This article was published in Wrexham.com, 13 April 2025, and can be found here.

There are many things Tony Blair and I would disagree on, not least his disastrous foreign policy, academisation of schools, and refusal to break with the legacy of Thatcherite privatisation which did so much damage to our social fabric.

That being said, I certainly agreed with his position on law and order: “tough on crime, tough on the causes of crime.” The last Labour government introduced anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs), increased education funding massively per child, and recruited thousands more police officers.

I raise this because many constituents in the south and west Wrexham wards I represent have recently got in touch with me about serious incidents of anti-social behaviour.

Perhaps most infamous is the ongoing Chirk Scrapyard saga. I visited the site on Wednesday, April 9. People in Chirk should not be having to put up with this. There are dozens and dozens of scrapped cars, spilling out onto the pavement, and blocking access. Disaffected residents are smashing windscreens and leaving glass everywhere.

It is intolerable. I have met personally with North Wales Police officers to discuss this. They have put a plea to the community to stop vandalising the cars and are attempting to mediate. The land is private, and it is a private dispute, so it has been incredibly difficult to make much progress on this.

I do speak regularly with the Councillor for Chirk North, Frank Hemmings, whose priority is to prevent vandalism from worsening the situation. He is looking into getting cameras on the site to deter further criminal damage.

Another issue I raised was anti-social behaviour in Plas Madoc and in Cefn Mawr, particularly in the Queen Street and Hill Street area. Constituents have reported noisy motorbikes and car racing late at night, e-scooters on pavements (which, in the last week has led to a serious accident), and thick black graffiti on walls, being perpetrated by delinquents. Officers have since increased patrols and warned perpetrators.

Wrexham.com readers by now will be sick of hearing me go on about the damage that Tory austerity caused to communities, but it is undeniably a root cause of these problems. Local authorities have had their real terms budgets cut by some 40% since 2010 and with them the youth clubs, sports facilities, and social services that keep young people out of trouble.

The community often steps in. I welcomed Butch Jones of Maelor ABC Boxing Club in Cefn Mawr to an event in 10 Downing Street last month. He has coached generations of children in the area for five decades, including several Welsh champions, and provided a focus for countless kids. He is a true, lifelong, champion of the constituency.

Unfortunately, this is not enough. Police and local authority budgets were simply stretched too thin under the Conservatives. I joined the Labour Party during the austerity years and do not see further cuts as a solution to any of the problems we face. You cannot dig yourself out of a hole.

Anti-social behaviour is not acceptable and I welcome the efforts to crack down on it in the constituency. Until we begin to repair our social fabric, though, it will keep happening.