There’s been some bad news for communities in Gwent since my last column.

The first blow came when Stagecoach announced they were axing the Brynmawr to Ebbw Vale bus service from the beginning of this month.

For the people of Blaenau Gwent, where car ownership is lower than average, public transport takes on a much greater importance. Buses are a means to access employment, shopping, the arts and to enjoy the company of friends. Without access to a car, options are limited when the regular bus service is ended.

I wrote to Stagecoach to appeal for a rethink on this decision as the service was not just a means of getting to Ebbw Vale because it also provided a link to the train line to Cardiff and further afield.

At the time of writing, I have yet to receive a reply from Stagecoach to my letter but I will post any response on my social media channels when I get it.

With the Labour government set to soon withdraw funding for bus services initially provided during the pandemic, I fear we will see a lot more services being axed. Plaid Cymru will continue to lobby Labour on this matter.

There was also bad news with the announcement of the closure of Pensord of Pontllanfraith with the potential loss of 100 jobs.

This employer has been a mainstay of the local economy for more than 50 years.

At a time when the cost-of-living crisis is forcing many people in work into poverty, we can ill afford to lose jobs of these quality and in this number.

I would have liked to have raised this matter in the Senedd but given we are in the Easter recess, I have written to the Economy Minister to see if anything can be done.

One matter I was able to raise in the Senedd before recess was the scandal of forced installation of prepayment meters.

This is one of the great injustices in the UK in modern times.

It beggars’ belief that people who have been struggling with the staggering increases in gas and electricity have been forced into having meters installed which charge them more for their energy.

As I said in the Welsh Parliament, this practice has undoubtedly been responsible for families going cold, pensioners sitting in the dark and – inevitably – people dying.

Unfortunately, Westminster seems to be more preoccupied with energy companies’ ability to generate eye-watering profits than the welfare of the masses.