The pressure on local government finances was brought into sharp relief over the summer when some devastating cuts were put forward by Caerffili County Borough Council.

The Labour-controlled local authority has signalled their intention to mothball the Blackwood Miners’ Institute and Llancaiach Fawr.

Moreover, they want to remove the Meals on Wheels service which has been described as a lifeline to so many.

There is no doubting that Tory austerity over the last decade-and-a-half – which we should not forget was endorsed by the Liberal Democrats in government and Labour in opposition at one point – has taken a heavy toll on public finances.

I hold the Local Government brief for Plaid Cymru in the Senedd and hold regular meetings with council leaders so I understand the difficult position that many local authorities are in. Having said that, I also sympathise with the anger that these emotive cuts have triggered.

Take the Blackwood Miners’ Institute for example. This building was built because local miners sacrificed what little pennies they were left with after a week of toil in the most dangerous conditions imaginable.

They made these sacrifices to provide a better quality of life for their communities and better prospects for their children.

The Stute initially provided a place to play snooker but it later incorporated a reading room, library, stage and rehearsal rooms for local societies. The Stute is one of the finest surviving examples of this proud chapter in our history and it would be a crying shame if it was lost.

This is not just a heritage issue but also an access to the arts issue. The Stute provides a local venue for people to watch plays, comedians and live music, not forgetting the popular Christmas pantos it hosts. It is also a hub for local grassroots arts organisations.

Shutting down the Stute would mean people having to travel further afield to access the arts – which inevitably those who cannot afford the extra expense of travelling would miss out.

There are also many unanswered questions about what losing Meals on Wheels would mean for the people – many of whom are vulnerable – that use it.

Can the “external providers” that the council suggest would step in cope with the extra demand? How does the quality of food and the prices of the private sector compare with what is currently on offer? These are all the kinds of things that I would hope that the council would have investigated vigorously before making their final decision.

It is for all these reasons that I and my Plaid Cymru colleague Delyth Jewell have officially opposed the proposed cuts in a formal consultation response.

Peredur Owen Griffiths is a Plaid Cymru Senedd member for South Wales East.