Column: Koala Badges | Putting a stop to unnecessary pension poverty | Updates from Alyn & Deeside MP Mark Tami

Alyn and Deeside MP Mark Tami is writing a regular column on Deeside.com with updates on his work in Westminster and closer to home.

Mark writes: It was great to meet this week an inspiring young constituent of mine who’s doing his best to help areas of Australia suffering from the huge fires. 

Dylan Valentine and his mum have been making and selling embroidered koala badges to raise money for Australian firefighters and the Koala hospital in Macquarie.

I was delighted to support the campaign by ordering a badge.

Dylan, from Shotton, visited my constituency office with one badge for me to wear with pride in Westminster, and another framed badge to put on my office wall. 

Orders for koala badges can be played via the Facebook page: The Monkey Lady at Valentines Occasions.

Back in Parliament, my campaign to stop unnecessary pension poverty is still going strong.

Some people on Universal Credit are having to do without any income at all for up to nine weeks when it’s time for them to transfer to a state pension. 

At the beginning of the month I tabled an Early Day Motion (EDM) in Westminster to try to end this delay between their last UC payment and their first State Pension payment. 

Now more than 60 MPs have signed the EDM and the campaign has been featured in national newspaper i.

It has also been backed by Age UK and the National Association of Welfare Rights Advisers along with Citizens Advice Flintshire who first brought it to my attention, which shows the seriousness and breadth of the problem. 

All the Government needs to do is to extend the rules on pro-rata UC payments for people transitioning to Pension Credit to also apply to people transitioning to State Pension without Pension Credit.

The UK Tory Government has told i that it is looking into finding a solution to this problem – I will keep campaigning until that solution is in place.

As usual, Jack Sargeant AM and I will be holding advice surgeries for our constituents throughout Alyn and Deeside in March. The details are as follows: 

• Friday, March 6, Buckley Town Council Office, 3-4pm, and Saltney Community Centre 4.30-5.30pm 
• Saturday, March 21, Shotton Rivertown Church Hall, 9.30-10.30am, and Connah’s Quay Labour Club, 11am-12pm 
• Friday March 27, Sandycroft Community Centre, 3-4pm, and Sealand St Andrews Church 4.30-5.30pm. 

There is no need for an appointment and constituents will all be seen on a first-come, first-served basis. If you need help with any matter outside of these times my office is available on 01244 819854.