Taking place on Thursday 26 November, Carers Rights Day brings together organisations from across Wales to reach out to carers with information, advice and support. 

This year’s theme is Know Your Rights. The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted every aspect of caring, affecting carers’ access to support and services, and their physical and mental health. Many are caring for the first time, while those who’ve been caring for a while are facing greater challenges and pressures than ever before. It’s never been more important for carers to be informed and know their rights. 

Ben Lake MP has supported a parliamentary motion asking the UK Government to underpin health measures with economic support and urgently put packages of support in place for the hostel sector. The motion asks the government for help to survive winter amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Hundreds of hostels and bunkhouses throughout the UK have been forced to close during the pandemic having a catastrophic effect on income and jobs in the sector particularly in rural parts of the UK, including in west Wales. 

YHA, which operates 24 youth hostels in Wales, has suffered a £30 million (75%) drop in income since March, making it the worst ever year in the charity’s 90-year history.  

Ben Lake urges PM to bring forward support package for events and hospitality sector

Plaid Cymru’s Treasury spokesperson Ben Lake MP has in Prime Minister’s Questions today called on the UK Government to urgently provide support for businesses in the supply chains of the events and hospitality sector.

The MP for Ceredigion pointed out that Plaid Cymru had called on the UK Government to fill the gaps in financial support from the beginning of the pandemic, and said that “yesterday’s unemployment figures serve as a sobering reminder of the cost of the Government’s inactivity.”

Ben Lake MP has warned that a proposed tax hike for small breweries could threaten breweries and jobs at an already challenging time due to the pandemic. Despite freezes in the last two budgets, the UK has one of the highest Beer Duty (tax) rates in Europe, and is three times the EU average.  

Under the contentious plans, dozens of small breweries across Wales face the burden of paying more tax because of a decision by the UK Treasury to cut Small Breweries’ Relief. Around 90 small breweries in Wales could be adversely impacted by the changes.   

Once more, we are facing a challenging time and I know there has been some discussion on why include Ceredigion in the Firebreak Lockdown. I’ve asked myself the same question. Is it a proportionate measure to include Ceredigion, given our low level of disease-incidence and the desire of businesses to continue trading.

Today campaign group, Power for People, thanked local MP, Ben Lake, for holding a debate in the House of Commons to promote community renewable energy by creating a ‘Right to Local Supply’ in law. 

Central to the debate was a proposed new law, known as the Local Electricity Bill, that Mr Lake is co-sponsoring and which is supported by 212 MPs. The Bill aims to help rebuild local economies whilst increasing clean energy generation. 

If made law, the Bill would empower community-owned local energy companies to sell locally generated renewable electricity directly to local households and businesses. 

UK Government has rejected the latest attempt to require imported food to meet domestic legal standards from 1 January. 

The Agriculture Bill - designed to prepare the farming industry for when the UK no longer has to follow EU laws and rules next year - returned to the Commons on Monday following amendments by the House of Lords. 

During the debate on the Lords amendments in the Commons, Ben Lake MP stated: “This Government have long talked up the benefits of taking back control and of how, post-EU, we will be able to set the terms of our trade with the world. Those terms should be quite simple: UK market access for imports should be dependent on meeting equivalent UK food production standards. Without this safeguard, this Bill threatens the future prosperity of Welsh farming.” 

Ben Lake MP has called on the UK Government to ensure that support is given to all businesses impacted by local lockdown restrictions. 

On Friday, the UK Chancellor announced that businesses forced to close due to new restrictions will be eligible for grants to pay up to 67% of employees’ salary, but the only businesses able to claim the grant will be those that are directly subjected to lockdown restrictions.  

During the Treasury Statement in the House of Commons last week, Ben Lake MP asked the Minister “what considerations have been given to the impact of local lockdowns on businesses and supply chains located beyond the lockdown areas?” and “what support will be made available to businesses that are materially impacted by restrictions imposed elsewhere?”. 

Ben Lake MP is encouraging dairy farmers across Ceredigion to respond to the Welsh Government’s Dairy Contracts Consultation.  

The Dairy Contracts Consultation is a joint consultation agreed by all four UK and devolved Governments, consulting on regulations on dairy contracts between farmers and processors to address bargaining power, unfair or unclear contract terms, trust and transparency in the supply chain. 

The consultation was prompted by evidence and recommendations from the independent Grocery Chain Adjudicator (GCA) review. The review highlighted the unfair pressures placed on primary producers; for example, through unfavourable contract terms and short notice of price reductions and specifications. These practices limit the ability of dairy farmers to budget effectively and manage price volatility. The review identified problems with the balance of bargaining power in the groceries supply chain. 

Ben Lake MP has today shown his support for food and farming on Back British Farming Day, recognising the crucial role farmers play in producing food for the nation and caring for the countryside.  

The National Farmers’ Union (NFU) provided MPs with a Back British Farming wool and wheatsheaf pin badge to publicly display their support at a crucial time for the agricultural sector with trade negotiations, including crucial talks with the EU, ongoing. 

The UK food and farming industry is worth more than £120 billion to the national economy and employs more than 4 million people.