LABOUR front-bencher Caroline Flint, Shadow Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, visited Ystradowen Community Centre last week.

There, Ms Flint met up with the centre’s chairman Tom Hardy and Calum Higgins, Welsh Labour's parliamentary candidate for Carmarthenshire East and for a tour of the centre and the recently-renovated community hub.

Save Easy Credit union invited their ‘oil club’ members and guests to a round table discussion with Ms Flint and Mr Higgins on energy issues facing the rural parts of Carmarthenshire.

Discussions focused on the price of energy, the need for more communities to be on the mains gas grid, and support for an energy price freeze.

“It was a privilege to introduce Caroline Flint to members of the Save Easy Credit Union who have worked in their community to tackle fuel poverty," said Mr Higgins.

"Ystradowen fuel club was set up to make the cost of oil cheaper for people who are off grid and cannot get mains gas, and to bring down the cost of fuel bills for a whole community.

"Fuel costs are becoming a real problem for Welsh households and the inability of the Tory Government to tackle increasing prices means that there is real support for the energy price freeze that the Labour party has committed to.”

“I’d like to thank the centre for their warm welcome last week, and the credit union oil club for showing us what community groups can achieve if they put their minds to something.”