The cost of living crisis looms large in the concerns of Llangollen people, according to the woman who aims to be the area’s next MP.
Becky Gittins, who will carry the Welsh Labour standard in the fight for the new Clwyd East constituency – which includes Llangollen – when the general election comes, was in town last Friday evening canvassing for her party in the Pengwern area.
Before heading off to knock on the doors of voters she spent a few minutes chatting to llanblogger.
Ms Gittins, who works as an industrial officer for the PCS public services union, was born and raised in Bagillt, Flintshire and for the past four years has been a city councillor in Coventry where she lives.
She says that she has plans to move to the new constituency
which has been modelled by the Boundary Commission and includes a large swathe
of north Wales, including areas
such as Ruthin and Llanarmon-lal/Llandegla as
well as parts of Flintshire such as Leeswood, Northop, Mostyn, Caerwys and
Ffynongrow, Mold and Prestatyn.
Apart from
issues such as the provision of services like buses and the perennial problem
of parking, Ms Gittins says that people have been telling her on her visits to
the town that the cost of living crisis is a key issue for them.
“People in
Llangollen are massively raising this issue, which mirrors the situation across
the country,” she said.
“They are
also concerned about issues such as the affordability of local housing.
“I think
these things are for a Labour government to tackle – to deal with the cost of
living, the cost of energy. It’s about how we achieve the good life for people
and we must make sure that we have a functioning, strong economy.
“I’ve also
found that Llangollen people are very optimistic and very proud of their local
culture and it’s about making sure that we respect the community while we’re
having all these cultural celebrations.”
Asked
whether she had found that the people of Llangollen, like others across the UK,
might be suffering from political fatigue as a result of events nationally over the past
couple of years, she said: “I can completely empathise with local people who don’t
feel that the political system resonates with them at the moment.
“I can
understand how people at times feel unheard and didn’t know who the Prime
Minister was from week to week at the end of last year. I can understand how
people felt disenfranchised and that the priorities of the government in
Westminster were not reflecting things that really mattered to them. But a lot of
people felt energised by this and got involved in politics for the first time.
“For me, the
way you deal with the fatigue that some people are feeling is by making sure
that we get localism right. And three times a week I am out knocking on people’s
doors because it is important to make people feel heard and to ask them about
the issues that matter to them.
“I am a firm believer that you must listen to the community that you want to serve. You cannot speak for a community until you have spoken to it.”
