Politics

Paul Davies calls for ‘devolution revolution’

Published

5 years ago

October 8, 2020

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has enough powers to do what it needs to do for the people of Wales and should stop pretending it has powers in policy areas outside its remit.
That was the uncompromising message of Conservative leader Paul Davies MS when interviewed by The Herald this week.

Instead of dabbling in international relations and commissioning reports into the potential devolution of powers over the justice system, the Welsh Government should direct its attention at those areas in which its powers can do the most good for Wales, Mr Davies said.

Rather than seeking new powers, Cardiff Bay should look at successive governments’ failures on health policy, education, and Wales’ fragile economy.

When challenged about whether his approach signalled a lack of ambition for Wales’ future, Paul Davies said: “I have plenty of ambition for Wales. The Conservatives are ambitious for Wales. But we have got to get to grips with the issues which affect Wales after twenty years of Labour-led rule in Cardiff.

“The structure of government needs to be overhauled and we must have Ministers who are accountable for their policy areas. Whatever goes wrong with its current policies, whatever mistakes are made, with Labour it’s always someone else’s fault. The Government is never to blame.

“That has to end and that is one of the most important changes that will take place if I am First Minister after May 2021.”

When it came to that sort of radical restructure, we probed further about what Mr Davies had in mind.

“Angela Burns is doing excellent work at the moment with our planned Office for Government Resilience and Efficiency (OGRE). She is working with colleagues to identify where we can get rid of duplication and waste in the current system. There are too many announcements; too many consultations; too much dither and delay before the Welsh Government gets round to doing anything.

“We will drive through an ambitious policy agenda which delivers services people need in good time. The Welsh Labour-led government is spending more time saying its thinking about policy than delivering the improvements Wales needs and its people deserve. To do that, we will cut the chatter and get on with the job.
“Ministers need to make decisions and be accountable for them in the Senedd and to the public.”

We suggested that breaking the cycle of Labour victories in Wales would be tough to achieve, but Paul Davies said there was cause for optimism.

Reflecting on the historically dismal turnout for elections to the Welsh Parliament, he said: “You have to remember that Wales has never elected a majority Labour Government. At the moment, it has a Liberal Democrat in the Cabinet. One of its other Ministers (Dafydd Elis Thomas) sits as an independent. Without those votes, Labour would be in a minority. Labour has been propped up by the Liberal Democrats and by Plaid Cymru in the past.

“Recent polls show an improving position for the Conservatives in Wales.”

Referring to those polls, we pointed out that they still did not show a majority for a Conservative government or even for the Party being the largest in the Senedd after next May’s elections.

“In last December’s General Election, we got an unprecedented share of the vote in Wales. Our job, as Welsh Conservatives is to convince those voters to turnout and vote Conservative for the Senedd. Our analysis shows that if we manage to get 75% of those voters who voted Conservative last December to vote Conservative in May 2021, we will get over the line and be in the best position to form a government.”

The remote possibility of a Plaid/Conservative agreement seems to have vanished. Last week, Adam Price ruled out a coalition with the Conservatives or supporting an effort by the Conservatives to form a government. That seems to leave little arithmetical room for manoeuvre. On the question of where the Conservatives would draw support from if it was the largest party but didn’t have a majority, Paul Davies wouldn’t be drawn.

“We will have to gauge that position if it arises. There are possibilities of drawing support from elsewhere, but I make no bones about it: I am aiming to form a government for Wales.”

In light of the close relationship between the Welsh Government and Wales’ national media, we asked whether Paul Davies thought his message could get through.
He didn’t mince his words in reply.

“The current Government gets an easy ride when it comes to scrutiny by Wales’ national media. Opposition voices are drowned out. It’s only recently that BBC Wales has started allowing opposition parties to respond the Welsh Government’s televised coronavirus broadcasts. That’s vitally important, because we’re not getting much chance to scrutinise the government’s announcements before they are broadcast.”

Mr Davies was, of course, referring to the latest and continuing row over the Welsh Government’s practice of delivering policy announcements in a way that avoids direct scrutiny by opposition parties before they have been spun to broadcast and print media.

“The right place for ministers to make announcements is in the Senedd. Look at the ridiculous position we have at the moment. Ministers can make it to the Welsh Government’s offices. They can get to Cathays Park for television broadcasts. They cannot, however, make the journey to the Senedd – which is where they should be – to answer questions and be held to account!

“It’s ridiculous that Ken Skates (Minister for the Economy and MS for Clwyd South) makes an announcement in Cardiff and then goes back to North Wales but can’t – or won’t – appear before the Senedd.

“Questioning ministers over a digital link is not the same as being able to question them on the floor of the Senedd Chamber. Welsh Government ministers are getting away with ducking scrutiny and Wales’ national media are letting them get away with it.”

We concluded by asking what positive message voters could take away from our interview.

“Make no mistake, what I want to deliver is a devolution revolution. A government which delivers for all of Wales and not just for parts of it. Too often, local concerns are swept aside because of big national strategies. We will be smarter and look at local circumstances. I’ve campaigned to stop Withybush being downgraded and losing services for years. Why are services being taken away? Because Welsh Labour says so. It doesn’t understand that Wales is more than those bits of it which vote Labour.

“We must have better services, delivered more efficiently, and for which Welsh Government ministers are properly accountable. That needs radical change and that is why I call it a devolution revolution. After twenty years of Welsh Labour government, its failed on its core responsibilities: health, education, and the economy – I want to do more and do it better. Devolution hasn’t failed Wales, Welsh Labour has.”

News

Welsh Government clarifies payment after questions over African film festival funding

Published

32 minutes ago

February 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Ministers say £41,600.90 supported wider screen industry project — not the Watch Africa event itself

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT has moved to clarify reports that more than £40,000 of public money was spent directly funding an African film festival in Cardiff, saying the payment was instead for a wider skills and diversity project across the Welsh screen industry.

Earlier figures showed that £41,600.90 was paid in February 2025 to Watch Africa CIC, the organisation associated with the annual Watch Africa Film Festival. The festival, launched in 2013, celebrates African cinema through film screenings, workshops, filmmaker discussions and cultural showcases.

However, the Welsh Government has told The Herald that none of the funding was allocated specifically to the festival itself.

In a statement issued to this newspaper, ministers said the money was instead provided to support Culture Connect Wales, a broader industry partnership initiative aimed at improving skills and promoting diversity within Wales’ film and television sector.

A spokesperson said: “We have not provided any funding for the Watch Africa Film Festival. The £41,600.90 was provided to Watch Africa to fund Culture Connect Wales, a wider industry partnership project aimed at boosting skills and promoting diversity across the Welsh screen sector.

“The screen sector plays a major role in the Welsh economy and is a key employer. The latest industry research data for Wales’ screen sector reports that film and TV production achieved £568m turnover in 2024 and is home to 695 companies that create significant freelance and trainee opportunities for our workforce.

“Creative Wales has invested in 72 productions through Production Funding alone, generating almost half a billion pounds in economic return to the nation, and these numbers continue to grow.”

The spending had previously been questioned by Gareth Davies, the Welsh Conservatives’ Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Culture, Tourism, Sport and North Wales, who raised concerns about cultural funding priorities at a time of ongoing pressure on public finances and NHS waiting times.

Mr Davies said that while he supported cultural events operating in Wales, he believed limited public funds should be focused primarily on Welsh institutions and services under strain.

He also pointed to the closure of National Theatre Wales in 2024 after it lost core funding, arguing that established Welsh organisations had struggled while other projects received government support.

The Welsh Government maintains that the Culture Connect Wales programme is intended to strengthen the domestic screen industry, create jobs and improve opportunities for workers and trainees across Wales, rather than fund individual festivals.

The article has been updated to reflect this clarification.

Community

Work on new 26-home Pembrokeshire development gets underway

Published

4 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

CONSTRUCTION work has started on a Haverfordwest scheme to provide sheltered housing apartments for the over-55s.

The Tŷ Haverfordia affordable housing and reablement development of 26 sheltered housing apartments for the over-55s alongside a dedicated 12-bed reablement centre to support residents returning home from hospital at the former Haverfordia House site, delivered by Wynne Construction, forms part of Pembrokeshire County Council’s “continued commitment to increasing high‑quality, accessible housing and deliver effective modern health and social care support across Pembrokeshire”.

Initial works began on January 26 and include securing the site, setting up a small compound and contractor parking area, installing controlled access for site personnel, and positioning temporary office and welfare units.

To maintain safe access to nearby facilities, including the GP surgery and Haverfordwest Leisure Centre, pedestrian routes through the area will remain open.

In addition, a minimum number of public parking spaces, including disabled bays, have been kept with Pay & Display machines relocated to reduce inconvenience.

In keeping the minimum number of parking spaces as well as needing to accommodate essential contractor welfare facilities, a small section of Rifleman Field has had to be used during the duration of the development of the site.

This space will be securely fenced off, and the footprint minimised. Any areas of Rifleman Field affected by the works will be fully reinstated on completion and restored to a condition that is equal to or better than at present.

To ensure residents and stakeholders are kept informed and have the opportunity to engage with the development, Pembrokeshire Housing Services will be hosting a Community Engagement Drop-in Event on Thursday, February 19, 5-7pm, at The Green Room, Haverfordwest Leisure Centre.

Pembrokeshire County Council Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Michelle Bateman, said: “I am pleased that we have finally reached the stage of commencing on site and look forward to seeing the development progressing.

“We have been able to progress with the development after receiving much-needed Welsh Government grant assistance for both the reablement and housing parts of the development.”

Last year, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Cabinet, members approved awarding a fixed contract of £13,560,454.21 to C Wynne & Son for the Haverfordia House works.

In 2019, Cabinet backed the acquisition of the freehold of Haverfordia House, with the overall intention to deliver a new housing and wellbeing facility following its demolition.

A report for members at last year’s June meeting said: “As well as providing long-term residents with a sense of place and community, it will provide short-term reablement users with the facilities and in-house support which they need to relearn the skills required to keep them safe and independent when they return home.”

It said there was a need for one-bed properties, and a review of sheltered over 55 accommodation was undertaken in 2018-19 which identified that existing sheltered housing stock is “no longer fit for purpose”.

Politics

Porthgain holiday let scheme approved by national park

Published

14 hours ago

February 6, 2026

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to regularise the use of an annexe as a holiday let at the Pembrokeshire seaside village of Porthgain has been given the go-ahead.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Ryan Davies sought permission for a change of use of a previously occupied annexe at Gallery Cottage, Harbour Lights Gallery, Porthgain for use as a short-term holiday let.

An officer report recommending approval said: “This application seeks consent for a change of use from the existing C3 use of the annexe known as Gallery Cottage to allow both family and guest short stays. The annexe had originally been given consent for use purely incidental to the enjoyment of the main dwelling. However, the annexe is currently in use as a short-term holiday let.

“An application under Section 73 has previously been submitted to allow the subdivision of the property as a whole in order that the use of the annexe as a short-term holiday let could be regularised.

“However, given that this would have involved a fundamental change to the development previously granted, it was considered that a full application would be required.

“It is not considered that the change of use of the annexe to a short-term holiday let would result in harm being caused to the residential amenity of nearby properties, nor the special qualities of the National Park.

“Neither is it deemed that the residential amenities of the dwelling known as ‘Harbour Lights’ or the closest dwelling to the rear would be adversely affected since the unit is separated from the main dwelling by a frame shop, gallery space and an office/store room and on a different level to the nearest other dwelling.”

It added: “This application also seeks to regularise some external changes to the building and boundary treatments since the granting of [a 2021 application for the erection of extension and alterations to provide additional habitable accommodation to existing dwelling following demolition of gallery workshop / shed].

“It is deemed that since the overall form of the annexe remains largely the same, there would be no harm caused to the general character of the area, nor to the special qualities of the Park.”