A TIME when the mining communities of Central Fife came together to back the miners will be remembered in Parliament through an Early Day Motion lodged by Douglas Chapman.

The MP for Dunfermline and West Fife, which includes Crossgates, Hill of Beath and Moss-side, three communities which will long remember the year long miners’ strike, last week tabled an Early Day Motion at Westminster to remember the anniversary of the start of the 1984-85 strike, which began in March 1984 when five pits were announced for closure as part of the Government’s restructuring of the coal industry.

In the Motion, which is a way for an MP to draw Parliamentary attention to particular subjects of interest from their constituency, Mr Chapman also called upon the Government to reconsider launching an inquiry into the events of Orgreave, in the summer of 1984, when the South Yorkshire town witnessed a violent clash between police and pickets at a British Steel Corporation plant during the miners’ strike.

UK Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, rejected previous calls in October 2016, to hold an inquiry into the events at Orgreave, claiming that very few lessons for the policing system of today could be learned from any review of events 30 years ago – much to the outrage of campaigners and former miners.

Douglas Chapman said: “The decline of the British coal industry had a devastating impact on mining communities, including those of Cowdenbeath area, in particular the closure of the Valleyfield Pit which made almost 1,000 workers redundant.” He added: “On this anniversary we should remember the miners and their families who were deeply affected by the closure of the pits, and ask the Home Secretary, Amber Rudd, to do right by them and reconsider launching an inquiry into the actions of police officers on that day.”

The motion was tabled on International Women’s Day on Thursday and included the following, “That this House recognises the particular impact on women in mining communities who were often at the heart of supporting their families and communities under very strained circumstances.”

The dispute, which saw the NCB chief Ian MacGregor, oppose the recommendations of NUM leader Arthur Scargill, saw each local community set up strike committees.

These also involved a ladies branch which looked after a number of community and social avenues to develop strike funds to help miners’ families survive during what turned out to be a year long dispute.