Politics

Manifesto Destiny

Published

4 years ago

April 6, 2021

BY the time you read this article, each of the main parties contesting the Welsh Parliamentary election will have published their manifestos.

Virtually nobody will read them.

Instead, the public will be drip-fed press releases by the respective parties. Then the parties will take it in turns to take pot-shots at each other’s proposals.

That predictable back-and-forth means voters will hardly be one jot wiser when they cast their ballots than they were before the manifestos’ publication.

As Labour has been in power in Wales for twenty-two years, there is only its track record to assess.

Predictably, and as with every government anywhere, Labour’s record on actual delivery is mixed.

In the last few months of the last Welsh Parliamentary session, Labour appeared to realise pointing to banning two circuses from Wales was not much of a legislative record.

In response, it took to promising to deliver in the future what it promised in the past.

Labour’s totemic Wellbeing of Future Generations Act is a monumental piece of legislation. It cuts across government policy, but it’s become more of a Christmas tree the Welsh Government has placed ill-matched baubles on since its inception.

The Act’s aims are praiseworthy. Its execution – in practice – is a shambolic mess of box-ticking compliance and aspirational thought in place of solid leadership and rigorous decision-making.

Wales’ Future Generations Commissioner (no, nor me) recently outlined the problems following the Act’s aims.
Sophie Howe said: “Welsh Government must stop introducing new policy, legislation, guidance and reviews that overlook the Act and create new layers of complexity and governance.”

Sophie Howe continued: “There is a lack of clarity over how they interact with each other and a tendency to bypass existing boards that have already been set up.

“For example, to deliver on a wellbeing objective to ‘give every child the best start in life’ a public body would need alignment between Public Services Boards (PSBs), Regional Partnership Boards, Area Planning Boards, Community Safety Partnerships, Regional Skills Partnerships and City/Regional Growth deals.

“The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill potentially adds to an already complex and crowded partnership environment by creating statutory regional Corporate Joint Committees and proposes they will also be subject to the wellbeing duties of the Act.”

It all sounds a bit like having a working group of a sub-committee to advise a committee to inform a management team to consider the conclusions before setting up a working group to report to another committee where a decision might be taken or sent back to another sub-committee to view.

What it is not is democratic decision-making intended to address problems swiftly or with any sense of urgency.

The Act means well, but its aims are lost in a morass of bureaucracy.

The first policy priorities for any incoming Welsh Government must be to stabilise the economy and health service before moving on to longer-term objectives.

Its first administrative priorities must be to unpick bureaucracy-for-the-sake-of-it. Decision-making must be streamlined, so manifesto commitments materialise as policies to be voted on during a Senedd term and not as White Papers produced at its end.

The last Labour Government had lamentable form for doing that.

Promises made in 2016 emerged only as White Papers for consultation just before the end of the Senedd term.

In the ten years since the Welsh Government gained the power to pass Acts of the Assembly as primary legislation, it passed 49 Acts. Its most significant pieces of legislation were passed between 2013 and 2015.

Even accepting the pandemic’s disruption to everyday politics, the legislative return from the last five years of government is sparse.

After 2016, Welsh Government ministers frequently popped up to trumpet one initiative or another. It is no wonder that the Welsh Cabinet apparently consists of the First Minister and a dozen or so deputy Ministers for Announcements.

That is not to doubt the previous Welsh Government’s commitment to put flesh on the bones of their predecessors’ legislation and set about making it work.

Lee Waters, for example, has tirelessly worked on the Active Travel Act. But the Act was passed in 2013, three years before he joined the Welsh Parliament and almost six years before he became a Minister in the Labour Government.

Only now are ‘active travel zones’, which encourage commuters to ditch their cars, coming into play across Wales.

You can tell.

There are consultations taking place about them. Eight years after the primary legislation passed.

As for Labour’s last manifesto:

It didn’t deliver the M4 relief road it promised.
It barely scratched the surface of resolving Wales’ long-term transport infrastructure problems.
It didn’t reach its own child poverty targets.
It hasn’t improved health service.
It failed to introduce either an Agriculture Bill or Clean Air Act.

The education system’s results are improving. The Minister in charge was a Liberal Democrat.

You can’t say that’s all down to a failure of political willpower. It’s an oversupply of hot air: over-promising and underdelivering. For the first three years of the last Senedd term, the Welsh Government spent time firefighting problems hanging over from the previous Welsh Government. Itself.

Less talking about doing and more doing would be a fresh start – indeed, a novel approach – for the next Welsh Government.

It’s a chance for the Senedd to dispel the notion it’s just a talking shop for politicians’ pet peeves and crack on with delivering for Wales.

News

Rail passengers in west Wales ‘let down’ by hundreds of train cancellations

Published

2 days ago

January 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

RAIL passengers in west Wales are being “let down” following the cancellation of more than 650 Transport for Wales (TfW) trains on routes to Swansea and beyond in just 12 months.

Between October 1, 2023, and September 30, 2024, a total of 654 services were cancelled, impacting key routes to Llanelli, Carmarthen, Pembroke Dock, Fishguard, and Milford Haven. The cancellations have sparked frustration among passengers and raised concerns over the reliability of rail services in the region.

Transport for Wales, which took over day-to-day rail operations from Arriva nearly seven years ago, has faced ongoing criticism for service quality. A Rail User Survey in 2023 revealed that only 72% of passengers were satisfied with TfW services, making it the worst-rated operator in the UK at the time. By comparison, Southern Railway scored 80%.

Recent surveys show some improvements. Between February and September 2024, overall satisfaction rose to 85%, with punctuality increasing to 73% and frequency to 66%. However, these numbers remain below national averages, and the situation in west Wales continues to lag behind other regions.

Passengers in west Wales have long expressed frustration over frequent delays and cancellations. One traveller recounted a 60-mile journey from Cardiff Central to Carmarthen that resulted in an overnight stay in Cardiff due to multiple delays and cancellations. Replacement buses offered little reprieve, with onward journeys stretching well into the early hours.

Peredur Owen Griffiths MS, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Transport, criticised the situation, saying: “These statistics show that Welsh passengers are being let down. Historical underinvestment in our rail network and infrastructure has led us to this position. In order to create a Welsh rail network that works for the people of Wales, it’s vital that decisions regarding Welsh rail are made in Wales.”

Mr Griffiths added: “Only Plaid Cymru fights for the devolution of rail infrastructure to ensure we can secure consistent investment in our network and deliver reliable services.”

Despite some recent improvements in customer satisfaction, the sheer scale of cancellations highlights ongoing issues with rail services in Wales, particularly in west Wales where consistent, reliable transport remains a challenge for many commuters and travellers.

News

Reform to target Pembrokeshire seat after councillor resigns

Published

2 days ago

January 5, 2025

Tom Sinclair

POLITICAL group Reform is planning to contest a Pembrokeshire seat made vacant following the resignation of local county councillor Andrew Edwards during the Christmas period.

Unaffiliated county councillor for Haverfordwest’s Prendergast Ward Cllr Edwards had previously been a Conservative group member, leaving in 2023 when serious allegations of racist ‘slave’ comments emerged, following a recording where he was alleged to have said every white man should have a black slave.

Following that allegation Mr Edwards, a former magistrate and a school governor, withdrew from the political group and referred himself to the Ombudsman.

Cllr Edwards, who became a councillor in the 2022 elections, neither confirmed nor denied the allegation when previously asked by the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Instead, he confirmed a previously-issued written statement which said: “I am aware of such serious allegations being made against me.

“This is why I have self-referred to the Public Services Ombudsman for an independent evaluation.”

Since then, Cllr Edwards has tendered his resignation over the Christmas 2024 period saying his position is “untenable” due to “family matters”.

Notice has now been given by Chief Executive William Bramble of a casual vacancy for the county councillor position for the ward.

***Looking to get elected: Reform’s Stuart Marchant***

Stuart Marchant of Reform, who stood as a 2024 general election candidate for the new seat of Westminster seat of Mid and South Pembrokeshire has said the party hopes to field a candidate.

Mr Marchant, who came third behind Labour and the Conservative in the election, has said: “Reform UK is preparing to contest this seat. We will need all the support we can get from those living within the Pembrokeshire County Council area to urgently request that an election be held.

“Anyone who wishes to support the campaign or be considered to stand, please contact me so that I can ensure all eligible individuals are considered.”

Reform, through Mr Marchant, has since said: “We have two potential candidates and expect to confirm the selection next week.”

Councillor Andrew Edwards is no longer a magistrate the Magistrates Association have confirmed.

Business

Pembrokeshire holiday lets near Iron Age farmstead approved

Published

2 days ago

January 5, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to convert barns at a redundant north Pembrokeshire farm close to an Iron Age defended farmstead to holiday lets has been approved by county planners.

In an application before Pembrokeshire County Council planners, Ariana Grammaticas and Alewyn Muntingh sought permission for the conversion of two farm buildings at Pencraig Fawr, Llangolman, to three holiday lets.

A supporting statement through agent GMW Design said: “The existing farm is now redundant, the need for livestock and farming is no longer a requirement, my clients wish to utilise the existing farm buildings in a more efficient and long-term use to provide holiday accommodation.

“The buildings’ use for farming is redundant and it is considered that the building is of a style and scale that would lend itself to Holiday accommodation with little alteration to its current form. They have the benefit of having their own curtilage, with a little improvement to the site surrounding they lend themselves comfortably for conversion.

“The vision for the conversion proposals is a development that fits comfortably within the existing area without the need for reconstruction or external alteration to facilitate the conversions. The buildings are located off a former farmyard area and close to the existing farmhouse of Pencraig Fawr.”

Pencraig Fawr is some 250 metres from Pencraig-Fawr Camp, a scheduled ancient monument defended farmstead, which probably dates to the Iron Age period (c. 800 BC – AD 43), an officer report says.

It adds: “Cadw have raised no objection to the proposal with respect to any potential impact upon the heritage asset nor how it is experienced, advising that intervening topography, buildings and vegetation block all views between the monument and the buildings for which conversion is proposed. The access track is within the identified significant view and passes close to the asset.

“However, no changes are planned to this route and the proposal is unlikely to generate a significant amount of traffic. As such, the proposed development will not have any significant adverse impact upon on the way that the monument is experienced, understood, and appreciated and consequently will have no impact on the setting of scheduled monument.”