The following is an opinion piece by Torsten Bell, Labour MP for Swansea West and Minister for Pensions. The views expressed are his own and do not represent the editorial position of Swansea Bay News. Swansea Bay News publishes OpEds from politicians and public figures across the political spectrum.
One thing Andy Burnham has got right as Prime Minister is his determination to tackle both the big challenges facing the country and the everyday problems that frustrate people.
It’s been refreshing to hear a clear case for bold action, whether that’s the reforms needed to safeguard the state pension for generations to come or confronting the record of water privatisation. These are problems that build over decades, and it takes courage to face them.
But that courage hasn’t come at the expense of the everyday. The Government’s new campaign to crack down on “headphone dodgers”, people who play music or videos out loud on public transport, is a good example. Anyone who has endured a tinny soundtrack on the bus home knows how much it can spoil a journey.
Some in Westminster have scoffed at issues like this as too unglamorous, too small, too parochial. They’re mistaken. The “little things” are nothing of the kind. They shape how we experience the spaces we share, and they are often what makes people feel that their community is looked after, or that nobody is listening.
That’s something I see every week as your MP. One of the issues I’ve been most pleased to help fix recently is the removal of a series of dangerous spikes from Parc Llewelyn.
A local resident got in touch with me. They regularly walk their dog in the parc and, along with other dog walkers, had become worried after noticing metal spikes sticking up from the ground in the woodland alongside the stream. One dog had already been seriously injured, and residents were rightly concerned about the danger to children playing there and to other visitors.
I raised the issue with Swansea Council straight away. They sent a team out to the parc the very next day, and found exactly what residents had described: a number of rusting spikes, most likely the remains of an old fence line, gradually exposed by erosion over the years. The spikes were removed and the path made safe again.
It’s a small story, but a telling one. A resident spotted a problem, spoke up, and it was put right within days. I’m grateful to them for getting in touch, and to the Labour council for acting so quickly.
Everyday fixes combined with the action that makes a difference over the longer term is what we need. On top of a record funding settlement for the Welsh Government, I’ve fought hard to secure big investments in Swansea from the £20 million Pride in Place programme that will offer 10 years of support to revitalise the communities north of our city centre and a further £20 million to turn exciting plans for the Civic Centre into a reality.
People should expect nothing less from their representatives than to do both: take on the long-term challenges that will define the country’s future, and fix the things that make daily life harder right now. So if there’s something in your neighbourhood that needs seeing to, please get in touch – no matter how small.
Torsten Bell is the Labour MP for Swansea West. You can follow him on X at @TorstenBell. If you would like to submit an OpEd for consideration by Swansea Bay News, please email editor@swanseabaynews.com.
Discover more from Swansea Bay News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
