keep it local campaign

Willie Rennie MP, sensational victor of the Dunfermline by-election, gave Amy Kitcher his personal support today as the Liberal Democrats met with local traders and voters in Abertillery.

Willie and Amy, both of whose families ran a village shop, got to hear about the importance of local, town centre shopping to Abertillery.

Amy Kitcher, parliamentary candidate for the Welsh Lib Dems, said:

"It was great to get Willie's support on the campaign trail today. He's a great campaigner for local services and was very popular with people in Abertillery.

"Like him, I have a background in village retailing. Local shops that serve the community are the lifelines of any town.

"Towns such as Abertillery, Ebbw Vale and Tredegar are under threat because of unrestrained out-of-centre developments and the lack of good transport links. The necessity of travelling out-of-town to do all your shopping has a dire impact on the environment, community and economy."

Willie Rennie, MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, added:

"It was great to be out and about in Blaenau Gwent. The concerns I heard about losing local services and shops are very similar in my area.

"The threat to local shops is not a stand-alone issue. I heard today about the threat to the Blaenau Gwent GP out-of-hours service, the local post office network and the possible loss of local policing. The people of Abertillery and Ebbw Vale deserve, and need, these services as close as possible.

"I'm backing Amy Kitcher and Steve Bard's campaign to stop Blaenau Gwent being turned into a local services black hole."

Blaenau Lib Dems