Nick Smith MP – Monthly Report – February 2025

13th February, 2025

Campaigning to deliver our key messages is crucial and this weekend we will be heading out in Tafarnaubach and Princetown for National Campaign Weekend to let people know about Labour’s plan to make work pay and raise living standards.
We promised to put more money in the pockets of working people and strengthen worker’s rights, so that’s what we’re doing.
From April the National Living Wage will rise to £12.21 and the National Minimum Wage (for workers 18-20) will rise to £10.

Through our Employment Rights Bill, which is currently progressing through Parliament, we will ban zero hours contracts, end ‘Fire and Rehire’, strengthen statutory sick pay, improve employment rights from day one (including access to parental leave and protection from unfair dismissal) and more.
Hard work should be properly rewarded and our Labour Government is committed to making sure that work really does pay. Join us to let people know about our Labour values being put into action to make work secure, more family-friendly and better paid.
We will be meeting on Sat, Feb 15th for 10.30am at the Nags Head Pub, Merthyr Road, Tredegar, NP22 3AP and will be aiming to campaign for around 90 minutes before reconvening for a coffee and a natter afterwards. It would be great to see you there.

British Coal Pension Scheme
Our Labour Government finally putting right the injustice of the Mineworkers Pension Scheme means that more than 1600 former mineworkers in Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney are now receiving a boost of £29 a week on average.
However, there are also 321 former pit staff in our constituency who paid in to the separate British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS). They should not be left behind. They deserve a similar uplift to their pensions.
I previously raised this in the house with a question to Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones MP, and was assured that this is something that Business Ministers are working on. I followed this up with two letters to the Chancellor asking for the next steps to be outlined as soon as possible given the average age of those pensioners who would benefit is now 78, with some now in their 80s and 90s.

Housing Standards
Another matter I spoke on in Parliament was to welcome the emphasis our Labour Government is placing on better housing standards going forward. For areas like ours, new, good quality, insulation schemes are vital.
I asked about improving the workforce needed to deliver these schemes in the future. I was pleased by the Minister’s response which acknowledged that this is not just an opportunity to improve housing but also to deliver quality jobs, training, and build local supply chains.

Brynmawr Medical Practice
I welcome the news that Brynmawr Medical Practice is being returned to the Health Board after the issues that patients and staff have been experiencing. Other practices in our constituency being run by this GP partnership – Aberbeeg Medical Centre, Bryntirion Surgery and Tredegar Medical Practice – are also returning to health board control. I am continuing to pursue this matter in a number of ways to try to find out more about the company involved and what has transpired. I have submitted several written Parliamentary questions about the company, I’ve also raised the issue with the health board and have received a paper from the House of Commons library which has been shared with Cllr Sonia Behr.

Bevan Society
I’m pleased to have been elected as the new chair of the Aneurin Bevan Society. As a Tredegar boy and MP in Nye’s former seat, I am honoured to be part of this society, which seeks to support and promote the values of Aneurin Bevan. It also feels timely to be taking on this role, with the new constituency boundary of Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney now more closely resembling Nye’s “Ebbw Vale” constituency.
Among the society’s regular events are the annual Memorial Lectures. Last year, in lieu of a speech, Dr Nye Davies authored an online lecture which can be found here.
You can find out more by visiting nyebevan.org.uk/ or by following The Aneurin Bevan Society on Facebook.

Campaigning
We had a very positive response on the doors during a good campaigning session in Brithdir last month. Thanks to everyone that took part.
I also lent a hand campaigning in Trevethin before the by-election in which Labour was unfortunately unsuccessful. This result shows just how important campaigning in our communities and delivering Labour’s key messages will be with elections always over the horizon.
Please keep an eye on your inbox for future campaigning opportunities and come along if you want to help out.

Rhymney Breakfast
It was lovely to catch up with councillors, party members and Dawn Bowden MS at the Rhymney brunch we held at the Winding House, New Tredegar. It was good to chat and discuss plans for future campaigning. Thanks to all who attended.

Surgery
Thank you to Cllr Jules Gardner for joining me at a busy surgery in Brynmawr last week. My next surgery will be held in Aberbargoed at Envy (known as Betty’s Place) (68 Commercial Street, CF81 9EW) where I will be joined by Cllr Chris Bissex-Foster, Cllr D. Tudor Davies and Cllr Dawn Ingram-Jones on Friday, February 28th 4pm-5pm.
Please get in touch to make an appointment.

Tidy Butt
I met with Matt Creel, originally from Brynithel, to chat about the fantastic work being done through Tidy Butt the mental health charity he founded. What started as a Facebook group has grown into a registered charity that offers mental health support in our area through counselling, talking groups, wellness walks and cold-water swimming and also wellness talks and presentations for groups like schools, businesses and sports teams. I was impressed with Matthew’s passion for helping people and the plans he has for expanding his charity’s offer in the future. I have written to the DWP and Health Board to ask if they may be interested in meeting with Matt to speak about whether his charity could be of use to them as a complimentary provision.

Food Bank
I popped in to St Peter’s Church, Aberbargoed to hear about the brilliant ongoing work being done by Rhymney Valley Foodbank. It’s clear how valued this service is, not just for food parcels but also as a hub that provides wellbeing support.
The volunteers are doing a fantastic job.

Visits
When I’m home from Parliament on a Friday I try to visit local businesses, schools and organisations to stay in touch and hear about any areas of concern.
Over the last few weeks these have included Platt Packaging in Tredegar, a long-standing local company that helped out providing boxes for our Everyone Deserves a Christmas Campaign, Cwmtillery Glass, fantastic long-standing local employer that was built from the ground up in Blaenau Gwent, and also the Salvation Army who kindly invited me along to see the refurbishment that has taken place at their building in Cwm.