This month we hosted a special meeting of four authorities with responsibility for flooding in Islwyn.

I visited Crumlin with Councillor Carl Thomas following the immense damage of Storm Bert and later Pandy Park to meet Crosskeys RFC secretary Angie Prangell.

Residents know better than anyone: these issues are not new. Flooding is complicated, and a number of organisations have responsibility for overlapping factors. Welsh Water manage the sewerage, Natural Resources Wales manage the River Ebbw and Caerphilly Council manage surface water drainage.

On 7 February, we met with these authorities and Network Rail to get clarity around the work being done to protect communities and identify our priorities moving forwards. I was pleased to find out Caerphilly Council have applied for Shared Prosperity Funding for flood resilience works and I will be writing to the government to support these applications.

Natural Resources Wales agreed Crumlin was a high priority for them with flood water coming from a number of sources. They revealed their plan to complete new hydraulic modelling of the River Ebbw in the next financial year, which will provide greater clarity on problem areas and current levels of protection.

Welsh Water spoke about the sewerage issue at the Abercarn Welfare Ground and told us they have identified further damage to the sewer upstream.

If you would like to see the meeting notes in full, please get your copy here.

Today I would also like to welcome the long-awaited opening of the Risca Banking Hub on Tredegar Street. I am grateful to Cash Access UK for bringing this exciting national project to Risca and the team at the hub for showing me around.

It is a brilliant modern facility with a counter for withdrawing and depositing cash and paying utility bills. There is a separate room for private sit-down conversations with a community banker and there are five major banks represented at the hub.

This month I also visited Brace’s Bakery near Crumlin where I met with directors Mark and Jonathan, the fourth generation of the family behind the beloved Welsh brand.

The business employs nearly 300 people in Islwyn and exports great Welsh produce far beyond the border. We discussed the importance of accurate food labelling and I agreed to talk to food security minister Daniel Zeichner to make the case for Brace’s bread!

Some more things I did this month:

• Visited Vantage Data Centers campus in Duffryn, Newport, and asked the Secretary of State for Wales in Parliament to build an AI Growth Zone in South Wales.
• Met constituents at an advice surgery in Abercarn Rugby Club with councillors Andrew Whitcombe and Denver Preece.
• Hosted an event in Parliament for the cross-party semiconductors group, representing Newport’s semiconductor cluster.
• Spoke to animal welfare campaigners (including Pete Wicks) in Parliament.
• Visited Ty Oakley Farm in Hafodyrynys to catch up with farmers Howard and Linda, and the NFU Cymru.
• Visited Blackwood Miners’ Institute with Caerphilly Council deputy leader Cllr Jamie Pritchard.