Dear Editor,

Feedback on the doorstep during the recent Assembly Elections highlighted the schism which many people across North Wales perceive to exist when it come to our country's North and South.

There is a deeply worrying perception, fuelled by the actions of previous Welsh Government administrations, that decisions within Cardiff Bay are made in a cosy bubble, remote from many of the communities which Assembly Members are elected to represent.

It is for these reasons that the prospect of job cuts at the Daily Post newspaper, including the post of Senedd reporter in Cardiff Bay, are hugely troubling.

The current post holder has worked exceptionally hard to ensure that the people of North Wales are kept readily informed as to the decisions, and debates, which impact upon so much of our lives. Being based at the Senedd, at the heart of Welsh democracy; watching, observing and reporting on the issues which matter to the region has proved essential - albeit uncomfortable for those under the scrutiny spotlight. 

I fear that the loss of the position of Senedd reporter will do a great disservice to my constituents and others across North Wales. People here deserve to have a newspaper which takes the National Assembly for Wales seriously and reports from it first-hand via journalists based within it. The Daily Post has a proud reputation of doing just that and I'm disappointed to see that the paper is considering throwing it all away. 

In the years which follow, policy decisions linked to a North Wales Growth Deal, local government reform, the future of Betsi Cadwaladr and our schools and hospitals will have a major impact on our region. Any action which reduces the opportunity for the people of North Wales to scrutinise such decisions via unvarnished and independent reporting of the news is unwelcome and likely to further disengage people from politics. I therefore urge Trinity Mirror to reconsider this proposal. 

Yours sincerely,

Darren Millar AM
Welsh Conservative, Clwyd West Assembly Member