LAST week, Labour’s new Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Ken Skates, delivered his statement to the Senedd and seemingly reversed Labour’s blanket 20mph speed limit, writes Natasha Ashgar MS.

However, looking closely at what has been said, it becomes increasingly clear that Mr. Skates has played a PR masterclass.

Unfortunately for Wales and the people who have signed the record-breaking half-a-million-strong petition. 20mph is going nowhere and is firmly here to stay.

As time has progressed since Labour’s blanket 20mph policy was introduced last year, public opinion against it has only grown. This disastrous blanket policy has negatively impacted bus services, commuters, emergency services, tourists, residents from all corners of Wales and businesses.

The most concerning aspect of this seemingly public U-turn is that Labour, Plaid and the only Liberal Democrat are all still actively misleading the public, ignoring their plea, petition and calls to rescind even more than before.

Make no mistake about it: Labour will change nothing. The Welsh public has received a lot of warm words, and the press has been quick to report that change is coming. However, no streamlined system exists to create equality amongst councils to revert back and give the public what they want. When all is said and done and when the dust settles, the default speed limit across Wales will remain 20mph.

The Welsh Conservatives have been clear from the start. We would scrap the blanket speed limit and introduce appropriate speed limits in areas where there is clear evidence that they are necessary, such as outside schools, hospitals, and playground areas and revert to 30mph where required.

The Labour Government in Wales is no stranger to anti-motorist initiatives. It has previously banned all roadbuilding and scrapped the relief road for the M4. Despite wafer-thin assurances, it continues flirting with congestion and road charging.

The estimated cost of 20mph is £33 million, a massive amount to spend on such a madcap initiative. Yet, reversing sections of this law will cost an additional £5m. This is an extravagant cost considering the lack of changes we will actually see on our roads.

However, this is all just the tip of the iceberg.

The Welsh Government’s own estimates acknowledge that the policy could impose a staggering cost of as much as £9 billion on the Welsh economy. That substantial amount could be better spent on the failing NHS, a below-par education system (as Wales ranks at the bottom of PISA), or even investing in local public transport services such as buses and train services.

By imposing their punishments on motorists, Labour is strangling economic activity throughout all of Wales.

Blanket 20mph zones and a ban on new roadbuilding before creating a strong, sufficient, and synchronised public transport infrastructure is put in place is nothing short of madness, particularly at a time when Labour-run Transport for Wales (TfW) has come bottom in the UK for overall customer satisfaction and clocked up 1 million minutes of delays last year alone.

Labour’s unexpected change of tack is nothing more than an attempt to curry favour of voters in the run-up to a General Election. Keir Starmer will not want such a divisive issue standing in his way. Yet, with him referring to Wales as a blueprint for what a Labour Government will look like in the UK if he wins the next GE, we can see far more of Labour’s divisive socialist policies becoming law throughout the UK with no light at the end of the road.

In a world where we are seeing huge technological advancements and transport innovation, Wales has had a Labour government in place for twenty-five years who, in the words of Doc Brown from Back to the Future, have firmly decided ‘where we are going, we don’t need roads.’

Natasha Asghar is a Welsh Conservative member of the Senedd for South Wales East and Shadow Minister For Transport.

• Named British Vogue’s Force for Change
• Named as BBC’s 100 women
• Award winner- ‘Devolved Politician of the year 2024’ for her work on the 20mph campaign in Wales.

WHY not the Torch Theatre as they celebrate a rock line-up like no other headlined by one of the greatest bands of all time! On Saturday 15 June, rock fans will be in for a treat as The History of Rock hits the stage.

The History of Rock will be taking audiences on a thrilling ride through the intriguing tale of rock – but this time, Led Zeppelin will be in the spotlight, as they headline the ultimate rock concert line-up the world has ever seen.

This show, by Soul Street Productions born from a passion for both music and theatre, is a must see for all rock fans! Experience the iconic music brought back to life by an exceptional band consisting of some of the finest musicians and performers from around the world – consisting of Queen, The Who, AC DC, Guns n’ Roses and Black Sabbath tracks and much more.

Based out of London, Soul Street Productions works with some of the most talented musicians in the capital bringing some of the nation’s favourite genres to life, on stage all across the country on their UK tours, and their only visit to Pembrokeshire. So, come to the Torch Theatre and experience a rock show like no other with THE HISTORY OF ROCK!

THE HISTORY OF ROCK will be performed on the Torch Theatre stage on Saturday 15 June at 7.30pm. Ticket prices: £25. For tickets phone the Box Office on 01646 695267 or visit torchtheatre.co.uk.

FOLLOWING the very successful public meeting in Newport, Pembrokeshire which was held to discuss bringing the much-loved local wholefoods shop into community ownership, a team of local residents is taking the project forward.

Over 180 people have already completed the online survey at https://bit.ly/WholefoodsSurvey which the Project Wholefoods team launched to test demand further. More than 85% of respondents say that securing the future of the wholefoods shop is “very important” to Newport, and 90% are supportive of a community purchase.

The business plan and funding applications are currently being finalised, and the launch of a community share offer is planned for June.

Project Wholefoods now has a website at www.projectwholefoods.cymru and a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/projectwholefoods.

The Project Wholefoods team is working closely with the group behind the successful community purchase of Havards in Newport which became the first community-owned hardware shop in the UK in 2022.

Hugh Simpson-Wells, one of the Directors of Project Wholefoods, says “We have been delighted by the response to the project, and the results of the survey confirm that there is a big appetite for a community purchase of Wholefoods of Newport. We are now in the process of setting up a Community Benefit Society, and finalising the business plan, funding applications and a community share offer. So watch this space!”

Cris Tomos of PLANED, the charity supporting community share offers in West Wales, says “Following the successful community purchase of Havards in 2022, it is fantastic to see so much momentum building to secure the future of Wholefoods of Newport as a community-owned shop.” Cris added “Responses to the survey are very encouraging, and I am working closely with the Project Wholefoods team to progress funding applications and the community share offer.”