Flooding

My heart goes out to those who have had property or belongings damaged in the floods. It is harrowing to see the effects this has had on residents, but also heart-warming to see communities pulling together. While Caerphilly Council’s resources were stretched, they worked around the clock to help residents severely affected. The Welsh Government can provide a Discretionary Assistance Fund for those facing extreme financial hardship. You can find more information on the funding here. As always, if I can help in any way you can contact my office on (01443) 838542, or alternatively at Hefin.David@assembly.wales. Be safe.

Public Services

I’ve had emails from residents expressing their views about the need to protect front line services in the council budget. Last week I met with Cllr Philippa Marsden, leader of the council and she assured me that there will be no cuts to services. Trehir recycling centre will remain open, social services and school budgets will be protected and there will be no increase in charges for school meals. There will also be no cuts to CCTV services, with 26 remote cameras retained in the county. This is a good and responsible budget.

Transport

I’ve held discussions with public transport providers in the area in the last couple of weeks. With Transport for Wales, I raised the issue of peak time overcrowding and unreliable services on the Rhymney to Cardiff line. I use the line myself to get to work and it is clear that increased capacity is needed this year and this must be maintained. Bus services too need to improve and I am continuing to make the case with Stagecoach for the retention of the 86X to the Heath Hospital.

Cardiff Council proposed a ‘congestion charge’ on cars entering the city but this cannot even be considered as an option until we see a sustained improvement in public transport. Fortunately, Welsh Government agree and will not allow Cardiff to unilaterally impose a charge.

Schools

We are seeing a marked improvement in our local schools. Most recently, St Cenydd Comprehensive had a very good inspection result and Nant y Parc Primary received an ‘excellent’ categorisation in all areas. Well done all involved.