One Year as Your MP - A Message from David Chadwick MP
Today marks one year since the General Election, when I had the honour of being elected as the Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe.
It has been a real privilege to serve as your MP every day since, standing up for our communities, helping local residents with the issues they’re facing, and making sure our voice is heard in Parliament. I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your support, and to reflect on what we've achieved so far, as well as the work that lies ahead.
Representing the largest constituency in all of England and Wales means working with an incredibly diverse set of communities. From the hill farmers of Radnorshire to the former mining towns of the Swansea Valley, the needs across our area vary greatly, and I’ve made it a priority to ensure everyone’s voice is heard. To help achieve that, we’ve opened two new constituency offices, one in Pontardawe and one in Brecon, alongside our longstanding Liberal Democrat office in Llandrindod Wells. These offices have become vital hubs for local people to raise concerns, access support, and for me to stay connected to local residents.
Through this network and with the support of my team, we've been able to offer help to thousands of people across the constituency. The best part of my job is supporting people from across the constituency on a range of different issues. Since the election, my team and I have resolved more than 7,600 cases on behalf of constituents and have responded to over 14,700 emails. We’ve held regular advice surgeries in towns across the constituency, including Brecon, Pontardawe, Crickhowell, Cwmllynfell, Godre’r Graig, Cwmgors, Llandrindod Wells and Ystradgynlais, and I remain committed to being as accessible and responsive as possible.
In Parliament, I’ve made 81 spoken contributions in debate, more than any other newly elected Welsh MP. That’s already more than half the number of contributions made by my predecessor during their entire five years in office. I’ve also submitted over 150 written questions to Ministers to get answers on behalf of our community. On top of my parliamentary work, I’ve had the chance to attend hundreds of community events, from the Royal Welsh Show to the Hay Festival, to VE Day commemorations across the constituency.
A RECORD OF ACTION, A PROMISE OF MORE
This past year has also seen us win some important battles for local residents. In Ystradgynlais, after a sustained campaign and a formal appeal to the regulator, we secured a new banking hub for the town. Since the closure of Lloyds Bank in 2023, residents, especially older people, were having to travel long distances just to access their own money. I promised during the election to fight for banking services to return to the town, and I’m proud we delivered. I’m incredibly grateful to the local residents who submitted evidence to support our appeal, and I will keep campaigning for better banking access in other communities. I’ve already requested assessments for banking hubs in Builth Wells, Brecon, Presteigne, Hay-on-Wye and Pontardawe.
Another major achievement came after I was contacted by constituents living in Persimmon Homes new-build properties. They were being forced to use a single internet provider under restrictive, poor-quality contracts. I raised the issue in Parliament, tabled an Early Day Motion, and wrote to Ministers. Following this pressure, Persimmon changed its policy to give residents more choice over their broadband.
I’ve also supported community-led projects across Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, including working with residents in Knighton to help secure flood alleviation funding for Wylcwm Brook.
Throughout the year, I have continued to campaign on key issues affecting our communities. One of the most serious is water pollution. All three of our rivers, the Wye, Usk and Tawe, remain among the most polluted in the country. I have joined parliamentary groups focused on water quality, supported proposals to tighten regulations on water companies, and spoken out about the need for tougher rules on sewage dumping and executive bonuses.
Health remains the issue I hear most about. While the NHS is devolved to the Welsh Government, I have used my platform to stand up for local services, including campaigning against the downgrading of minor injuries units in Powys. Alongside my Senedd colleague Jane Dodds, I’ve also called for urgent investment in social care. The social care crisis is one of the root causes of pressure on the NHS, and it’s hitting our councils hard too. So far, both the UK and Welsh governments have failed to deliver meaningful reform. That is unacceptable, and I will continue to raise the issue.
Farming and rural life are at the heart of our constituency. Large parts of Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe are among the most rural in the country, and I’ve used my voice in Parliament to champion a rural economy that works for everyone. I’ve stood up against the so-called “family farms tax,” speaking out about the harm it would cause to generational family farms, and I helped organise a mass rally at the Royal Welsh Showground alongside NFU Cymru to oppose the policy. The event was well attended, including by the Chair of Parliament’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. I’ve also pushed for greater fairness in the agricultural supply chain, continuing the work of former Liberal Democrat MP Roger Williams. Farmers and producers deserve protection from the bullying tactics of large supermarkets, and I’ve used both debate time in Parliament and legislative tools to fight for that, most notably by co-sponsoring the Food Supply Chain Fairness Bill, alongside the Chair of the EFRA Committee and Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael. This work will remain a key priority for me in the months ahead.
Transport has been one of the biggest issues raised with me across the constituency, and it's clear that many of our communities are being let down by poor services and underinvestment. Since being elected, I’ve campaigned for better public transport right across Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe. Just recently, I uncovered the scandal that Wales is set to miss out on millions of pounds of rail investment because a new rail line between Oxford and Cambridge has been wrongly classified as an “England and Wales” project. This follows the UK Government’s decision to treat HS2 in the same way, costing Wales billions in potential investment. I have challenged several Ministers on this directly and will continue pressing for Wales to receive its fair share of transport funding. This funding could make a real difference to our communities, whether it’s improving poor bus services in the Swansea Valley or making the Heart of Wales Line more reliable. I’m extremely proud that the campaign I led with Jane Dodds to reinstate the fifth daily service on the Heart of Wales Line was successful. We’re now looking to build on that win by calling for new trains, improved reliability, and more frequent services across the region.
This first year has been busy, rewarding and full of challenges. I’m proud of the work we’ve done, but I know there is still so much more to do. From fighting for fair funding, to fixing broken systems, to making sure no community is left behind, I will keep working every day on your behalf.
What I have outlined above is just a snapshot of work I’ve been up to in the last year. If you haven’t already, you can sign up to my in-depth monthly newsletters here which outline in detail what I have done each month. You can also follow my social media accounts by using the below links.
Thank you again for the trust you’ve placed in me. If you ever need help, have a concern you’d like to raise, or want to discuss an issue affecting your area, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or come along to one of my advice surgeries.
Warm wishes,
David Chadwick
Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe
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