As the Senedd returns, the first Minister of Wales has named her cabinet. Since Eluned Morgan was appointed on August 6, she has spent the summer listening to the people of Wales.

The Welsh Labour Government have agreed a pay rise for the Welsh public sector. It equates to above inflation pay rises for hundreds of thousands of public sector workers. This includes a 5.5% pay rise for teachers and NHS staff. Plus, a 6% pay rise for doctors and dentists.

Fourteen years of Tory austerity have left our public services and communities at breaking point. The U.K. Labour Government came to office finding a £22 billion black hole in how public services are financed.

This means that difficult decisions will have to be made but I will continue to stand up for Islwyn. It is vital that our communities are listened to.

I have written to Caerphilly County Borough Council to register my objection to two public consultations.

Namely the proposal to withdraw the subsidy and mothball Blackwood Miners’ Institute from end of December 2024 and the proposal to end the Council’s meals on wheels direct service.

Blackwood Miners’ Institute is a much-loved community venue.

It speaks to the very fabric of the Welsh way of life. It links our past with our present and must be maintained for future generations.

Islwyn’s proud mining and industrial heritage is represented by the Blackwood Miners’ Institute.

The cultural imperative of such a facility can be seen by similar Islwyn institutions that have been saved for the nation.

My constituency office sits proudly in the restored Newbridge Memorial Hall.

Whilst at the St. Fagan’s National History Museum the Oakdale Working Men’s Institute is located to celebrate the importance of “Stutes” as they were known throughout South Wales.

I urge Caerphilly County Borough Council to maintain the subsidy and begin the exploration of detailed discussions with interested parties about how the facility could be run in the future.

I urge Caerphilly County Borough Council to instigate urgent discussions with Welsh Government cultural officials and with the Arts Council of Wales to seek a way forward.

Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Meals on Wheels Direct Service is a fundamental service for many. It also has wide scale public support.

For the people of Islwyn, the service graphically demonstrates the values and beliefs we want to see from a Labour run council.

For many users of the service, it is the only face to face human contact that they experience from day to day.

Rhianon Passmore MS is the Senedd member for Islwyn.