REFORM OUR COUNCIL TAX

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS has today set out his party’s commitment to reform council tax should it win May’s election, urging the current Welsh Government to use its unspent funds to immediately freeze the tax in the meantime.

 

Referring to the £800 million of unspent funding in this year’s Welsh Government budget, Adam Price MS used today’s First Minister’s Questions in the Senedd to point out that it would cost £100 million to allow Welsh councils to freeze council tax and offset last year’s average 4.8% rise.

 

Citing the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ description of Wales’s council tax system as “out of date, regressive and distortionary”, Mr Price set out Plaid Cymru’s commitment to making council tax fairer and more progressive, adding that under such proposals 20% of households on the lowest incomes would see savings of at least £200.

 

Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price MS said,

 

“Any talk of the pandemic as the great leveller has been completely debunked by the harsh reality facing thousands of families in Wales.

 

“Citizens Advice Cymru have found that Welsh families have been hit by a total of £73 million of arrears due to struggling with rent, energy bills or council tax over the last year. £13 million relates specifically to Council Tax arrears.

 

“That is why I have urged the Labour Welsh Government to use £100 million of its £800 million unspent funds to freeze council tax right away, making up for last year’s average rise of 4.8%.

 

“A Plaid Cymru government would go further and reform council tax to make it fairer and more progressive. We will undertake a revaluation, increase the number of bands at the higher end of household evaluations, and ensure that council tax is more proportional to the value of properties.

 

“We expect that under our proposals 20% of households in the bottom fifth of income distribution will see their council tax fall by more than £200.

 

As stated by the Institute of Fiscal Studies which describes Wales’s current council tax model as “out of date, regressive and distortionary”, making council tax proportional to up-to-date values would lead to average bills falling by more than £160 in Merthyr Tydfil, Neath Port Talbot and Blaenau Gwent.

 

“This would be a fairer system by far than what Labour has left in place for too long.”

TIME TO TEACH OUR HISTORY

Plaid Cymru are calling on the Education Minister to support making Welsh history, including the history of black people and people of colour a mandatory part of the new curriculum. 

Every child and young person in Wales should learn about the story of Wales.

Sadly that has not been the case in the past but the new curriculum of Wales is an exciting, once-in-a-generation opportunity to change that, ensuring that the History of Wales in all its diversity is an integral part of each child’s education.

Plaid Cymru are therefore calling on you to support making Welsh history, including the history of black people and people of colour a mandatory part of the new curriculum.

Unless it becomes obligatory, the current inconsistent pattern will persist and an unique opportunity to empower young people with a knowledge of their past, including the mistakes, will be lost. 

Furthermore, teaching about the history of black people and people of colour must happen in all our schools as an essential part of a national effort to eliminate systemic race inequalities, allowing Wales to become a beacon for equality in a divided world.

Plaid Cymru strongly believe that all children have the right to understand their history and heritage and learning about the history of Wales is key for our next generation to make them informed and engaged citizens -  which is one of the primary purposes of this new curriculum.

Plaid Cymru therefore call on you to give the national story of Wales, in all its diversity, including the history of black people and people of colour, the status it deserves by putting it on the face of the Bill. 

This will also ensure that the teaching is fully supported by resources and training as our history becomes fully embedded into Wales’ new way of teaching and learning.

Welsh history belongs to all Welsh children, and they all deserve equal access to it.

Sign the open letter.

By signing this open letter, you agree to Plaid Cymru recording your political opinion and using it for campaigning purposes. You can find our data protection policy here.

YESTERDAY’S NEWS

A classic case of yesterday’s news and yesterday’s ideas from yesterday’s party.

Labour had thirteen years in power in Westminster to deliver radical devolution for Wales and failed.

They again promised a “radical extension of devolution” in 2017, as did Keir Starmer during his leadership campaign only to now deny Scotland’s right to hold a new referendum on independence.

As has been said  broken record won’t save a broken union, and neither will we re-build our economy with the handleless shovel that Labour in Westminster and in Wales have given us relation to economic powers.

Time and again Labour in Westminster have voted in the UK Parliament against more powers for the Senedd.

Labour in Wales are simply part of the problem rather than the solution, or as my father once put it, if you think Labour is the answer then you are asking the wrong question…

The Labour Party is being overtaken by events and the desires of the people of Wales - including half of their membership - to see our nation have full control over deciding its own future. 

More and more people want independence for Wales but if they want it, they have to vote for it in the Senedd elections.

TIME TO BUILD TRUST

Plaid Cymru calls for maximum transparency to build trust, and queries appointment system in open letter to Health Minister

In an open letter to the Health Minister, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, health spokesperson for Plaid Cymru, has called for greater clarity on the vaccine deployment programme, in order to build public trust.

While the deployment of the vaccine offers real hope, Mr ap Iorwerth raises “real concerns” over the pace, transparency and communications of the programme, and says that the public “simply want to know when they might expect the vaccine.”

Mr ap Iorwerth calls for a dashboard of information that would allow the public to track progress for themselves, including volume of doses delivered and administered by health board and by priority group. He said it would “go far” in helping to restore public trust.

Mr ap Iorwerth also asks for clarity on whether the Welsh Immunisation System is currently able to perform the tasks it was designed to do, including creating appointments, sending letters and automatically scheduling second doses.

Using examples of international good practice, Mr ap Iorwerth asks whether the Health Minister would consider measures such as:

• Vaccination centres open 7 days a week
• Widespread availability of drive-through style vaccination centres
• Reducing wastage by allowing prepared vaccines to be given on a ‘first come first served’ basis at the end of the day.
  

Shadow Minister for Health, Rhun ap Iorwerth MS said,

“There are real concerns about the vaccine deployment programme, not least regarding the pace, transparency and communications during these initial stages. People simply want to know when they might expect the vaccine.

“Setting out targets in Welsh Government’s vaccination plan, and including a dashboard of information which answers questions around how the numbers of doses by health board and priority group, will go far in helping to build public trust, as they will be able to track progress for themselves.

“We have a short period of weeks before the damage of strict conditions, in particular school closures, become even more significant. We also currently have a virus infecting more people every week than are receiving the vaccine. Expanding the pace and scale of vaccination is thus essential, as is restoring public confidence that governments have a plan for winning this battle against the virus.”

A NEW YEAR

Whilst 2020 may have been the year of locking down, 2021 can be the year of locking in hope. .

In little over 100 days, Wales will elect a new government tasked with a recovery project like no other.

We won’t fix all of it at once. But my fervent belief is that a Plaid Cymru government, given the opportunity, could begin the process of transformational change that would set our nation on a path to better things.

A minimum wage of £10 per hour for every care worker, bringing them in line with NHS salaries.

A £35 a week payment for every family forced to cut corners at the end of every month.

Free childcare from the age of one for every son and daughter, generating thousands of jobs and boosting household incomes by allowing many parents to return to work.

A pledge that no child goes hungry.

Creating 10,000 new affordable homes each year for five years.

And while many are vowing to build back better only independence allows us to build back ‘best.’

Come the spring, change will be in the air. But on May 6th the new normal is up to you.

A confident, outward looking, socially just and equitable Wales is here to win. After all the sacrifice, the grief, the loss and hardship that’s the least we deserve.

Blwyddyn newydd dda.

Adam Price Leader of Plaid Cymru

200 Days to change Cymru / Wales

 

200 days to Change Wales for Good

We in Plaid Cymru have a clear goal for our country: we want to stand on our own two feet, independent, free and equal with other nations across the world.

But in becoming an equal nation we have our eyes on a higher goal: of becoming ourselves a Nation of Equals.

We can do this by caring for everyone in society – from cradle to grave - building the economy and believing in our nation. Not managing problems – solving them.

During such a difficult time for us all it can be hard to look to the future. But as we face the darkness of winter, a 'fire-break' lockdown , and an alarming increase in the spread of Coronavirus, it is our responsibility to light a candle of hope.

​Wales also needs hope. Hope that things won’t just change but will change for good, for everyone, forever.

There are 200 days to go until the Senedd election. We have 200 days to offer Wales that hope. 200 days to Change Wales for Good.

Adam Price

SAVING OUR ARTS

These past few months have reminded people how important art, culture and heritage is. At times like these it is more important than ever to people and communities; a vital buttress that protects and enhances our quality of life. 

Currently however, we face a cultural emergency, as well as a health and economic one. Culture is part of the key that will ensure we prosper economically and in terms of our collective health as we move towards the future.

The impending decimation of the Welsh arts industry from this pandemic will have a grave and far reaching impact. Not only for the thousands who have or will lose their jobs and careers, but without a thriving creative industry, who will tell our story now?

It is deplorable that the Westminster job support scheme is unlikely to save many of our cultural attractions and live music venues from closure. In one simple move thousands of jobs – which, up until now, had been saved through furlough – have been re-categorised as ‘unviable’. 

Both the Conservative Government in Westminster and the Labour in Wales Government in Cardiff have produced plenty of warm words but offer no real actions nor solutions on the short, medium and long-term problems. Instead, the sector has been left to wither on the vine. Plaid Cymru stands as the only party speaking out and offering real leadership and guidance to the sector. 

For many young people in Wales, the Arts has been a viable career choice, but with such a threat to the industry in Wales, many young people will find yet another door closed to them when it comes to starting their careers.