As a newly elected member of the Senedd, our national parliament, can I place on record my thanks to all those who voted for Plaid Cymru throughout the Mid and West Wales region. I know that many of you have done so for the very first time, and I am truly grateful. I see it as a huge personal honour to have been elected as Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd to cover the region where I was born and educated, and have worked and lived for most of my life.
I am determined to be a strong voice in the Senedd for all the residents of Mid and West Wales, irrespective of your political allegiances.
The election campaign itself was important in the sense that it gave me, along with other candidates from all parties a chance to engage with, and to enter some really fascinating discussions with people from across the region on a range of important issues.
When out campaigning on behalf of Plaid Cymru in Carmarthenshire it became clear that there were many common themes – the need to support and regenerate Llanelli town centre, the need to create quality employment opportunities, access to high-quality health services, access to high speed broadband in our more rural areas, reliable transport links and the need to provide quality affordable housing within the region. These are all issues that I am determined to take up on your behalf over the next few years.
Prior to my election in May, I had served as a County Councillor in Carmarthenshire since 2012 and Cabinet member over the past four years, and I am fully aware of the potential that Llanelli has. I am excited to see the great work that the County Council is doing to regenerate Llanelli – from the Pentre Awel (Delta Lakes) investment, the YMCA development, Market Street and Station Road projects. I also personally led on the Ty-isa project which aims to transform the ward in terms of housing provision, environmental improvements and tackling crime and disorder. I hope this shows that I am determined to do all that I can to support the work of the County Council in regenerating Llanelli and to lobby the Labour Welsh Government for additional investment in this part of the world.
I am really keen to reach out and listen to as many people across the region as possible over the next few years. Once I have established my office, I will be looking to hold regular surgeries and engagement events where I can talk directly to residents from across the region. In the meantime, if you have an issue that you would like me to take up on your behalf, feel free to email me on cefin.campbell@senedd.cymru.
