Support quality, independent, local journalism…that matters

From just £1 a month you can help fund our work – and use our website without adverts. Become a member today

Laura Anne Jones, who represents the Welsh Conservatives, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region. She is also the shadow secretary for housing, local government and the Armed Forces.

I met with many wonderful local businesses last week across Caerphilly in the run up to Small Business Saturday.

We all cherish our independent traders and high streets, which are the backbone of our communities. Please do go out and support them this Christmas, if you are able; they need us.

Even just popping in to buy something small can make a huge difference to them.

The whole experience of visiting our county’s town and shops at Christmas, with music playing and Christmas decorations sparkling, is far better than shopping online. With recent floods, storms and a fire, our independent traders have suffered, so please shop local if you can.

It was sad to see how devastating Storms Darragh and Bert were to our county of Caerphilly. My thanks go out to all the emergency services, the council, and for all those that helped residents and businesses, that were affected by floods, strong winds or power cuts.

However, it was disappointing that the National Grid and Welsh Water weren’t as prepared as they should have been to help protect our residents, vulnerable isolated people particularly. Also, the financial support for businesses affected was severely lacking.

Speaking of disasters, in true Labour form, the Welsh Government released their Draft Budget, which on the face of it sounded good, but the reality was it was a ‘smoke and mirrors’ budget. It will see a lot of the money shoot right back to the M4 into Westminster’s purse, thanks to having to our NHS, small businesses and local authorities having to fill in the massive financial holes caused by UK Labour’s National Insurance increases.

It is very much a budget in Wales that ‘gives with one hand and takes with the other’, with farmers and pensioners feeling the brunt of that and of course sport and culture crippled further, after decades of under-funding and budget cuts.

On a brighter note, I am delighted to have been given a crucial role as shadow cabinet secretary for housing, local government and the Armed Forces, at a time when local authorities need our help to stand up to Welsh Government for a better, fairer funding deal. For too long local authorities have been given more and more demands by Welsh Government, without the money to follow it.

I look forward to working with local councillors in Caerphilly and across Wales, and local authorities, to formulate good policy, press for change and to ensure key services are protected.

The country is in the middle of a housing crisis, there are just no homes for people who need one, especially social housing. I will fight to get the right homes, in the right places, looking to take people and families out of unsuitable B&B’s.

The Armed Forces has always been close to my heart, having family who have served. I already sit on the Armed Forces cross-party group, and I am very keen to translate some of the great ideas we hear from those in the Armed Forces and veterans, to better the lives of those who are serving and have served, giving them the support and dignity they deserve.