Following the Police lobby of Parliament yesterday, Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams commented: 

‘We are fortunate in Ceredigion to be served by the Dyfed-Powys Police Force, whose professional and competent officers work so hard despite the challenges they face in policing such a large rural area.  I was therefore very pleased to meet with Dyfed-Powys representatives in Westminster yesterday at the police lobby. 

‘All sides accept the need for reforms, but what worries me about the Windsor Report is the lack of consultation, both with the police force and the public.  Reforms must not jeopardise the safety of the public or of Police officers.

‘I hope the Home Secretary will now take time to reflect on the proposals in the Report, and take serious consideration before implementing them.

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams welcomed Radio Beca, a new radio station which has been awarded a community license by Ofcom to broadcast predominantly in Welsh, across Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire and north Pembrokeshire.

Commenting Mark Williams said:

‘Having supported the application, I was delighted that this license has been granted by Ofcom, and am very pleased that the Welsh language station will be covering such a large area – a move away from the norm by Ofcom.

‘This will be a great asset to the communities the station will cover, and I am look forward to the station being fully operational.’

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams has this week reminded the Government of the importance of the provision of services in rural areas, in order to fight the effects of rural isolation.

Speaking in a debate on Government support for rural communities in the House of Commons yesterday, Mark Williams raised the issue of the increasing number of closures of small, independently run rural petrol stations, which is proving to become a real issue in West Wales.

Mark Williams also addressed the lack of access to finance services in rural areas and how this problem is compounded by a lack of broadband which means people in rural areas without access to a local bank branch are also unable to turn to internet banking, as is often suggested by banks as a solution.

Commenting Mark Williams said:

‘So often we in rural areas are left behind, and put at a disadvantage to those in urban areas, and I was grateful of the opportunity to raise with the Minister the issues that faced everyday by people who live in rural areas.

‘So often when a bank says it is closing they offer up internet banking as an alternative, but in the many places in Ceredigion with poor broadband access, internet banking is simply not an option. And so often a small family run village petrol station which may double up as the village shop or Post Office, finds itself having to close due to the threat of big chains or supermarket petrol stations.

‘There are steps in the right direction, such as the £56.9 million awarded to the Assembly by the Westminster Government to invest into broadband, and I hope the Government will listen further to rural communities and moves in the right direction such as this will continue to be made.’