The devastating fire in Abergavenny town centre last weekend has dominated local news. Looking at the destruction this wreaked upon such a large area on Frogmore Street, it was a real blessing that no one was killed or injured. I would like to thank all the emergency personnel involved in the response to ensure the safety of residents and contain the fire as much as possible.

An investigation is now underway as to the cause of the blaze. Once this is completed, there is no doubt that it will take a long time for the town centre to be restored after suffering such devastation. I will be looking to ask the Labour Government in Wales what assistance they can offer to residents and businesses that have been affected.

In other news, we have seen the Labour UK Government show their hand with the budget announcement at the end of last month. Whilst there were no Liz Truss-esque major blunders it was disappointing there will be no U-turn on the removal of the Winter Fuel Allowance from hundreds of thousands of pensioners in Wales. Nor was there any mention of financial compensation for the many WASPI women in Wales who have been fleeced out of the retirement they were anticipating by the Tories. After seeing Labour politicians campaign alongside the WASPI woman for many years when the Tories were in power, I suspect that patience will soon wear thin with this Westminster Government unless Labour come good on the promises they made whilst in opposition.

It is also regrettable that there was no indication that the Barnett funding formula which shortchanges Welsh public finances to the tune of hundreds of millions every year, will be reformed. At a time when our local authorities are being forced into making swingeing cuts across the board, there should be more outrage about this – particularly from Labour local authorities and indeed the Labour Government in Wales.

During their last period in power between 1997 and 2010, Labour missed a golden opportunity to deliver a fair funding formula for Wales. They should not make the same mistake again and take Wales for granted if they want to hold onto their political dominance here.