Flood Risk Insurance Premiums
Gwenda Thomas received helpful news this week for the residents of Ardwyn Terrace in Resolven.
She was approached in January by Councillor Des Davies regarding concerns over a drastic increase in the house insurance quotes for residents renewing their policies due to the risk of flooding.
As a consequence of representations she made to the Welsh Assembly Minister for Environment, Sustainability and Housing, Jane Davidson AM, Mrs. Thomas has now been given information and advice for the residents.
Ardwyn Terrace has now been protected by the Environment Agency’s recent Resolven capital flood alleviation scheme. The majority of the scheme was completed in the summer of 2007, which included the Ardwyn Terrace defence. The Agency has one small element of the defences to complete this summer which will finally protect the properties in this area against floods up to the 1 % chance flood.
Jane Davidson stated that the Environment Agency has suggested that if a representative of the residents in the Terrace writes to them about the matter it will confirm the reduced risk and that this can be submitted to the insurers as evidence which should result in premiums being lowered in line with the risk’.
‘This is good news for the residents of Ardwyn Terrace and I urge them to pursue this course of action,’ said Gwenda Thomas AM , ‘It may also apply to different areas and I hope that this information may assist other residents in my Neath Constituency whose homes are now protected by improved flood defences.’

Gwenda supports Fair Trade Fortnight

Last June, Wales become the world’s first fair trade nation following a two-year campaign by the Wales Fair Trade Forum, funded by the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government, to increase the availability of fair trade products in towns, cities and counties across Wales, and encouraging schools, businesses and other organisations to switch to Fair Trade.
Gwenda Thomas AM for Neath has urged her constituents to support the causes of fair trade when they are able and to look for the fair trade mark alternatives for products in the supermarkets. ‘It is not only consumables that are available,’ advised Mrs. Thomas, ‘Clothing and jewellrey can be purchased supporting community co operatives across the world and well known large retail outlets also carry stock with the Fair Trade mark.’
As Fair Trade Fortnight begins, two farmers from the developing world will be touring Wales to raise awareness of how they are trading their way out of poverty.
The Fair Trade guarantees farmers in developing countries a fair price for their products. Because this price is stable it allows them to plan for their future. Bernard Ranaweera, a tea producer from Sri Lanka and Bella Joachim, a banana farmer from Dominica in the Windward Isles will be visiting locations and events all over Wales to raise awareness of how Fair Trade helps them.
Their visit is being supported by the Welsh Assembly Government. Environment Minister Jane Davidson.

Column for Neath Guardian March 09

In the current financial climate, the tackling of the problem of social inequality due to poverty is more important than ever. Many older people still live in poverty in Wales, and in order to combat this inequality, I as Deputy Minister for Social Services was pleased to launch the second phase of the Strategy for Older People in 2008. The Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government hopes to reduce poverty by targeting an increase in benefit take up, and the Strategy will address this. This re-enforces the One Wales ambition to improve access for all to comprehensive benefits advice, and our financial inclusion strategy underpins this.
In 2006-07 the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government allocated £1.5m to local authorities to improve the take-up of Council Tax Benefit, particularly amongst pensioners, and the numbers of claimants above the age of 60 increased significantly over the year.
However, the Department for Work and Pensions research tells us that approximately £100 million of council tax benefit goes unclaimed every year in Wales, so there is a lot more work to do. If you feel that you are eligible for Council Tax Benefit please contact the Council Tax Benefits Department on 01639 764755, or by calling at the One Stop Shop at the Civic Centre in Neath or Pontardawe, or by e-mail to housing.benefits@npt.gov.ukFor people who are having problems meeting their mortgage payments, the Labour-led Welsh Assembly Government has launched a Mortgage Rescue Scheme. A budget of £9.5 million has been provided to enable housing associations to buy a share of a house in order to help homeowners struggling to pay their mortgage. There are other options for homeowners to receive help with their mortgage payments and I have produced a leaflet which explains all the help that is available. I have also produced a similar leaflet to explain all the help available for businesses to survive the recession and to be ready when the upturn comes. These are available from my Pontardawe office.

Gwenda Thomas AM today applauded the achievements in the community of View Glynneath Limited and spoke of her delight at the good news with regard to the Big Lottery Fund.
' At this time of great uncertainty for the local, national and global economies, it is fantastic and timely news that View can now look forward to the next few years with a sense of security,' commented Gwenda Thomas AM. ' I am fully aware of the vital role that View play in the social and academic development of many residents of Glynneath and the surrounding communities, and have spoken to countless people who owe their new found confidence and careers to the schemes and programmes which View have provided. View and also the Dove centre in Banwen, are superb examples of how determination and dedication of local people can change the lives of so many.'

New Post Office Fund Welcomed
Local Labour AM Gwenda Thomas today welcomed the launch of a new £4.5m fund to help sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses diversify and improve their Post Offices in the Neath Constituency and the rest of Wales.

The fund, which will be open from 1st January 2009 to every sub post office in Wales, can be used for accessing business and marketing advice, advertising, training and some set-up costs for new services. The funding, available over 3 years, can also be applied for Post Office access improvements, IT upgrades and improving security and signage.

Subpostmasters and subpostmistresses will be able to apply for up to £20,000 capital funding and up to £15,000 in revenue costs under the new scheme.

Gwenda Thomas AM said:
“Post Offices provide an essential service to our communities and this fund will help to ensure that Post Offices in Wales can remain viable and become improved and sustainable businesses. I have been approached many times over the last few years by sub postmasters and sub postmistresses concerned about maintaining the level of service they provide for the community alongside making a living for themselves, families and staff. I hope that the re launch of the Post Office Diversification Fund will provide some stability for these hardworking and essential members of our communities.”

The Labour-led Assembly Government has always recognised the social and community value of post offices, particularly in relation to supporting vulnerable people in our most isolated and most disadvantaged communities and in addressing financial inclusion.


Today’s announcement follows a 12 week consultation which closed at the end of October. Subpostmasters and Subpostmistresses will receive information shortly on how to make an application to the new fund. Information will also be made available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.

Neath Assembly Member Gwenda Thomas asks the people in her Neath Constituency to recycle their Christmas cards.
From 2nd to the 31st January 2009 The Woodland Trust will be collecting cards at WH Smith, Tesco, TK Maxx and Marks and Spencer across Wales for recycling. The collecting of cards generates income for the Woodland Trust via recycling credits – income paid by local authorities for waste that does not have to be disposed of in landfill sites.
Last year the scheme collected 4 million cards from Wales alone. Laid end to end, these would stretch from Cardiff to Holyhead and back.
Gwenda Thomas AM stressed, ‘The more cards recycled in this way, the more woodland can be planted and developed by the Woodland Trust. This in turn will create vital habitats for our indigenous and endangered species such as dormice and red squirrels. My constituency staff and I will be recycling our Christmas cards and I hope that as many of my constituents as possible can do the same.’

Gwenda Thomas AM Column for Neath Guardian January 08


On Thursday, 11th of December, I was privileged the witness the ‘Investors in Volunteers’ awards being given to Neath Port Talbot Council for Voluntary Services for their Social Services Volunteering Schemes. I heard many marvellous stories of how volunteering can benefit everybody. There are over 900 voluntary organisations with an interest in health and social care in Neath Port Talbot and approximately five thousand people volunteer. These people are the lifeblood of our communities, over fifty percent of adults volunteer in what is known as formal and informal volunteering and they are involved in delivering all sorts of services without which our life would be unbearable .Volunteers help the most vulnerable in society, delivering home care, hospital discharge schemes, information, helping those in distress or despair, running community transport or most importantly just being a friend. Without volunteers the world would be a very cold and uncaring place, a caring society just could not exist without volunteers.

Why do people volunteer? Perhaps by wanting to help, to make friends, to gain skills and experience for future employment , to help improve physical and mental health problems, or just wanting to make the world a better place by giving service. The Labour led Welsh Assembly Government is committed to supporting the voluntary sector and has recently produced Designed to Add Value - a third dimension to provide direction for the voluntary sector in health and social care, it recognises that volunteers bring considerable value to the every day lives of people and that they enhance and support health and social care services in many ways for little or no cost but bring significant gains.
Encouraging younger people to volunteer is a challenge, volunteering must be made popular and fun, and it is important to establish a pattern of lifelong engagement which is to the benefit of the individual and the local community. When I was picking the Snow Prince and Princess in the Friends of the Cabin’s party in Cwmgwrach I was proud to see all the young volunteers working there. The people of Neath and the surrounding areas will benefit as more young people are given the opportunity to express themselves as active citizens and make an invaluable contribution to society following the example of the young people of Cwmgwrach, it is important to provide adequate support and recognition for those young people already working hard to make our communities better places to live as was so vividly demonstrated to me in the Awards Ceremony in Neath.
I would like to wish everyone a Happy and Healthy New Year.
Gwenda Thomas is Deputy Minister for Social Services.