Cross Border Services

Written by Kirsty Williams AM and published in County Times 21st Decemebr 2007 on Fri 21st Dec 2007

Living in the marches we are all familiar with the fluidity of service use across the Wales-England border. To residents of Radnorshire it may seem obvious that the undoubtedly historic and important divide, but arbitrary line nonetheless, is not an impenetrable barrier to our day to day activities; but it seems that to the Cardiff bubble of decision makers it is held as an impassable edge for all that is Welsh.

From receiving treatment at district general hospitals in Hereford or Shrewsbury; to picking up prescriptions in Kington; to training at Hereford college; to doing the weekly shop and working in Hereford or Leominster; such cross-border use reflects the natural patterns of travel that have been followed for many years along with the better transport infrastructure that connects mid-Wales' communities to neighbouring towns across the border in Herefordshire and Shropshire.

For residents of Presteigne and Knighton, health services along with economic and social opportunities are undoubtedly closer in Hereford than in Cardiff. The sustainability of rural communities and a reverse of the assault on the environment relies upon the use and promotion of local services and relies upon continued economic and social activity to encourage new-comers into an area. Communities do not and cannot follow the false grid-line of the ordinance survey map - they are organic and evolving - requiring the recognition and support of the authorities from council's up to government. Transport links such as buses and roads are key to maintaining the attraction and practicality of living in an area as are health provisions and training and employment opportunities. For the very survival of our remote and threatened rural communities in this borderland area we must have access to nearby services in England.

However along with the numbers of constituents who contact me I am worried by sounds coming from the One Wales Government which seem to question the desirability of this continued flow, and of Welsh residents continuing to receive services in the way that they have done previously. It is often said that in bringing these services within Wales we are doing so out of a desire for Nation-building, but I would argue that you do not build a nation by forcing people to receive services in a certain place which may be less suitable. A strong and confident nation would not argue about letting patients access services across the border. A nation that wants to stick together does so because it understands the benefits of doing so, not because it is forced to do so.

In a recent Assembly debate discussing cross-border services I called upon the Assembly Government for reassurance that political dogma would not dictate where the Welsh borderland's residents receive their services, but rather would allow them to access services according to what is best for their needs. We must embrace and recognise the benefits of cross-border service links and use them to strengthen rather than fragment our Welsh identity.