NEARLY four in ten disabled children in Wales “never or hardly ever” play outside due to a “heartbreaking” lack of accessible parks, politicians have warned.

Rhys ab Owen, an independent, described the situation as “disgraceful” as he cited a Play Wales report showing 37% of disabled children are effectively shut out of playgrounds.

Leading a debate in the Senedd on Wednesday December 17, he read the testimony of a ten-year-old boy from Blaenau Gwent who said: “Nowhere disabled friendly – parks haven’t got disabled friendly equipment, so I can’t play.”

Mr ab Owen warned: “There shouldn’t be any discrimination… disabled children do face much greater problems in terms of park maintenance, and with accessibility and inclusion.”

He shared the experience of a 13-year-old girl from Newport who told researchers: “There’s nowhere I can play or hang out safely by myself as I use a frame to help me walk.”

The former barrister warned budget cuts were leading to a managed decline in standards, quoting a 13-year-old from Caerphilly who said: “Due to anti-social behaviour our equipment gets broken, burnt and vandalised and is then not replaced.”

The Conservatives’ Natasha Asghar was stunned by the scale of the crisis and revealed that only 11% of playgrounds in Wales are rated “green”, meaning they are fully accessible. By contrast, almost half are rated “red” for poor accessibility.

Listing the barriers families face, Ms Asghar highlighted that 30% of sites lack accessible paths and nearly one in five have gates too narrow for wheelchairs. “Those are just two of the barriers preventing disabled children from accessing play,” she said.

Jane Dodds, the leader of the Liberal Democrats in Wales, argued the shocking statistics should be a wake-up call for Senedd politicians.

“To hear that 37% of disabled children in Wales say they never or hardly ever play outside should be a figure to stop us all in our tracks,” she said.

Meanwhile, Mike Hedges pointed out that Wales became the first country in the world to put a duty on councils to secure “sufficient play opportunities” for children in 2010.

And Julie Morgan, a fellow Labour backbencher, celebrated Cardiff becoming the UK’s first Unicef-accredited child-friendly city in 2023.

Dawn Bowden, the minister for children, pointed to £5m to improve playgrounds this year but she too was “disappointed” by play satisfaction figures falling from 84% to 71% since 2019.

She said the Welsh Government has provided a “toolkit” to Wales’ 22 councils, “ensuring a holistic outcome-focused approach” to inclusive and accessible play.

The cross-party motion, which called for play to be protected from cuts – as well as improved access for disabled children – was agreed unanimously but does not bind ministers.

THE UK GOVERNMENT has been accused of ditching “Pride in Place” for a “know-your-place” attitude and treating Wales with contempt in a fiery Senedd debate.

Rhun ap Iorwerth led the criticism, warning the will of the electorate has been “flagrantly ignored” by “at best inertia” and “at worst a concerted attempt” by UK ministers.

The Plaid Cymru leader pointed out that more than a third of Labour Senedd Members sent a letter to Keir Starmer, accusing the Prime Minister of rolling back devolution.

The letter, which was signed by 11 backbenchers, described a decision to “impose” policy on Wales as ranging from “deeply insensitive” to a “constitutional outrage”.

Their attack on Sir Keir’s government was prompted by the Pride in Place scheme which gives money to Welsh councils for town centre improvements – a wholly devolved area.

Calling for Wales to be treated equally, they wrote: “Why is the UK Government directly funding Welsh councils to fix bus shelters, reopen park toilets and provide bins?”

Leading the Plaid Cymru debate, Mr ap Iorwerth criticised the “contemptuous attitude” of successive governments in Westminster – whether red or blue.

He accused Jo Stevens, the Welsh secretary, of failing to stand up for Wales around the UK cabinet table and “campaigning against” Labour policy on devolving the crown estate.

Mr ap Iorwerth told the Senedd: “And now we learn the UK Government is bypassing devolution altogether with its Pride in Place funding.”

He warned: “It appears as if the much vaunted respect agenda between the Welsh and UK Governments only works one way: Westminster will do as it wants, Wales will do as it’s told.”

James Evans, for the Conservatives, described arguments about the devolution settlement as tiring and distracting from challenges faced by the people of Wales.

He said: “While politicians in this chamber argue over powers, structures and the constitution, hard-working people across Wales are asking a fair and simple question: what has the devolution of powers here actually delivered for me?

“After more than two decades of devolution, the Welsh Government already has extensive powers; the problem is not a lack of powers, the problem is a lack of results.”

Mr Evans warned people are losing faith in devolution due to a “tired” Labour government, “propped up” by Plaid Cymru – “pushing their left-wing, extreme socialist agenda”.

He argued: “There is nothing wrong with money going directly to those who can do the most, local authorities know their communities far better than ministers in Cathays Park.”

Labour’s Mike Hedges described Plaid Cymru policy as one of “salami-slicing” to independence by demanding powers “until there’s nothing left to devolve”.

Mr Hedges, who was among the letter’s signatories, pointed to Institute for Fiscal Studies estimates that Wales is a net beneficiary of the union to the tune of £12bn to £15bn a year.

Adam Price, the ex-Plaid Cymru leader, said: “In July 2024, a Labour UK Government came into office promising change but, as far as devolution is concerned, we’ve had the opposite.”

He told the chamber Welsh ministers were unable to point to a single example of new powers having been transferred to the Senedd by the UK Government.

Mr Price pointed out that the Tory UK Government devolved powers over energy, rail, and income tax whereas Labour has delivered “no new powers at all”. He said: “It’s not Pride in Place, it’s ‘know your place’ as far as democracy is concerned.”

Alun Davies, a former minister who put his name to the letter, warned a report on devolution by former PM Gordon Brown has been “gathering dust”. “It’s a tragedy for the Labour party,” he said, adding: “It is not fair that Wales is treated the way it is.”

Jane Dodds, the Liberal Democrats’ leader in Wales, backed the Labour backbenchers as she criticised the non-devolution of the crown estate, policing and criminal justice.

Responding to the debate on Wednesday December 17, Huw Irranca-Davies pointed to slow and steady progress on devolution over decades – “tortuous as it has sometimes been”.

The Deputy First Minister, whose responsibilities include constitutional affairs, stressed Welsh Labour was taking forward devolution of water regulation, youth justice and probation. “We continue to be the government and the party of devolution,” he said.

In the final voting time before the Christmas break, Senedd Members rejected the Plaid Cymru motion – 37-13 – before passing the Welsh Government’s amended version. Mr ap Iorwerth accused Labour backbenchers of “capitulating” and being whipped into line.

SIGNIFICANT issues with a part of Pembroke’s tidal barrage are not expected to be fully fixed before late January, councillors heard.

Pembroke councillors Aaron Carey and Jonathan Grimes submitted an urgent question heard at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, which said: “In light of the repeated flooding events across the county – including the recent overflow at Castle Pond and the acknowledgement by your own Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team that the barrage tipping gate remains inoperable until mid-January can you explain what assessment has been made of the adequacy of our tidal outfall infrastructure in the face of current and projected future storm surges and sea-level rise?

“If no such assessment has yet been undertaken, will you commit now to commissioning an immediate structural and risk-capacity audit, with a report to full council within three months, and with proposals for funding any remedial works required — to avoid recurring damage and disruption to residents, highways, and public amenities?”

Responding to the urgent question, Cabinet Member for Residents Services Cllr Rhys Sinnett said a significant assessment of the Pembroke Tidal Barrage had already been undertaken over the past two years, with regular inspections.

He said “a comprehensive package of works” began in September which were due to be completed before Christmas but said there had been “significant issues” with the tipping gate hydraulic ram, with a significant overhaul now taking place, with reinstatement expected by late January.

He told members additional mitigation measures were now in place and, once works are completed, enhanced works will provide improved resilience and “long-term reliability,” with further reports due to come to Cabinet.

Cllr Carey and Cllr Grimes had also submitted a notice of motion saying: “That this council notes with concern the repeated and increasingly severe flooding experienced in our coastal, estuarial and river-fringe communities over recent weeks — in particular the flooding events affecting the Commons/Castle Pond area.

“That the council further notes that, according to correspondence from the Coastal, Rivers & Drainage Team Manager, the tipping gate at the barrage remains out of operation until mid-January due to mechanical issues; meanwhile high tide, heavy rain, wind-driven tidal surges and overspill at the sluice have combined to overwhelm the drainage/outfall infrastructure.

“That we recognise the current maintenance schedule (delayed ‘til after the summer season) and the justification given — but further that such planning failed to foresee the likelihood of severe winter storm and surge events, which climate change makes more frequent and more intense.

“That this council therefore calls on the Cabinet to commission an urgent review of:

• The adequacy of the current drainage/outfall and tidal-sluice infrastructure (barrage tipping gate, sluice/sluice-valve, flap valve, outfall capacity) for current and projected climate/tide conditions.
• The maintenance scheduling policy for coastal and estuarial flood-risk assets, with a view to ensuring critical maintenance is completed before winter high-tide / storm-surge season, rather than — as at present — being delayed until after summer for ‘recreational / biodiversity’ reasons.

“That, pending the outcome of the review, the council should allocate appropriate emergency capital funding to remediate the barrages / sluices / outfalls at risk of failure or blockage — to safeguard residents, properties, highways and public amenities from further flooding.

“That, further, this council resolves to publish a public flood-resilience plan for the county, identifying all coastal and river-fringe ‘hotspots,’ maintenance schedules, responsible teams, and a transparent timeline for upgrades or remedial works — so residents have clarity and confidence in flood prevention measures.”

The notice of motion itself will be considered by the council’s Cabinet at a later date.