JONATHAN T CLARK NEWPORT WEST

Jonanthan T Clark for Newport West

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales, has confirmed Jonathan T Clark as its candidate for the Newport West constituency for the forthcoming Senedd Elections.  

Jonathan T Clark said: 

"I am pleased to have been selected to contest Newport West constituency at the Senedd Elections in May 2021. For far too long the people of Newport West have suffered from the fact that Labour in Wales in Cardiff Bay, has long failed to consider the economic and social needs of the people of this constituency. “ 

He said:

“The people of Newport West need an MS who will actually put the real concerns of the electors of Newport to the forefront rather than party interests. Wales needs more Plaid MSs in the Senedd to work to deliver for the people of Newport and the people of Wales. The only way to get a government that will always put the interests of Newport at the heart of government in Wales is to vote Plaid Cymru at the next Senedd Elections". 

Jonathan continued:

‘I can see no positives for Newport simply being a dormitory town for Bristol or Cardiff. I will not subscribe to the Severnside agenda, no matter how many times it gets rebranded. Along the coastal belt and in and around Newport and Torfaen and across Monmouthshire the last thirty years we have seen a spectacular growth in the amount of housing, much of which has never been aimed to fulfil local housing needs.’

He said:

“Our city has some massive advantages, take the river Usk has one of the highest rise and fall of tides in Wales, and with our history of manufacturing and industry, our city should be well placed to benefit from the development of tidal lagoons to the west and the east of the city and the harnessing of some of the tidal energy potential of the Severn estuary - with a combination of tidal turbines, wave power, off shore wind and solar power. It’s time for us to tap our potential.” 

Jonathan concluded: 

“We have had twenty-one years plus of Labour maladministration, they are the problem, we need them out of office. I aim to bring a combination of curiosity, stubbornness, tenacity and a real desire to seek the truth combined the skills acquired working as a journalist, in public relations for the police, in public sector education and recruitment. I have the ability to seek the truth and an understanding as to where it can be concealed which would be useful while working as Newport West’s representative in the Senedd.”

Adam Price MS, Jonathan T Clark, Delyth Jewell MS

Adam Price MS, Plaid Cymru Leader, said:

"We have an excellent candidate in Jonathan T Clark, in Newport West. Jonathan has the experience and the determination to make a real difference to the lives of people in Newport – tackling the housing crisis and investing in green jobs. All Labour is interested in is keeping hold of control; there’s no vision, no energy, no ambition.”

Adam Price MS concluded:

“The Labour Party’s tired managerialism is holding us back. Meanwhile, the Tories are pursuing their attacks on the Senedd’s powers, allowing candidates who support abolishing the Welsh Parliament to stand at the election. The choice facing people in May is simple - further decline under Labour, fewer powers with the Tories, or an ambitious Plaid Cymru government that will set Wales on a path to a fairer, more prosperous future with independence."

Jonathan T Clark on the stump in 2019

 Delyth Jewell MS, Plaid Cymru Candidate South Wales East Regional List, said:

"Jonathan is a tireless campaigner and has deep roots in Newport.  He has years of experience of strengthening people's rights through trade unions and has worked with both the police and the press to improve public understanding of so many of the issues we hold dear.  Helping the people living in this community is in his lifeblood.  I am certain that Jonathan will always endeavour to put Newport and the people who live there first.  He would be an excellent Member of the Senedd."

Peredur Owen Griffiths, Plaid Cymru Candidate South Wales East Regional List, said:

“Jonathan has years of experience campaigning for issues close to the heart of the community in Newport West. He would make an excellent addition to the Plaid Cymru team in the Senedd, making clear and well thought through arguments - particularly for Cymru to make our own decisions. His tenacity and keen mind will serve Newport West and Wales well in the challenges to come as we re-build in a post-covid world.”   

DIWEDD / ENDS 

NOT QUITE A SURPRISE

The news that the UK Treasury has finally announced that the £4.8 billion "levelling up fund" for local projects will now be UK-wide, not England only. This means that Westminster ministers will decide how some of the cash is spent on schemes such as regeneration projects in Wales. 

Even the normally inert Welsh Government, has accused the Westminster government of aggressively undermining devolution. The announcement of £4 billion for England last year triggered an extra £800 million for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

However, the Treasury now says it will run the fund for all four UK nations rather than hand any extra cash to the devolved governments. The UK chancellor's Spending Review, had previously announced thats the first ministers of Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland would have been able to decide what to do with their share of the £800 million. 

To be honest I accent say atheist I am that surprised by this announcement, so much for the BREXIT dividend coming our way without some serious strings being attached. The simple bottom line is that any funds allocated to Cymru / Wales are spent and on what, should be decided here in Cymru / Wales, rathe the  in Westminster.

DANIEL LLEWELLYN NEWPORT EAST

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales, has confirmed Daniel Llewellyn as its candidate for the Newport East constituency for the forthcoming Senedd Elections.  

Daniel Llewellyn said:

"I am very pleased to have been selected to contest Newport East constituency at the Senedd Elections in May 2021. For far too long the people of Newport East have suffered from the fact that Labour in Wales in Cardiff Bay, has long failed to consider the economic and social needs of the people of this constituency.“

He said:

“The people of Newport East need an MS who will actually put the real concerns of the electors of Newport to the forefront rather than party interests. Wales needs more Plaid MS’s in the Senedd to work to deliver for the people of Newport and the people of Wales. The only way to get a government that will always put the interests of Newport at the heart of government in Wales is to vote Plaid Cymru at the next Senedd Elections".

Daniel continued:

‘I have never seen any benefits for Newport being a simple dormitory town for Bristol or Cardiff. I have never bought into the Severnside agenda, no matter how many times it’s relaunched. On the coastal belt and in and around Newport and Torfaen (not to mention around Cardiff and Caerphilly) and across Monmouthshire the last thirty years we have seen a significant if not spectacular growth in the amount of housing, a significant percentage of which has never been aimed to fulfil local housing needs.’

Daniel concluded:

“We have had twenty-one years plus of Labour misrule, Labour are part of the problem. As a community councillor (since 2019) in Bedwas, I feel that politics should start within the community. I have seen first-hand how our communities have been left behind by both Cardiff and Westminster. I want to be that change that we all need.  I want to take that chance to make a difference to people lives and I will bring to Newport East my passion, my drive and my commitment to make things better.”

Adam Price MS, Plaid Cymru Leader, said: 

"We have a superb candidate in Daniel Llewellyn, in Newport East, who is committed in changing the lives of the people of the constituency for the better – getting to grips with the housing crisis, creating well paid jobs to tackle the unemployment crisis and putting the needs of people of Newport front and centre. The choice facing people in May is simple - further decline under Labour, fewer powers with the Tories, or an ambitious Plaid Cymru government that will set Wales on a path to a fairer, more prosperous future with independence.”

Delyth JewelL, Plaid Cymru Candidate South Wales East Regional List, said:

"Daniel's enthusiasm for change is infectious.  As a councillor and community champion, Daniel has proven himself to be a determined advocate for the people he represents.  He is unafraid of speaking truth to power, and he would show the same determination as a Member of the Senedd.  I hope the people of Newport will show him their support to be their representative in our parliament, where I know he would always fight for the community."

Peredur Owen Griffiths, Plaid Cymru Candidate South Wales East Regional List, said:

I have known Daniel for a number of years and he never fails to impress me with his passion, enthusiasm and commitment to every task he turns himself to. He will not rest while there is a problem that needs fixing or an injustice that needs addressing. He will work tirelessly for the people of Newport East carrying your voice to the Senedd and standing up for Wales.

DIWEDD / ENDS

FREE SCHOOL MEALS

Free schools meals are failing to reach many of those who need them most in Wales. The Child Poverty Action Group found that half of children in poverty in Wales are missing out on free school meals – over 70,000 children. The Labour Welsh Government’s own review into Child Poverty (obtained by Plaid Cymru through an FOI) has actually come to the same conclusion. 

Labour say there’s no cash – but we know that’s not true. We can expand the eligibility by using unallocated funding in next year’s draft budget. The calculations have already been done by the Labour Government in Wales themselves. The cost of expanding free school meals to all children in families in receipt of Universal Credit would be between £33 – 101 million. There is almost £689 million unallocated cash in the draft budget for next year. 

So there is a way, what’s lacking is the political will and the imagination. The benefits of a free school meal are about more than just stopping a child go hungry – a regular, nutritious meal can improve a child’s performance at school, and their health overall, and thereby offset some of the injustices and inequalities caused by poverty.

A compassionate government would work to ensure that no child goes to school hungry or to bed cold, and to that end, a Plaid Cymru Government will make sure that none of these children go hungry. We can but hope that the Labour Government sees sense and rights this wrong before it’s too late.

A CASE OF CAN DO BETTER…

Responding to Welsh Labour Government’s economic plan, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for the Economy, Helen Mary Jones MS said,

 

“Twenty years of a Labour government in Wales has been characterised by a failure of delivery. Stagnant wages, and missed targets in health, education and the environment has had a profound effect on the standard of living.

 

“The Welsh Government’s plan is a pale imitation of the £6 billion Welsh Green Deal already announced by Plaid Cymru – a transformational plan for the economy which will create 60,000 new jobs. There is little in Labour’s record that suggests they are fit to govern for another 5 years.”

With a promise to deliver a post pandemic recovery that sees Wales “working faster and smarter than the pandemic response” – a Plaid Cymru government would guarantee employment for 16- to 24-year-olds, build thousands of green new homes and prioritise small and medium sized Welsh businesses.

Adam Price added that the “ambitious but deliverable” raft of measures “should have been brought in years ago had the Labour Welsh Government shown a greater urgency to build a resilient economy.”

Unveiling the Re-Build Wales Rapid Recovery Plan – Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said:

“The Welsh economy is facing its biggest challenge for a generation. With unemployment due to reach 120,000 by the summer, we need an urgent alternative economic strategy which will not only create jobs but also support the thousands of businesses facing bankruptcy as a result of the pandemic.

“We will learn lessons and ensure that the post pandemic recovery sees Wales working faster and smarter than the pandemic response – with an unrelenting focus on protecting livelihoods.

“This is an ambitious but deliverable raft of measures which should have been brought in years ago had the Labour Welsh Government shown a greater urgency to build a resilient economy.

“Within its first few hours, a Plaid Cymru government would announce a £6 billion green economic stimulus, creating almost 60,000 jobs through tasking the National Infrastructure Commission with delivering shovel-ready investable projects.

“These could include building thousands of new social homes, retrofitting existing homes, expanding and electrifying the rail network, and delivering the fastest broadband to all parts of Wales.

“We would introduce a Welsh Youth Guarantee giving secure employment to every 16–24-year-olds on at least a Living Wage, zero-interest loans to get businesses back on their feet, and a reskilling programme giving those who were recently made redundant a £5,000 retraining allowance.  

“A Plaid government would also implement a new ‘local first’ procurement policy to give preference to small and medium-sized local businesses - setting a target of increasing Welsh firms’ share of public procurement from 52% to 75% - creating up to 46,000 jobs.”

FOCUSING ON FLOOD AVOIDANCE

We need to build into our communities the resilience to cope with flooding - sadly in a warmer wetter world - flood events are going to become more common. Over the weekend some 27 flood warnings were issued for Wales. Over the last five years the Welsh Government has invested more than £390 million to manage flood risk. The  severity and frequency of flooding events means that flood prevention needs to become a strategic national priority.

Both the Welsh and Westminster Governments need to make rational long term sustainable choices when it comes to flood defence. We in Wales need to develop a comprehensive planning system for our country that hardens our communities and infrastructure against the effects of severe weather events.   We need to focus on flood prevention and develop flood preventative schemes rather than end up clearing up after the flood is over again and again.

As our winters and our summers become warmer and wetter we will see more instances sea and riverine flooding, persistent bad weather has meant that some of our communities have had some pretty close calls and other communities have been badly inundated (again). There can be no blank cheque for flood defences so we need to make rational cost effective sustainable choices when it comes to flood defence whether for coastal or riverine flooding on the Gwent levels or the Ebbw, Wye, Usk or Monnow valleys. 

The debate taking place around flooding needs to focus on re-engineering the whole water system in Wales to ensure that water is retained in the uplands to prevent downstream flooding. Here in Wales, those agencies responsible for our environment need to take the lead and work to ensure that potential flood waters are retained our uplands for longer and flood prevention avoidance schemes are comprehensively built into our planning system.

A close call near Caerleon, near Newport in the lower Usk Valley in 2016

Where possible we should avoid building in those areas that are particularly vulnerable to flooding or at least when building to take into account the possibilities of flooding. If we are going to build on flood plains or other areas that are vulnerable to flooding then we must use flood resistant or at the very least flood hardened modern intelligent design techniques to limit potential damage, loss and inconvenience as are used elsewhere. The on-going Dutch programme - Room for the River shows what’s possible.

We can be constructively innovative when we want to - the Welsh Government had previously given “indicative approval” to the Upper Conwy project. The purpose of the project is to assist in the storage of flood waters in the upland by slowing water flows through the restoration of moors, and it includes ditch blocking and river restoration. The cooperative project is spearheaded by Natural Resources Wales and the National Trust, with an agency official seconded to the Trust to push the work forward. Similar schemes have been developed in the north of England - this is good practice and we need much more of this. 

A NEED FOR DATA NOT DATES

Action should be drive by “data not dates” says Plaid Leader Adam Price ahead of Wales roadmap announcement

 

Relaxing restrictions should be drive by “data not dates” Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price has said.

 

The First Minister Mark Drakeford is expected to announce a roadmap out of lockdown today.

 

Mr Price said that whilst the picture was improving “by the week” and commended all involved in the effort to drive down the rates of transmission, Wales was “not there yet” in terms of being ready to relax restrictions on a national level.

 

The Plaid Cymru Leader called for an extension to the furlough scheme for “several months after lockdown restrictions end” and asked that travel restrictions be eased with “caution”.

 

Mr Price added that he hoped the Government would put a sharp focus on re-introducing household bubbles in response to the increased loneliness and isolation as a result of current restrictions.

 

He added that the mental health crisis should not be ignored and added that it was “vital” that all would be done to enable gyms to be among the first facilities to reopen.

 

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said:

 

“The picture seems to be improving by the week and everyone involved in the effort to drive down the rates of transmission should be commended.

 

“However, we’re not there quite yet in terms of being ready to relax restrictions on a national level.

 

“Infection rates remain high and the headroom we have remains low. At every step, action should be driven by data not dates.

 

“We cannot ignore the mental health crisis which has been brought about as a result of the pandemic. It’s vital that everything possible is done to enable gyms to be among the first facilities to reopen.

 

“Loneliness and isolation are also a real challenge for many people, and we hope that the government will put a sharp focus on when and how it will be safe to return to extended household bubbles. 

 

“Travel restrictions should be eased with caution and the sensible approach would be to reintroduce the “stay local” message for as long as necessary.

 

“It’s vital that those who have lost their livelihoods continue to be supported and we support the Resolution Foundation’s call this week for furlough to be extended for several months after lockdown restrictions end.”

 

ENDS

FEW AND FAR BETWEEN

Some more positive news - for the first time in 56 years, the village was joined to the rail network as the first train stopped on Sunday. The opening was obviously low key as Wales is under a strict Covid-19 lockdown. The 09:12 GMT service from Machynlleth to Aberystwyth stopped to pick up passengers at the Ceredigion village for the first time since 1965. 

The £8 million pound project to reopen the station on the Cambrian Line that connects Aberystwyth and Pwllheli to Birmingham and Shrewsbury has been 11 years in the making. The new single-track halt with a park-and-ride is south of the old station. It closed after 101 years in the 1960s Beeching cuts which saw the end of thousands of stations around the UK. The completion of this project is a very visible first step for the Transport for Wales rail franchise. 

Now while this is good news, the news that Bow Street station is the first station to open in Wales since Pye Corner in Newport more than six years ago (on 14-Dec-2014) should be shocking!  It is important to remember that control of our railway infrastructure investment remains not devolved to Cymru / Wales - a decision made by the then Labour Government in Westminster.  

It still remains with the UK Westminster Government, all the Welsh Labour Government does is draw up a short list of suggestions. And then it wait for Westminster to pick the ones it wants from the list, all the Welsh Labour Government does is draw up a short list of suggestions.

All potential stations go through three stages of assessment, not in Wales but in Westminster / Whitehall:

• The first looks at Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance criteria and consideration of the Wellbeing and Future Generations Act.
• The second looks at the strength of the financial and economic case for a new station and advice from Network Rail on deliverability.
• The third is "development and assessment of the highest priorities".

To help narrow the list down, station demand forecasts were drawn up which are designed to give a likely viability of proposed stations. This may actually sound a more scientific and rational process than it is. Is it any wonder that nothing gets done or it takes forever. Quite simply decisions about railway infrastructure development and spending need to be made here in Cymru / Wales, not in Westminster - as happens in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

AN AMBITIOUS APPROACH

An “ambitious approach” will be required for post-Covid recovery, Plaid Cymru has warned.

A report from the Bevan Foundation has exposed the effects the pandemic has had on Welsh households’ finances. The report suggests that almost a quarter of Welsh households have seen a fall in their income, whilst more than forty percent have seen an increase in heating and water bills.

Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for the Economy, Helen Mary Jones MS said the Welsh Government must “urgently intervene” and said “bigger steps” would be needed to mitigate the long term financial impact of Covid.

Ms Jones drew attention to Plaid Cymru’s ambitious Covid recovery plan which includes the creation of nearly 60,000 new jobs, describing the need for big ideas to “eradicate the vast inequalities in Wales”.

Plaid Cymru Shadow Minister for the Economy, Helen Mary Jones MS said,

“This is a stark reminder that we cannot and will not just go back to how things were. The future for people in this country’s poorest communities has to change.

“Household finances across Wales have been hit hard by the pandemic, and the end of the furlough scheme will add to current pressures. With a drop of household incomes and a rise in the costs of living, the Welsh Government must urgently intervene in offering short and medium-term support for those struggling, taking bigger steps to mitigate the financial impact of Covid for the longer term.

“A government in Wales has to be ambitious in moving forward - in recovering from the pandemic and addressing the needs of the most in need. Plaid Cymru have ambitions to extend free school meals to all children and have a plan for an economic recovery from the pandemic which would create almost 60,000 new jobs.

“We have reached a point in which big ideas and rapid action is needed in order to eradicate the vast inequalities in Wales, many of which are apparent in the Bevan Foundation’s report.”

END

CHOOSING INDEPENDENCE

Yesterday (on Saturday) at a  Special Conference on independence, Plaid Cymru members overwhelmingly backed a pledge that means that Plaid Cymru will offer a Welsh independence referendum within the first term of Government should it be able to command a majority following this year’s Senedd elections.

Now this is not simply a case of a bunch of constitutional nerds seeking to win independence for independence’s sake, but rather for the sake of the thousands of families whose futures depend on Wales becoming a fairer, more equal nation. 

This literally makes Plaid Cymru the only political party contesting the 2021 Senedd elections that will have a manifesto commitment to hold a referendum on Welsh Independence within a clear timetable. 

This is a weighty endorsement of Plaid’s unwavering belief that sovereignty lies with the people of Wales and not with Westminster. 

This means that the people of Wales can decide their constitutional future - by the middle of this decade – we all now have a clear roadmap for a free and fair nation.

The existing devolution settlement and the powers that Cymru / Wales has could be used to make things better - the problem is that they are simply being used for administrative purposes by a Labour in Wales government that lacks the will, the imagination and the vision to change Cymru / Wales for the better. 

As has been said before, we are living in very uncertain times, the only real certainty is that we can do far better than this, better than tolerating the status quo. 

More of the same is simply not an option. 

The covid crisis has shown that Cymru / Wales couldn’t have its own furlough scheme, nor could we have maximum flexibility in terms of the support we could offer various sectors throughout the crisis. 

With economic independence, we can have the freedom to tailor our response to Cymru / Wales’s specific needs, rather than the ‘square peg in a round hole’ approach forced upon us by in indifferent Westminster. 

The current Conservative Westminster government is aiming to undermine, weaken and destroy even the flawed devolutionary settlement that we have, there will  be no federalist option, and no new powers devolved to anywhere, let alone Cymru / Wales. 

The centralists are back with a vengeance - the only option as going for independence. For the first time independence and its timetable will be on the ballot paper in a Welsh General Election, reflecting the growing confidence in our ability to run our own affairs. 

To those who tired of the waffle and short-term thinking and the cronyism from Westminster, for those who want to break free from the decaying union, we have a clear offer. 

A Plaid Cymru led government which secures a Senedd majority vote will deliver an independence referendum in its first term – giving the people of Cymru / Wales the right to decide on their own future. 

With an independent Scotland and a united Ireland ever more likely by the end of the decade, the people of Wales deserve an opportunity to decide whether we too want that independent future, we deserve the opportunity to choose our future, rather than life in the past.  

WITH TRANSPARENCY COMES TRUST

Plaid repeats calls for vaccine supply figures to be made public

 

Responding to questions raised about the supply of vaccines into Wales, Plaid Cymru’s Shadow Minister for Health, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said,

 

“Transparency is key in maintaining public trust. Everyone involved in the vaccine rollout has done a fantastic job in vaccinating 20% of the Welsh population, but we need to see the flow of vaccines into the four UK nations, to have confidence that we are getting our fair share.

 

“I have repeatedly asked for the data on how much of each vaccination is distributed to all nations, in the spirit of transparency. The Health Minister has indicated he agrees, so the question is – when will this data be made publicly available, so that we can all have confidence that distribution is as open and fair as possible?”

 

DIWEDD / ENDS

 

NODIADAU I’R GOLYGYDD / EDITOR’S NOTES:

1.     In answer to a question from Rhun ap Iorwerth about publishing the number of vaccines sent to all 4 nations, Vaughan Gething replied “When we get to agreement on being able to have those figures openly, then we will certainly do so. I'm keen that we're able to do so, but I do understand the sensitivity, particularly at this point in time, on what we're able to publish, and it would be useful if all Government figures in all four nations could respond in the same way as we are trying to do as grown-ups across all four nations”:

  https://record.assembly.wales/Plenary/11176#A64236

OUR INCREASINGLY THIN BLUE LINE

The Police Federation has just surveyed its members, and has found that officers in Wales have been assaulted more often during the coronavirus pandemic than their English colleagues. The Federation found Welsh officers were more likely to have been insulted, threatened, hit or kicked, with more than a third having been insulted at least once a week, a quarter were threatened and 17% were attacked.  

The Federation’s Welsh lead said it was possible that the higher rate of Covid rule enforcement may have made a difference.  The survey is carried out every two years with 888 Welsh officers taking part, with 35% saying they were verbally insulted at least once a week, 24% reporting verbal threats at least once a week and 17% were physically attacked without a weapon. While a police officers lot may not be a happy one this is totally unacceptable, if we are truly to stand up for our Police officers then its time to devolve Policing to Cymru / Wales as Westminster is not interested. . 

Our Senedd is quite unique, it is the only devolved legislature within these islands not to have any control over its nation’s police forces. Now it’s worth noting, that control over Policing is devolved to Scotland (effectively since 1945), Northern Ireland, England, London, Manchester and even the City of London. Even the Crown dependencies: the Channel Islands, the Isle of Mann and even the overseas territories (some of which are a focus for tax avoidance / tax evasion) have democratic control over their own Police services. 

It is worth noting that back in 2017 Plaid Cymru called a vote on devolving policing during the passing of the Wales Bill through the Houses of Parliament. We should remember that given an opportunity to devolve Policing to Wales, the Conservatives voted it down and the Labour in Wales MP’s abstained. This provides yet another example of the way the Conservative Party and Labour Party happily co-operate at Westminster to disadvantage Cymru / Wales. So much for standing up for our national interests and our Police officers. 

A BOX TICKING EXERCISE

Former Welsh Government non-executive director calls their approach “box ticking exercise”, in document seen by Plaid Cymru.

In a document seen by Plaid Cymru, a former Welsh Government non-executive director has slammed the Labour Welsh Government approach to policy implementation, calling it a “box ticking exercise” without any assessment as to whether the “desired outcomes” are actually being achieved.

The document is also highly critical of its “lack of measures of progress or outcome success.”

In First Minister Questions today (Tuesday 9 February), Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price also called out the Welsh Government on failing to include in its annual report its missed targets on child poverty and greenhouse gas emissions.

Mr Price highlighted criticisms levelled at the Labour Welsh government by its grassroots movement, asking the First Minister “You can dismiss my criticisms of your Government First Minister. But can you dismiss the words of the very people that campaigned to put in you in the position you are now in?”

Welsh Labour Grassroots have recently referred to the policies outlined in the 2021 manifesto as “cautious and uninspiring”, saying “they fail to measure up to the scale of the challenges that Wales will face over the years ahead.”

Crucially, they also call for “free school meals for all children”. Plaid Cymru has long campaigned for extending the eligibility criteria for free school meals, and has consistently been voted down by Labour Welsh Government at every turn.

Plaid Cymru Leader, Adam Price MS said,

“The Welsh Government’s Annual Report seems to aim to be a rubber-stamping exercise of apparent delivery but in reality, it is an airbrushing of continuous failure which has not gone unnoticed.

“This failure is no more apparent than in a damning indictment by a former non-executive government director, in which the lack of direction is clear.

“Failure to meet promises to eradicate child poverty and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions matter. Yet none of this is acknowledged in the annual report.

“When Labour activists criticise the lack of commitment to extending free school meals – something Plaid Cymru has long been campaigning for – it highlights the need for a change in approach, a change in government.

“After twenty years of standing still, Wales deserves a government that will actively seek solutions to these deep-rooted problems. Actions from a Plaid Cymru Government will speak louder than any words written in publications by the Labour Welsh government.”

 

ENDS