Nick Smith MP – Monthly Report – November 2025 - Nick Smith MP - Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney

14th November, 2025

>Nick Smith MP for Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney

Remembrance Day 2025 in Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney

Last weekend saw Remembrance Services taking place across the constituency, a chance to pause and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.

I took part in services for Princetown & Tafarnaubach, Deri, Abertillery & Llanhilleth and Nantyglo & Blaina, each one a poignant coming together of the community, with great turnouts despite some terrible weather at times.

I also made the annual trek to the top of Trefil to pay tribute to those who died when their Wellington Bomber crashed on the mountainside in December 1940. Thank you to Alyson Tippings for leading the walk again this year.
It is so important that we do right by those who served and those who continue to serve.
As we marked Remembrance Sunday, the Labour Government’s DCMS team announced new funding to restore and repair war memorials across the UK.
Earlier this week the MoD unveiled our Veterans Strategy, including a £27m investment in Valour – a new programme that gives veterans across the UK easier access to essential care and support, as well as an additional £13.8 million over three years to address homelessness amongst veterans.
Last week we announced our Defence Housing Strategy, the biggest renewal of Armed Forces housing in more than 50 years. More than 40,000 military homes will be modernised or upgraded to new, higher standards, including more than 800 homes in Wales.
Years of Tory underinvestment has driven down morale and driven too many personnel out.

Our British service personnel and their families make extraordinary sacrifices to keep us all safe, the least they deserve in return is a decent home.
These commitments are delivering on our manifesto pledge to strengthen support for the Armed Forces community.

Everyone Deserves a Christmas
The preparation for this year’s Everyone Deserves a Christmas is well underway. This year we will be packing hampers for distribution across Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney at Merthyr Town Football Club (Penydarren Park, Merthyr Tydfil CF47 8RF) on Monday, December 22^nd from 7.30am.
Why not get your Christmas jumper on and join in?
Each hamper contains all the ingredients for a Christmas dinner and other festive treats for families that need a helping hand.
A team of us will be getting in the Christmas spirit, enjoying Christmas songs, mince pies and hot drinks while we work. Anyone who has joined us before will know what a fun and festive morning it is, and if you haven’t helped out before all are welcome to come along.
You will have received an email with an RSVP you can reply to confirm your attendance, or you can also email me at nicksmithlabour@gmail.com

Prime Ministers’ Questions
You will know that tackling off-road bikers and anti-social vehicle crime has been one of my main focuses over the last few years. This is a difficult problem that affects all of us, but one that, it seems, our local police forces are grasping.
It has been so encouraging to see strong results being posted via Gwent Police’s social media, and also relayed to me by both Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney’s area Inspectors.
I raised the issue with the Prime Minister at PMQ’s recently, highlighting the difference that can be made with a Labour Government supporting our police, after years of hollowing out by the Tories.
I was pleased to hear the Prime Minister reaffirm Labour’s commitment to keeping our streets safe, restoring neighbourhood policing and cracking down on vehicle ASB in response to my question.
We are following through on our pledge by putting more police on the beat and by toughening up laws around anti-social behaviour.
This is a good start and I look forward to further action to take on the blight of anti-social behaviour on our roads, on our hillsides and in our town centres.

BCSSS Update
I am continuing to push for some positive movement on providing a pension boost to members of the British Coalboard Staff Superannuation Scheme. I met last week with Industry Minister Chris McDonald MP ahead of the upcoming budget, thanking him for his interest in the matter and asking him to engage with the trustees.
Labour has already put things right for 1600 Mineworkers Pension Scheme members across Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney. We should do what we can to make things right for BCSSS members.
I will continue speaking to Ministers in the coming weeks on behalf of all the BCSSS pensioners in Blaenau Gwent & Rhymney.

Job Fair
It was great to work with Dawn Bowden MS to put together a very successful Job Fair at Ael-y-Bryn Community Centre, Rhymney last week. It was a productive and positive afternoon. We had around 150 people through the door, with 14 employers and agencies in attendance.
I’d like to thank all employers that attended and the DWP for their help.

Aberbargoed Pistol & Rifle Club
I visited Aberbargoed Pistol and Rifle Club who asked me to help with an issue they were having around Vodafone reducing the rent for a mast hosted on their land. This is a great little club that has been around a long time and serves as an outlet for people who enjoy a niche sport in our community. The rent money goes a long way in helping to support some of the club’s activities.
I asked a question about this in Parliament and also wrote to Vodafone on their behalf.
Following this, I was very pleased to hear back from the club that they had received an increased offer of rent and a bonus one off payment for signing a new agreement.

Beaufort Hill Welfare Hall
I went to the Beaufort Hill Welfare Hall to meet the directors and volunteers. This venue is such a fantastic community asset, with a great team keeping it running.
It’s good to hear about all the events and organisations making use of the hall. I also heard about some of the struggles that go into running the hall, the ongoing fundraising efforts and some other issues which I have taken up on their behalf. I encouraged the directors to work with their local councillors and have written to Blaenau Gwent Council to request a site visit from their highways team to take a look at some concerns the directors have raised about the car park adjacent to the venue.

Trailblazer Scheme Extended
Following early successes, the UK Labour Government will be extending the Trailblazer scheme for another year, with Blaenau Gwent to receive another £10m worth of funding. This is great news.
By further investing in Trailblazer we’re helping people into work through a new approach, tailored to our community’s specific needs. I look forward to seeing the results of this funding across the coming months.

Parkrun 21
As Chair of the parkrun APPG, I welcomed parkrun staff and new CEO Elizabeth Duggan to Parliament to celebrate parkrun’s 21st birthday.
I have been a vocal advocate of parkrun for years now, this is a fantastic free weekly event that does wonders for physical and mental wellbeing.
Over the years it has grown into a global phenomenon, bringing communities together every weekend and continuing to go from strength to strength. Its 21st anniversary is a testament to the power of friendship, fitness and volunteering.
I would always encourage anyone interested to come and join me at Parc Bryn Bach on a Saturday morning, or take part in our other parkrun in Aberbeeg. It’s free, fun and a fantastic way to keep fit, with all sorts of physical and mental wellbeing benefits.

Surgeries
Thank you to Cllr Ross Leadbeater and Cllrs Eluned Stenner and Mark Evans for joining me at surgeries in Abertillery and Phillipstown.
My next surgeries are:
– Deri on Saturday, November 22 (10.30am – 11.30am) with Cllr Rob Chapman.
– Rassau on Friday, December 5 (4pm – 5pm) with Cllr David Wilkshire.
– Gilfach on Friday, December 12 (2.30pm – 3.30pm) with Cllr Carol Andrews.

Hospice Care
I received a number of emails from constituents urging me to meet with Hospice UK in Parliament, to not only mark the recent Hospice Care Week but also hear about some important issues around hospice care.
Locally, I am proud to support the Hospice of the Valleys and regularly visit to offer my support. When I ran the London Marathon I raised money for them and I’m pleased that they also receive hampers through my Everyone Deserves a Christmas and Easter campaigns.
I know the huge value of hospices and the vital care and support they provide to people in our communities during some of the most difficult times.
I welcome the Welsh Government’s commitment to focus on end-of-life care, the extra funding for hospices announced earlier this year and the work to review funding models and strengthen the long-term sustainability of hospice care.