As the Westminster Government announces details of a new £1.6bn “Stronger Towns” fund, Kirsty Williams AM has called for clarification and reassurance over what the investment means for Wales.

£1bn has already been allocated from the fund, all of which is going to regions in England (with a particular focus on the North of England and the English Midlands). The remaining £600m is subject to a bidding process.

Kirsty Williams AM has published research showing that Powys’ residents value their libraries more than most of Wales. She has re-iterated calls that the Conservative/Independent administration at Powys Council Council should rethink its plans to slash support for branch libraries.

The intervention comes amidst ongoing budget uncertainty following the rejection of the Council Cabinet’s budget proposals on 21st February.

Kirsty Williams AM is encouraging interested parties to engage with a newly launched consultation into the merits of a Deposit Return Scheme.

Deposit Return Schemes encourage people to recycle drinks containers such as plastic or glass bottles. People pay a small deposit for the container which is paid back when it is returned to a collection point.

Kirsty Williams has welcomed an initiative that will see council tax scrapped for young people leaving the care system in Wales.

New legislation will mean all care leavers under 25 will be exempt from council tax. Some local authorities had already taken this step but many had not. The Wales-wide approach will be in force from April 2019.

As of March 2018 there were 210 looked after children in Powys.

Kirsty Williams, Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for Brecon and Radnorshire, visited Llanfaes CP School (in Brecon) to see NSPCC’s ‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ service in action.

‘Speak Out Stay Safe’ is part of NSPCC’s preventative work on supporting schools and keeping children safe. The service aims to ensure children learn about abuse, how to spot it, how to protect themselves and where to go for help.

Kirsty spent the morning at the school, seeing assemblies and workshops for different age groups.

Kirsty Williams has welcomed the news that the Bracken Trust will receive £499,964 in funding from the National Lottery Community Fund over the next five years.

The Bracken Trust delivers services to people suffering or recovering from cancer, empowering people to live with, through and beyond cancer.

Kirsty Williams AM is marking World Cancer Day by highlighting the importance of supporting people to maintain a healthy body weight.

Cancer Research UK estimate that, in the Powys Teaching Health Board area, 27.4% of 4-5 year olds are overweight or obese. The charity says that obese children are around five times more likely to be obese adults.

On Thursday 31st January the ‘Growing Mid Wales Partnership’ held an exhibition in the National Assembly for Wales. The exhibition showcased businesses in Mid Wales and promoted the potential for a Mid Wales growth deal.

Kirsty Williams AM has welcomed the publication of a Welsh Government plan containing a series of actions to improve the lives of people seeking sanctuary in Wales.

‘Nation of Sanctuary – Refugee and Asylum Seeker Plan’ was published on Tuesday 29 January. It follows a report in the National Assembly for Wales called ‘I used to be someone’.

After meetings with Wales’ two farming unions, Kirsty Williams has re-emphasised the importance of avoiding a no-deal Brexit - saying “the Conservative Government need to avoid a no-deal Brexit at all costs.”

On the evening of Monday 21st January Kirsty met the Welsh Council of NFU Cymru, and on the morning of Tuesday 22nd January she joined the Farmers’ Union of Wales at their Farmhouse Breakfast event. NFU Cymru and FUW have consistently stressed the need to avoid a no-deal Brexit.