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Peredur Owen Griffiths, who represents Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

What a turnout we saw in Blackwood earlier this month against the Labour cuts in Caerphilly County Borough. If there was any doubt among the cabinet members about the strength of feeling around their proposals to close Blackwood Miners’ Institute, Llancaiach Fawr and the Meals Direct service, there certainly was not by the end of the day.

For my part it was a privilege to be on the march and have an opportunity to address the hundreds of people who had gathered to voice their discontent with the council and their cost-cutting measures.

Given the location, the focus of the protest was the ‘Stute. I talked about how this venue makes arts accessible for all in the area; whether they are audience members or budding performers.

It is hard to put a price on bringing cultural events and experiences – at an affordable price – to people who would otherwise struggle to access them. 

In my speech I talked about how the ‘Stute is more than just a venue however – it is an important link to our proud industrial heritage. I spoke of how it is a bridge to a difficult time in our history – a time when miners would set aside what little spare money they had left over at the end of a gruelling week to fund and build this institute.

They did so to provide a better future for their children and their children’s children. They scrimped and saved to give future generations the kind of opportunities they were denied themselves. We should not be the generation that allows one of the last and finest, working examples of the valleys institutes to wither on the vine.

The cuts also encompass one of the most historic buildings not just in Caerphilly County Borough but the whole of the country – Llancaiach Fawr. It is almost as if Labour’s top brass on the council struggle to appreciate the historical significance of this Tudor manor house, believing it to be “just an old house”.

Well, I and many thousands of other people in the county borough and outside the local area certainly do grasp its importance and believe its closure would be a retrograde step and a stain on the reputation of the local authority.

Ending the Meals Direct service would also have far-reaching, damaging consequences. This service has been described as a lifeline to the people that receive it.

For all the council’s talk of private operators being able to pick up the slack, there is no comparison between the service currently offered and a service that delivers meals to a house in the most efficient way.

This is not a criticism of the private companies that deliver hot meals to homes but the simple fact is they are not able to spend the same time with clients as the Meals Direct staff currently do. Allied to the horrendous cuts to the winter fuel allowance by Starmer’s government, Labour seems to be on a mission to short-change older people and the vulnerable.

Plaid Cymru stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people and will remain steadfast in its opposition to these cuts.  

Finally, I was sorry to hear of the controversy over the fireworks display that has entertained hundreds of people over the past few years at the cornfields in Trethomas.

Rhys Norman, a local boy who started the event three years ago with his own cash, says the Labour-controlled BTM Community Council have now “completely hijacked” the event with a London firework display company at the helm.

Many local people have reacted with disgust at the community council and have vowed to snub their event in favour of an alternative display that Rhys has said he will now put on at Graig-y-Rhacca football field with the help of sponsorship from local businesses. I wish Rhys all the best with his efforts to establish an alternative event.

We should be rewarding people for being community-minded, not punishing them. The public sector should also be supporting local businesses and people more than they currently do.