Shadow Secretary for Wales praises Llandudno community centre

Labour’s Shadow Welsh Secretary has praised a Llandudno community centre as the “heart of the community” on a visit, with Claire Hughes, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Bangor Aberconwy.

The Shadow Cabinet member visited the Ty Hapus community resource centre to see and hear about the help they provide to residents trying to cope with the cost-of-living crisis first-hand.

Managed by a dedicated group of local volunteers, the site provides a range of support for the community including a community food, pet and baby bank, youth club, exercise classes and a power-assisted gym for older people.

The centre has previously received support from the Welsh Government, and also hires its premises out privately to raise the funds it needs to deliver community services.

Jo Stevens and Claire Hughes toured the centre with manager Jayne Black, and met some of the dedicated volunteers who help run it.

Since the onset of the cost-of-living crisis, the majority of people being supported by the foodbank are in work and are often struggling with energy bill payments, underlining how difficult it is for working families to make ends meet.

Jo Stevens pledged that Labour’s windfall tax on eye-watering profits from oil and gas giants would help deliver cheaper energy, create the jobs of the future, supporting families through the cost-of-living crisis.

The combined gas and electricity bill for standard levels of consumption in 2023 was £2,691 in North Wales, one of the highest levels in the UK.

Welsh Conservatives held their conference in Llandudno at the end of February, where a fifth of children are living in relative poverty, above the UK average.

Jo Stevens, Shadow Welsh Secretary, said:

“This volunteer-led organisation is the heart of the community, providing a vital safety net for local families who find themselves struggling to make ends meet.

“Ty Hapus is an example of the commitment and innovation that Wales offers to its communities. But in many ways, it is filling the vacuum left by UK government ministers, who are presiding over the biggest decline in living standards since the Second World War.

“Labour will bring down energy bills by investing in clean energy, driving the jobs and industries of the future.”

Claire Hughes, Labour’s Parliamentary Candidate for Bangor Aberconwy, said:

“Ty Hapus is doing vital work to support families with the cost-of-living crisis.

“This close-knit, self-reliant community hub is just one reason I’m proud to call our area home.

“We have so much to offer here, but UK Tory ministers have left us behind. I will be a strong voice for Bangor Aberconwy if elected to Parliament, working hand in hand with our Welsh Labour government to unlock opportunities for my community once again.”