By Hannah Blythyn

MS for Delyn

At First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd last week, I asked the Firast Minister what the Welsh Government is doing to support access to high street banking services in town centres across Flintshire.

With yet another bank closure announced – this time Santander in Holywell – residents and businesses will soon be left without a single branch in the town.

This isn’t just inconvenient – it’s unacceptable.

I urged the First Minister to back our campaign for a banking hub in Holywell, like the successful one in Prestatyn, ensuring people still have access to vital face-to-face banking services.

These hubs are a lifeline – not just for individuals, but for our town centres too. Our communities deserve better and I’ll keep pushing to make sure Holywell and towns across our area get the banking services they need.

As explained in this column recently, I brought up the issue of standing charges in the Senedd a couple of weeks ago in order to highlight the fact that North Wales has the highest electricity standing charges in the whole of the UK.

At 69.54p per day, North Wales faces significantly higher charges than London (46.20p) and South Wales (51.79p) – and the unit rate is the highest too!

This isn’t fair and it needs to change, so I have written to Ofgem to ask them to look into the issue as well as suggest that a meaningful social tariff, on top of existing support, could target people and places that need it most.

I’ve had a high number of messages from constituents on this issue, so it’s obviously something that affects a great many people in our area.

As International Women’s Month draws to an end, I met with members of the WI (National Federation of Women’s Institutes) in the Senedd last week and spoke at the short debate, which seeks to raise awareness of autism and ADHD in women and girls and to take action to improve the diagnosis process.

The WI campaign – Thinking Differently: Autistic and ADHD Women and Girls – is really important not just to raise awareness but also to ensure that women’s voices are heard and their experiences are acted upon to shape our public health policy and approach.

I have supported the introduction of the Welsh Government’s Women’s Health Plan and I am keen to see how this will be built on so that autistic and ADHD women and girls are not left out and have a say on the services available to them.

You can watch my contribution to the debate and read more about the campaign at www.thewi.org.uk/campaigns/key-and-current-campaigns/thinking-differently.

I also had the chance to drop in to chat to the Dogs Trust at the Senedd for a catch up and to learn more about their work around ensuring pet-friendly homes in Wales.

Sadly, one of biggest reasons that dogs need to be rehomed is due to a change in their owners’ circumstances, including a different housing contract that says tenants aren’t allowed to keep pets.

I have raised previously the importance of pets in our lives and the need to make lives easier for those in rented accommodation when it comes to owning a dog.

You can find out more about pet-friendly housing at www.letswithpets.org.uk.

Back home in Flintshire, I recently received an update from Liverpool Bay CCS Limited about proposals to build a new carbon dioxide spur pipeline and above ground installation (AGI) to connect the Heidelberg Materials UK cement works at Padeswood with the HyNet Carbon Dioxide Pipeline at Northop Hall.

To provide opportunities to learn more about the proposals and meet the team, the company is holding two in-person events and an online webinar:

• Thursday, April 3, 7pm to 8pm – online, sign up on their website hynethub.co.uk/padeswood

• Saturday, April 5, 11am to 3pm at Northop Hall Pavillion, CH7 6GF

• Wednesday, April 9, 3pm to 7pm at New Brighton Community Centre, CH7 6QU For more information, visit hynethub.co.uk/padeswood or you can email hello@hynethub.co.uk.

Finally, if you represent a local organisation looking for grant funding, Tesco is currently inviting people to apply for their Stronger Starts scheme, which is open to all schools, registered charities, sports and community clubs and not-for-profit organisations, with priority given to projects that provide food and support to young people.

The scheme offers grants of up to £1,500 and you can easily apply at www.tescostrongerstarts.org.uk – you can also nominate a project or group that you think deserves a grant.

As always, if you would like advice and/or support, please don’t hesitate to get in touch on any of the following contact details – 52 High Street, Mold, Flintshire, on 01352 753464 or by email hannah.blythyn@senedd.wales.

You can also keep up to date via my Facebook page – www.facebook.com/HannahBlythynForDelyn.

Constituents are, of course, welcome to contact my office to arrange an appointment to see me, you don’t need to wait for an advice surgery.