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Politics

Welsh Tories lead debate criticising Labour in Westminster

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THE CONSERVATIVES criticised the UK Government’s record six months on from the general election, accusing Labour of doing “not a dickie bird” to stand up for Wales.

Darren Millar, leader of the Tories in the Senedd, said people were told Labour governments at both ends of the M4 would be great for Wales in the run up to July’s election.

But he warned: “What we’ve actually ended up with is a double whammy: broken promises and failing policies … alongside a passive, silent Labour Welsh Government unwilling to offer a squeak of criticism or lift a finger to defend the interests of the people of Wales.”

Leading a Tory debate, he said the new UK Government has hit farmers with inheritance tax, taken winter fuel allowance from pensioners and hiked national insurance for businesses.

Mr Millar told the Senedd that Welsh railways remain underfunded as he accused Labour of settling for “scraps” despite previously calling for billions of pounds from HS2.

Conservative MS Peter Fox
Conservative MS Peter Fox

Peter Fox, the Tory shadow rural affairs secretary, warned farmers have to deal with Labour governments “who either do not care or do not understand the needs of rural communities”.

Mr Fox, a farmer and former council leader who has represented Monmouth since 2021, criticised changes to agricultural property relief by the UK Government.

“It’s not a loophole,” he said. “It’s a carefully designed policy … to protect Britain’s family farms from being broken up.”

His colleague Natasha Asghar, who represents South Wales East, described a -45% approval rating for Keir Starmer’s government as “a tad generous”.

South Wales East MS Natasha Asghar
South Wales East MS Natasha Asghar

She said: “If this is just what the first six months of Sir Keir’s premiership look like, I sincerely dread to imagine what the next six months have in store for all of us.”

John Griffiths criticised the “usual la-la land” contribution from the Conservatives, pointing out the party did not get a single MP elected in Wales.

He said: “I think their real problem … is people’s memories are not as short as they think they are. When they talk about all these issues – not standing up for Wales, allegations about sleaze – people well remember those long Tory years, the 14 years of austerity.”

Lee Waters, a fellow Labour backbencher, told the Senedd: “This is like being stuck in a bad sixth-form debate.”

Labour MS Lee Waters

He said people in the UK lived through the “horror story” of a Tory party “at war with each other, embarrassing our country and making us a laughing stock abroad”.

Arguing Labour inherited a mess, Mr Waters accused the Conservatives of “playing footsie” with Elon Musk and “shamefully seizing” on rhetoric about grooming gangs.

Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan hit out at Conservative “hypocrisy” in tabling the debate and accused Labour of betraying voters since July’s election.

Ms Fychan raised the examples of the “cruel” two-child benefit cap, cuts to the winter fuel allowance and increases in national insurance contributions.

Plaid Cymru MS Heledd Fychan
Plaid Cymru MS Heledd Fychan

Her colleague Llyr Gruffydd accused Labour of breaking a promise, made in opposition, not to change inheritance tax rules on agriculture in its very first budget.

He said: “The unique nature of farming businesses means that the loss of relief will severely threaten the viability, and even, potentially, the survival, of many businesses.

“It’s not like forcing somebody just to sell off some assets; you’re forcing people, potentially, to sell off their livelihoods and the livelihoods of their future generations.”

Mark Drakeford criticised “dreadful” contributions from the Tory benches, saying: “You put a penny in the slot and out comes the speech. There’s not a minute’s thought behind it.”

Pointing out that Labour won 27 of 32 seats in Wales, the finance secretary said: “A result that the leader of the opposition … described as ‘lacklustre’.

Finance secretary Mark Drakeford
Finance secretary Mark Drakeford

“How much he must dream of a lacklustre performance by his own party, even though he sees exactly such a performance every day all around him.”

The former First Minister said the Conservative motion in front of the Senedd concentrated entirely on matters outside the Welsh Parliament’s responsibility.

Following the debate on January 15, Senedd Members voted 26-24 against the motion with Labour’s amended version agreed by the same margin.

Education

Special meeting on Pembrokeshire school catchment areas

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A SPECIAL meeting is to be held to re-visit a decision by senior Pembrokeshire councillors to maintain school catchment areas for Johnston, Neyland and Tiers Cross, despite significant community opposition.

Due to a change in catchment areas the pupils are no longer able to access free transport to Haverfordwest high school, instead coming under the Milford Haven catchment area.

Two petitions calling for the reinstatement of the former catchment areas to access free transport for pupils to Haverfordwest were started in the county last year, effectively reverting to the position that was in place prior to the reorganisation of secondary education provision in Haverfordwest in 2018.

At the February meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members backed a recommendation to maintain the current situation.

Since that meeting of February 10, a ‘call-in’ on the decision was successfully made by Welsh Conservative councillors Aled Thomas and Claire George, who represent the Johnston and St Ishmaels wards, backed by the entire Welsh Conservative group on the council.

A special extraordinary Schools and Learning Overview and Scrutiny committee is expected to be held later this month, when the ‘call-in’ will be considered.

Cllr Aled Thomas said: “Thanks to the support of my fellow Pembrokeshire Conservative councillors, we have been able to continue the discussions on this important matter, while the current administration is only concerned with kicking it into the long grass.

“Strong and safe education is the ‘silver bullet’ in making sure our next generation thrives, both when at school age and beyond.

“Boundary changes were forced on Johnston’s residents against their will, and I will do everything I can to fight for my residents’ best interests.”

Cllr Claire George said: “It is a fundamental principle of education that children should feel safe and develop their independence, which means access to appropriate school transport – something which is not workable under the current school catchment area arrangements for my ward.”

“We must ensure that our children are able to travel to and from the school of their choice confidently and safely, giving them the opportunity to flourish in their education.”

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Politics

Fresh Cardigan housing scheme after ‘bonkers’ plans refused

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A FRESH scheme for four affordable homes on the edge of Cardigan, to all be occupied by members of the same family, has been submitted after a previous “bonkers” scheme was refused last year.

Sister Ms Celyn, Sara and Carys Jukes in an application to Ceredigion County Council planners, are seeking permission for four affordable discounted for sale dwellings, this time bungalows, at Drws Y Coed, Cae Morgan Road, with a fourth home for other sister Mandy Jones; three of the sisters currently living at Drws Y Coed with their parents.

A supporting statement, through agent Harries Planning Design Management, says: “Due to their personal and family ties to Caermorgan Road, it is such that they seek to build homes on the land to the rear of Drws Y Coed. This will provide independent living accommodation where they can settle and continue to live, work and raise a family within their local community.”

It says the proposed dwellings, reduced in size and design after the previous refusal, are “honest in their intentions, to provide long-term family homes which will be of an appropriate scale to serve their needs, whilst respecting the wider landscape context and neighbouring amenity levels”.

Last August, a previous scheme for four £400,000 three and four-bed detached homes at the site by the same applicants was refused by county planners after members were told calling them ‘affordable’ was “bonkers”.

That application was supported by Cardigan Town Council, but concerns have been raised by members of the public on the impact on neighbouring properties.

The application was recommended for refusal on grounds including it went against planning policy as it is in an open countryside location, the application “fails to demonstrate that the proposed occupiers of the dwellings are in real affordable housing need, with [the applicants’] search focusing on properties up to a value of £350k,” and “there is no real need for the proposed occupiers to live at the application site, and is rather a desire to live close to the family”.

Speaking at that meeting, Celyn Jukes said the Welsh-speaking family hoped to raise their children “in the community that we live in”.

She told the committee of her surprise of earlier coverage of the plans in the local press, the Cambrian News and the Tivyside Advertiser, adding: “But it was pleasing that a lot of people had been supportive of this application.”

Head of planning for Ceredigion Russell Hughes-Pickering raised serious concerns about the size and scale of the application, with houses proposed in the circa £400,000 range, describing them as “blatantly not affordable”.

“Anyone looking at the application and thinking they are affordable houses is bonkers, these are not affordable houses: the size of the properties, the size of the plots, the value of the houses; they are just not affordable.”

The latest application will be considered by planners at a later date.

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Politics

‘End this horrendous cruelty now’: Senedd calls for greyhound racing ban

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SENEDD Members reiterated cross-party calls for a ban on greyhound racing due to “horrendous cruelty” at the last remaining track in Wales.

Carolyn Thomas told the Senedd the future of greyhound racing has been high on the agenda since a 2022 petition calling for a ban was signed by more than 35,000 people.

Ms Thomas said the Hope Rescue charity founded by Vanessa Waddon, who submitted the petition, has first-hand experience of horrendous cruelty at the Valley Greyhound Stadium.

She warned that dogs have lost their lives and regularly suffered life-changing injuries at the greyhound racing track in Ystrad Mynach.

Ms Thomas said: “Hope Rescue started when Vanessa found Last Hope back in 2004, a greyhound from the Valley track found shot with a captive bolt gun, with its ears hacked off. 

“This was so he could not be identified by his tattoos. At the time, his tail was still wagging.”

Ms Thomas, who chairs the Senedd cross-party group on animal welfare as well as the petitions committee, thanked the “Cut the Chase” coalition of campaigning charities.

She pointed out that two-thirds of respondents to a Welsh Government consultation were in favour of a phased or imminent ban on greyhound racing.

Labour MS Carolyn Thomas
Labour MS Carolyn Thomas

Ms Thomas said: “We must not ignore the significant majority of people who acknowledge that the welfare of racing dogs must come before entertainment.”

The former councillor, who represents North Wales, raised concerns about the frequency of race meetings increasing from one to three times a week between 2023 and 2024.

She said: “604 dogs have raced at the track during this period, of those 140 have been involved in incidents and injuries – that’s nearly a quarter of them.”

Leading a debate on February 12, Ms Thomas told the Senedd that 389 dogs involved in racing on British tracks died in 2023, a 44% increase on the previous year.

Warning that rescue centres are struggling, she pointed to statistics showing 2,500 retired dogs were residing in trainers’ kennels while waiting to be rehomed in July 2024.

The Labour politician stressed: “Greyhound racing is a cruel, unsustainable, out-of-date industry which we must resign to the past.”

Urging Welsh ministers to bring in a ban before next year’s election, she said: “The longer we wait to act, the more dogs will be injured or sadly lose their life at the Valleys track.”

She pointed to plans for a ban in New Zealand, where the industry is worth £73m a year and employs 1,000 people, due to injuries and the deaths of dogs.

Jane Dodds with Arthur, her late adopted greyhound
Jane Dodds with Arthur, her late adopted greyhound

Welsh Lib Dem leader Jane Dodds, whose first rescue greyhound called Arthur died in 2023, said she suffered online abuse following a previous debate on calls for a ban.

“He was only with us for three years because of the injuries and trauma he’d experienced,” she said, adding: “I hope we get this ban because in my head it’ll be Arthur’s law.”

Plaid Cymru’s Luke Fletcher warned it remained unclear whether the Welsh Government would heed calls for a ban following a long consultation process.

The Conservatives’ Altaf Hussain said: “I wholeheartedly agree that we need to end the cruelty that is greyhound racing and we need to end it today.”

Joyce Watson pointed out that the UK is one of only four countries in the world – alongside Australia, Ireland and the US – “refusing” to ban greyhound racing.

Mick Antoniw, a fellow Labour backbencher, said: “The reality of greyhound racing is that the industry cannot exist without systematic animal cruelty.”

Huw Irranca-Davies, the Deputy First Minister who is responsible for animal welfare policy, acknowledged the strength of feeling across the debating chamber or Siambr.

Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and secretary for climate change and rural affairs
Huw Irranca-Davies, Deputy First Minister and secretary for climate change and rural affairs

He said: “I recognise that this is a complex and emotional issue and I want to ensure ongoing improvement to wellbeing and that’s why I am considering issues around licensing and a ban as part of the consultation.

“Although there are strong feelings on this in the consultation and a high level of support for considering a gradual ban, we also ask for evidence to confirm such views. We have taken time to review this additional evidence.”

Mr Irranca-Davies told Senedd Members that the next steps will be shared in the spring as part of the development of a wider national model for the regulation of animal welfare.

Following the debate, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) disputed some Senedd Members’ comments.

Raising 2023 data, which was independently verified by law firm Barnes Roffe, GBGB emphasised that the track fatality rate remained consistent with previous year’s at 0.03%.

A spokesperson said this was half the level in 2018, with 109 greyhounds being put to sleep at licensed stadia on veterinary advice.

They clarified that the figure of 389 greyhounds dying in 2023, which was referenced by Ms Thomas, included those put to sleep on veterinary advice for reasons unrelated to racing.

GBGB criticised the “misleading” depiction of the consultation, pointing out that 40% of responses backing a ban were duplicates from the League Against Cruel Sports.

Addressing claims of cruelty, GBGB said: “Ms Thomas’ only evidence behind this claim was a reference to a welfare incident witnessed by Hope Rescue more than 20 years ago, long before the track was licensed. 

“It is wholly inaccurate to suggest this experience in any way reflects the welfare standards in place at the Valley in the present day, especially as it is now a GBGB-regulated track.”

Valley Greyhounds achieved its GBGB licence in 2023 after investing more than £2m in bringing the track up to the regulator’s standards.

The spokesperson said: “This included upgrades to the kennelling facilities, the sight lines at the bends, the track surface and the veterinary facilities at the track.

“The track must also have a veterinary surgeon on site for all racing and trialling who thoroughly checks each greyhound before, during and after each race.”

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