBOT GETS A ‘TIDY’ BOOST

A new £131,964 funding boost from the Labour-led Assembly Government will help make towns like Neath and Pontardawe tidier for all, Labour Neath AM Gwenda Thomas said today.

The Labour-led Assembly Government’s ‘Tidy Towns scheme’ is to provide councils in Wales with £3million of funding for projects which improve the state of our towns and villages, and will give communities the chance to take responsibility for the quality of their local environment.

Keep Wales Tidy gas also been given £1 million of Assembly Government funding to appoint a Tidy Towns Champion in Councils including Neath Port Talbot, who will facilitate projects aimed at improving the quality of the local environment.

GWENDA THOMAS AM said:

“The Tidy Towns scheme is a brilliant idea, which I’m sure will help to make places like Neath and Pontardawe even cleaner, greener and safer places to live.

I am also proud that Welsh Labour, which promised this scheme in last year’s Assembly election, is now delivering it in Government in the Assembly.”

“A poor quality local environment can have a major impact on whether people feel happy or safe in their own community, so I welcome the fact that this funding will be able to fund a wide range of projects which will breathe new life into our towns and villages.

Projects to tackle litter, remove graffiti, create new community gardens or wildlife habitats could all be covered by the Tidy Towns scheme, and I look forward to seeing communities across my constituency taking up the reins to improve their local environment.”

RECYCLING BOOST FOR NEATH PORT TALBOT WELCOMED

Recycling efforts in Neath Port Talbot are to be boosted by an extra £2.1m over the next year, thanks to the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government.

Neath Labour AM Gwenda Thomas has welcomed the announcement by the Welsh Minister for Environment, Sustainability & Housing, Jane Davidson AM, of additional cash to increase recycling and composting rates and to cut the amount of waste going to landfill in Neath Port Talbot.

The funding is part of a £50 million Wales-wide package to local authorities under the Assembly Government’s ‘Sustainable waste management grant’. This is an increase of £15 million over the previous year.

Welcoming the announcement, Gwenda Thomas said:

"This is a major investment in the way our waste in Neath Port Talbot is managed, which will lead to more recycling and composting and less waste going to landfill.

“The extra cash will support Neath Port Talbot Council as it moves towards the target for recycling and composting 40 per cent of waste by 2010 and I am pleased to see that the Assembly Government is asking councils to target the extra funding on looking at ways to recycle food waste.

"We have made a great deal of progress with recycling in Wales, with the Labour-led Neath Port Talbot Council making terrific progress in increasing the percentage of waste being recycled, with the award winning curb side recycling scheme being a particular success story.

Gwenda added:

“However, we still have a lot to do and today's announcement will lead to further progress at a time when more and more people of all ages are telling me that they want to do their bit for the environment.

“Climate change is one of the biggest challenges we face, and dealing with our waste effectively is one important way of tackling it. This investment clearly shows that the Labour-led Assembly Government is committed to a cleaner, greener Wales.”

Press Release: AM WELCOMES FUNDING TO KEEP NEATH TIDY

- Welsh Labour announces local clean up fund

COMMUNITY projects are celebrating winning extra funds to give the Upper Amman Valley an early spring clean thanks to the Welsh Assembly Government.

Neath AM Gwenda Thomas has welcomed Welsh Labour Environment Minister Jane Davidson’s announcement that £26,500 has been awarded for Keep Wales Tidy for environmental clean up projects in the Upper Amman Valley.

Funding will support a project which aims to develop a set of resources and approaches that will help groups and organisations across Wales to tackle local problems. One of the Pilot areas will be the Upper Amman Valley – which suffer from high Local Environmental Quality problems including litter, dog fouling and fly tipping. Action will involve high profile campaigns, production of campaign materials and tools and materials.

GWENDA THOMAS AM said:

‘’During the Assembly election last May, Welsh Labour promised action for a cleaner and greener Neath. We are now acting on that promise.

‘‘Local people I talk to are very concerned about the litter and graffiti on their streets and in our community and they want to play their part in improving their environment. I am delighted with this boost from the Assembly Government for these local community projects.

‘’Welsh Labour is also planning tough action on recycling, litter, dog fouling, graffiti and fly-tipping by seeking new powers for the Assembly Government over environmental protection.

‘’And thanks to record investment in recycling Wales smashed last year’s target to recycle more than 25% of our waste and is on course to make sure 40% of waste is recycled by 2010.’’

‘’Cleaning up our environment will go a long way to improve people’s quality of life and make our community a safer, cleaner and a greener place to live.

Press Release: NEATH AM WELCOMES KEEP WALES TIDY PRIZE FOR LOCAL GROUP

NEATH AM Gwenda Thomas added her congratulations to the Dyffryn Clydach Volunteers for their success in the Keep Wales Tidy Awards 2007.

Gwenda Thomas AM praised the local volunteers for their efforts, which have been recognised with the Tidy Wales Award Trophy - presented to the group by the Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson AM.

They also received the Rhiannon Bevan Award which was presented for the first time last year. The award is in memory of Rhiannon who until her recent death had served as chairman of the Keep Wales Tidy Board for many years.

The Dyffryn Clydach volunteers were formed in 1987 and over the past 20 years they have been removed hundreds of tonnes of rubbish in their locality. They have also converted numerous littered and vandalised locations into safe, local amenity areas.

During the past year they have been working at 20 different locations. In addition to removing 56 tonnes of litter they joined forces with Crynant School to create bird boxes and constructing fishing platforms for the disabled.

GWENDA THOMAS AM said:

‘‘It’s great to see so many people, especially young people, getting involved to clean up our communities.

‘’People are concerned about the rubbish they see on their streets, parks and rivers – and they want something done about it.

‘’That’s why it is so important that the Labour led Welsh Assembly Government is behind local efforts all the way so that we can all be proud of the comminities that we live in.

‘’Under Labour the amount of rubbish we recycle in Neath has increased dramatically and tougher fines have been introduced to combat dog-fouling, littering and fly-tipping. But there is always more that we can all do to help make the local environment that much cleaner and healthier.

‘’Welsh Labour is already taking steps to ensure that the Assembly Government will be able to make Welsh laws over these issues so we can give local people and Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council all the power they need to clean up our streets.’’
-Ends-

Press Release: Neath AM searches for Welsh ‘Climate Change Champion’

A search for four outstanding young Welsh people who will act as global ambassadors on climate change has been welcomed by Neath's Labour AM Gwenda Thomas.

The AM is calling for young people in Neath to enter the Assembly Government’s 'Climate Change Champions' competition and persuade their friends, families and communities to do their bit to tackle climate change.

The champions will spend a year 'in office' spreading the word in Wales and Europe about how people can take simple but effective steps to reduce their carbon footprints.

Neath Labour AM Gwenda Thomas said:

‘’Welsh Labour is committed to tackling climate change. We owe it to future generations to do all we can to teach people about the benefits of making small changes to their lifestyle to help stop climate change.

‘’Young people have a vital role to play as champions amongst their friends, families and communities. I would be delighted to see one of our own young people here in Neath representing Wales on the most important issue facing the world today.’’

Notes

The competition is open to any young person in Wales aged between 11 and 18 years at secondary school or college. Entrants will be required to submit a news report demonstrating how they would encourage their friends, family, school or community to make positive steps to reduce their carbon footprint. This could take the format of a newspaper front page, web design, TV or radio recording. The deadline for entries is 9 November 2007.

More information about the competition and climate change can be found at http://new.wales.gov.uk/topics/environmentcountryside/climate_change/champions/?lang=en or by emailing climatechampions@wales.gsi.gov.uk.

Young people who want to discuss climate change and ideas with their peers can log onto www.myspace.com/ccc4w.