HAVING thought long and hard and spoken to friends and family, I have decided to stand as an Independent candidate at the next General Election 2015, having lived in Nantyglo for 10 years.

I have noticed that there has been very little change.

In Brynmawr when I first moved here, there were two supermarkets, now gone.

The town was busy, but all that remains are pubs and takeaways and hairdressers, no disrespect to other smaller shops I may have omitted.

When you travel through Blaina, nine out of ten shops are boarded up and Abertillery does not fare much better.

Shops are closing or closing down, everything all goes to Ebbw Vale – college, cinema and leisure centre.

Everything seems to go in that area of the borough.

Nantyglo had a nice cinema, about to close, and Nantyglo Leisure Centre will not remain once Ebbw Vale opens the new one.

People who do not have transport such as a car or cannot afford the bus fair are going to be penalised.

There are plenty of things I could go on about, e.g. welfare reforms and universal credit and much more, but I don’t think the editor would allow a full page.

Michael Rose, Nantyglo, Ebbw Vale