Hearing about Nia’s campaigning on behalf of owners of steel framed houses purchased from the Council under the right to buy, local County Councillor Keith Davies alerted her to the fact that homes in Ger y Gwendraeth, Kidwelly are of similar construction. Together they organised a meeting for home owner residents with housing officer Jonathan Morgan. At the meeting they secured an undertaking from Mr Morgan that privately owned homes in Ger y Gwendraeth would be assessed in 2012 at the same time as the renewal programme for council owned homes in the same estate, and that some funding would be available as Kidwelly is in the Lower Gwendraeth renewal area. He also confirmed that when the work had been completed, a “certificate of adequacy” would be issued which would be accepted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Mr Morgan agreed to meet residents again in October.
After the meeting, Nia commented
“It was encouraging to hear Mr Morgan say that council officers would learn from the experience of dealing with properties in Trimsaran, where there have been distressing delays, and I want to see the necessary repairs sorted out much more smoothly in Ger y Gwendraeth. I will keep fighting for council help, to bring peace of mind to owner occupiers who have put their life savings into these homes and just want to be safe and know that, if they wish to move away or downsize, prospective purchasers will be able to get mortgages.”
Nia Griffith MP who is a founder member of the Labour Friends of Palestine and the Middle East has welcomed a clear statement in favour of the Palestinian application for statehood from Douglas Alexander MP, Labour’s Shadow Foreign Secretary.
Nia said “Supporting the recognition bid was the right step towards achieving a just and viable two state solution in the Middle East. The World Bank, the UN, the EU and the IMF have all assessed the progress of the Palestinian Authority and judged it to be ready for statehood. I would urge our government and foreign secretary William Hague to be decisive and show the leadership necessary to support the recognition of a Palestinian state at the UN. The UK cannot support the right to self-determination in every country in the Middle East and then deny the same right to the Palestinians, in violation of international law and UN resolutions, especially when they are pursuing their aims in a peaceful non-violent manner.”
Nia with Swansea MPs Geraint Davies and Sian James delivering the 100,000 signature petition to the Department for Transport.
Nia Griffith MP recently met members of the Save Swansea Coastguard Campaign who had travelled up to Westminster to deliver the 100,000 signature petition and lobby MPs. After sailing along the Thames past the Houses of Parliament to draw attention to the cause, the campaigners came in to meet MPs and discuss how best to influence the Minister before he announces his decision on the future of Swansea Coastguard in early October. Later that evening Nia joined Martin Caton MP for Gower and other local MPs to make the case for keeping Swansea Coastguard, in a debate called precisely for that purpose, but the Minister’s response was disappointing. The MPs then obtained an appointment to deliver the petition to the Minister’s office at the Department for Transport.
If you have not already done so, please help by responding to the consultation which can be accessed via www.saveswanseacoastguard.co.uk by 6th October.
Nia, Keith and Jeff present Chief Fire Officer Richard Smith with the llanelli Star petition.
Nia Griffith MP, Keith Davies AM and Cllr Geoff Thomas have met with Chief Fire Officer Richard Smith to hand over the Llanelli Star petiton calling for ‘NO CUTS TO THE FIRE SERVICE’
Nia said, “The very idea of Llanelli which has the largest population in Carmarthenshire suffering cuts to the fire service is frightening and mustn’t happen. Retaining our current service could literally mean the difference between life and death.
The people of Llanelli demand and deserve an efficient and fast responding Fire Service.
“The Llanelli Star has led the way with this petition against life threatening cuts, which the people of Llanelli have supported en masse.”
Only 3 people were allowed in to hand over the petition to the Chief Fire Officer,so other members of the group waited in reception.
Nia Griffith MP joined Lydia Lloyd’s family fun day to raise awareness of Group B strep.
Nia will be asking the local health board to increase training and awareness amongst local NHS staff, as well as asking local surgeries to display leaflets about Group B strep to help prevent newborn babies dying or suffering long-term effects from infection with Group B strep. The Support Group’s ultimate aim to see routine screening for Group B Strep.
Collecting signatures at Burry Port
Burry Port’s Deputy Mayor Mary Wenman and Councillor Moira Thomas have joined forces with Nia Griffith MP, Keith Davies AM and supporters of the Save Swansea Coastguard Campaign to collect signatures for the petition to keep Swansea Coastguard station open.
Back in the Spring local campaigners were horrified at the original proposals to close Swansea Coastguard station at night and handle calls from Southampton, and the government has now agreed that moving the service at night is not on, but instead have come up with a devastating plan to close one out of every two stations around the UK coast, and in this area, they are now proposing to keep open Milford Haven but to close down completely the much busier Swansea Coastguard Station which covers an area from Carmarthen Bay, all round to Gloucester and North Devon.
Nia Griffith MP said,
“Eliminating one out of every two is what you do on a TV games show, and it is no way to treat our coastguard stations. We need the full network of stations, Swansea and Milford Haven, with their detailed knowledge of the ever-changing local conditions and Welsh place names. This local knowledge is vital to saving valuable minutes, and every minute counts in an emergency situation, and can mean the difference between life and death. We must fight this closure programme all the way; the public are clear about this – they want a comprehensive local coastguard service, so that wherever they are, near home or on holiday, they can have confidence that if they get into difficulty, the local expertise will be there to co-ordinate the rescue.”
Please help by responding to the consultation which can be accessed via www.saveswanseacoastguard.co.uk by 6th October.
Nia and Trilwm residents with the corroded steel which is threatening their homes.
Nia Griffith MP is fighting for council help to repair and insulate steel-framed houses which former council tenants purchased under the right to buy scheme. There are fears that corrosion of the steel is making the houses unsafe, and mortgage companies are refusing to lend on them. Repair work is now set to begin in Trilwm, Trimsaran in August, and residents in Parcymynach, Pontyberem can expect to see council surveyors in the Spring.
Nia Griffith said:
“It is vital that the Council sorts out steel-framed houses across the County and brings peace of mind to the owner occupiers who have put their life savings into these homes and are terrified that they will not be able to sell, if they need to move away or downsize. Following on from Trilwm, I recently organised a meeting for residents of Parcymynach, Pontyberem.
“At that meeting Robin Staines, Head of Housing, promised Parcymynach residents that their homes would be looked at next Spring, and he also gave an undertaking to write to all 260 owners of former council properties, outlining the timetable for examining their homes and proposing solutions, in tandem with the improvement programme for the neighbouring council- owned property. I shall be keeping a close eye on developments. I am determined to see this work completed.”
Nia with Tracy Thomas in Cleviston Park
Nia Griffith MP has welcomed action from Environment Minister John Griffiths which means that, from 1st October this year, the responsibility for maintaining so-called “private” sewers and lateral drains in Wales will fall fairly and squarely to water and sewerage companies rather than householders.
Speaking about the importance of this move for local residents Nia commented
“This will come as a great relief for residents of estates like Cleviston Park in Llangennech, Dolau Fan in Burry Port and Derlyn Park in Tycroes who have been living in dread of anything going wrong with their sewers and landing them with hefty repair bills – it’s been a long haul, first making sure adoption of sewers was included in the Flood and Water Act 2010 that we passed in Parliament, then using petitioning and meetings to keep up the pressure on our Assembly Ministers to prioritise sorting out the financial issues with the water companies and enacting the legislation here in Wales. This transfer of private sewers is all about fairness for the consumer and ensuring that all homes connected to the public sewer system receive the same level of service. Too often in the past householders on some housing estates have not even been aware that their sewers were “private” that is unadopted, until something went wrong and they found that the water company would not pay. ”
Tracy Thomas, one of the residents affected by the change, said “I’m over the moon. I’ve been so worried about further problems with the sewers here meaning further bills, and now we can be sure that it will be Welsh Water who have to pay. I’m really grateful to Nia for all her work in sorting this out.”
March setting off from the town centre
Nia speaking at the rally.
Outside the Fire Station in Llanelli with local Fire Fighters
Nia, Keith, members of the Fire Brigade Union and local Fire Fighters outside of Llanelli fire station.
Nia Griffith MP recently met with Chief Fire Officer Richard Smith and Deputy Chief Fire Officer Paul Bates to demand that Llanelli retains All its fire services currently in operation.
Nia said, “The very idea of Llanelli which has the largest population in Carmarthenshire suffering cuts to the fire service is frightening and mustn’t happen. Retaining our current service could literally mean the difference between life and death. The people of Llanelli demand and deserve an efficient and fast responding Fire Service.”
Nia further said, “The Llanelli Star has led the way with a petition against any cuts which I wholeheartedly support.
Nia addressing former Visteon workers at the rally outside Parliament.
Nia Griffith MP is one of the MPs fighting for justice for former Visteon workers who addressed a recent rally of the workers when they took their pension fight to the House of Commons. The rally was planned to coincide with talks the MPs were holding with top bosses from Fords, to quiz the bosses on behalf of the pensioners who are losing out on thousands of pounds of their pensions. Following the meeting, the MPs persuaded Fords boss Jo Greenall, Chairman of Ford UK, to come out of the committee room and meet the workers in person.
Explaining the situation, Nia Griffith MP said:
“It is absolutely scandalous that workers including some from my constituency who have spent nearly all their working lives in Fords, on Fabian Way in Swansea, contributing to their pensions, and then worked under Visteon for a couple of years, should find themselves diddled out of thousands of pounds worth of their pensions. If this is not sorted out, they will miss out for the rest of their lives, and their families with them. That’s why we are determined to do all we can to get justice.”
Hearing about Nia’s campaigning on behalf of owners of steel framed houses purchased from the Council under the right to buy, local County Councillor Keith Davies alerted her to the fact that homes in Ger y Gwendraeth, Kidwelly are of similar construction. Together they organised a meeting for home owner residents with housing officer Jonathan Morgan. At the meeting they secured an undertaking from Mr Morgan that privately owned homes in Ger y Gwendraeth would be assessed in 2012 at the same time as the renewal programme for council owned homes in the same estate, and that some funding would be available as Kidwelly is in the Lower Gwendraeth renewal area. He also confirmed that when the work had been completed, a “certificate of adequacy” would be issued which would be accepted by the Council of Mortgage Lenders. Mr Morgan agreed to meet residents again in October.
