WELSH LABOUR has called on the Plaid Cymru Government to set out whether it will act on a Senedd vote backing the creation of a new negotiating body for school support staff.

The proposed School Support Staff Negotiating Body would provide a national forum for discussing pay, terms and conditions for workers such as teaching assistants, caretakers, cleaners, cooks, administrative staff and lunchtime supervisors.

Supporters say the body is needed to address long-standing inconsistencies in pay and conditions across Wales, including concerns over term-time-only contracts, limited career progression and the lack of a dedicated national bargaining structure for non-teaching school staff.

The issue was raised in the Senedd by Welsh Labour’s Huw Thomas following the passing of an Opposition Day motion last week. The motion, tabled by Labour, secured cross-party support and called for progress on establishing a Welsh SSSNB.

During questions to the Cabinet Minister for Effectiveness and the Constitution, Mr Thomas pressed the Welsh Government on whether work had begun on legislation.

He asked: “Can you confirm that as the Cabinet Minister responsible for the legislative agenda, you are respecting the Senedd’s wishes and have begun preparing legislation for a School Support Staff Negotiating Body?”

Welsh Labour says the proposal would bring Wales into line with England, where legislation has already been taken forward to create a School Support Staff Negotiating Body for workers in state-funded schools.

The policy was also a Welsh Labour manifesto pledge and has been backed by trade unions including UNISON and GMB, which have campaigned for better recognition, fairer pay and clearer career structures for school support staff.

Labour argues that support staff play a vital role in the day-to-day running of schools and in supporting pupils’ learning, wellbeing and safety, but that their pay and conditions have not always reflected the importance of their work.

Mr Thomas, Welsh Labour’s spokesperson for Finance, Democracy, Citizenship and the Welsh Language, also pressed ministers for assurances that manifesto commitments would appear in the Programme for Government in the form originally promised.

Labour said the Plaid Cymru Cabinet Minister declined to give an unambiguous commitment that all manifesto pledges would be carried forward.

However, Opposition Day motions passed by the Senedd do not in themselves create legislation. They place political pressure on ministers to respond, but the Welsh Government is not automatically required to introduce a Bill.

Any new negotiating body would also require detailed work on funding, the role of local authorities, union representation, school budgets and how national terms would interact with existing council and school employment arrangements.

Welsh Labour says ministers must now provide a timetable for legislation and explain how they intend to work with unions, councils, schools and support staff on the creation of the body.

PLANS for new guidance on mobile phone use in Welsh schools have sparked a political row, after Labour accused Plaid Cymru of sending mixed messages over whether phones could be banned during the school day.

Education Minister Anna Brychan has announced that the Welsh Government will bring forward guidance aimed at restricting pupils’ use of mobile phones in schools.

The guidance is expected to set out what schools should consider when managing phone use, amid growing concern about distraction in classrooms, behaviour, social media use, and the impact of smartphones on pupils’ wellbeing.

The move could lead to tighter rules across Wales, although the question of whether there should be a national ban — or whether individual schools should retain flexibility — remains politically sensitive.

Welsh Labour said schools needed clarity, claiming the guidance had originally been commissioned while Labour was in government.

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: “Schools need clear guidance on what is expected of them when it comes to the use of mobile phones. We commissioned this guidance when we were in government.

“Just a few weeks ago the First Minister seemed to rule out banning phones in schools, but today the Education Minister has been clear that could still be an option. Schools need clarity.

“What’s important is that schools and unions are engaged with and the school workforce is supported in these decisions.”

The row comes as ministers face pressure to address the growing role of smartphones in young people’s lives, both inside and outside school.

Supporters of tougher restrictions argue that phones are a major source of distraction and can contribute to bullying, anxiety and poor concentration.

Others have warned that schools need clear, practical rules that staff can enforce, with proper engagement with teachers, unions, pupils and parents.

The debate now centres on whether Wales should move towards a national ban, or leave individual schools to decide how far restrictions should go.

THE HAWKSTONE FARMERS’ CHOIR, winners of ITV’s Britain’s Got Talent, will perform at the 2026 Royal Welsh Show.

The choir will sing in the main ring on the afternoon of Monday, July 20, the opening day of the show at Llanelwedd, Builth Wells.

Formed by Jeremy Clarkson as part of an advertising campaign for his Cotswolds-based brewing business, the choir has since grown into a national success story, using its platform to raise awareness of mental health within the farming community.

Aled Rhys Jones, chief executive of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, said: “We are absolutely delighted to welcome the Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir to the Royal Welsh Show.

“Their performance on the Monday in the main ring, in front of thousands of visitors, will be a truly special occasion.”

He added that it would be the choir’s first official performance in Wales since winning Britain’s Got Talent, and said many choir members had strong links with the Royal Welsh.

Lead soloist Rosie Jones, a beef and sheep farmer from Mid Wales, said: “What an honour to be invited to sing at the Royal Welsh Show 2026.

“This fairytale journey just keeps growing, but the greatest thing to come from it is the community we’ve built within the choir and beyond.”

The Royal Welsh Show is one of Europe’s leading agricultural events, celebrating Welsh farming, food and rural life.

Picture caption:

The Hawkstone Farmers’ Choir (Pic: Britain’s Got Talent / ITV).