Politics

Manifesto Destiny #3: Plaid Cymru

Published

5 years ago

April 20, 2021

Andy Chandler

PLAID CYMRU is perpetually standing at a political crossroads.

One step forward. One step back. Followed by a step to the left and a half-step to the right.

And that’s been the way of it since 1999.

When a party’s policies consistently score well with the public, yet the party doesn’t increase its number of seats, there’s an indication some deep-seated issue prevents a breakthrough.

In the parts of Wales where Plaid needs to win constituency seats, it has made little progress at the national election level in twenty-two years.

And yet its policies score well with many Labour voters. In the Valleys of East Wales, Labour’s core vote is not thrilled by that party’s record in Wales. It is soft at the edges and fed up with the same old formula. After twenty-two years of Labour government, Wales is stuck in a never-ending loop of narrow managerialism without political leadership.

PERCEPTIONS OF PLAID

The massive elephant in the room is that in Anglophone Wales – where Welsh is relatively little spoken or read – Plaid is seen less as the Party of Wales than the Party of the Welsh Language.

Running in tandem with that notion, which is supported by census data about the distribution of those with Welsh language skills, is the electorate’s perception that Plaid considers the Welsh language first and all other policies second.

To an extent, the second point is projection. People project on to Plaid what they know of Anglo-parties’ history and attribute to the Party of Wales what they know of other parties’ conduct. In Westminster, the Conservatives are a byword for back-scratching cronyism. In Wales, the Labour Party – see Neath Port Talbot Council – fulfils the same role.

Based on those experiences, the internal logic is that Plaid would prioritise the language – ‘forcing it on non-Welsh speakers’, using the English-only pejorative phrase – above good governance and good sense.

For a significant number of Wales’ voters, even among some who speak Welsh, the Welsh language is irrelevant to their political considerations.

It’s a stick with which voters beat Plaid and one which the other parties deploy.

SMALL ‘C’ CONSERVATISM

Wales is a small ‘c’ conservative country.

The rout Labour suffered in parts of Wales in December 2019 demonstrates, no matter how much activists howl, large sections of the electorate do not share Plaid and Labour’s vision of the nation. At least not when and where it counts.

And Plaid, determinedly, is a party of the left with less in common with many of its voters than it might find comfortable to acknowledge. Plaid Cymru’s contortions to satisfy a largely metropolitan interest in identity politics estrange its traditional voters with more grounded priorities. And whatever votes there in those contortions, they won’t add a single seat to Plaid’s tally.

That said, it’s grossly unfair to suggest that identity politics define Plaid Cymru. Plaid’s primary problem is marking out an identity for itself, including all Welsh nationalist sentiment instead of one part of it.

Those small ‘c’ conservatives among the Welsh electorate favouring greater Welsh autonomy should be inside Plaid’s tent. They should not feel excluded from it because they have views that irritate Party activists.

The issue of perception is perhaps Plaid’s most significant hurdle to overcome with the broader Welsh electorate. It certainly has been to date.

COMMUNICATION

For a party with so many gifted communicators both inside and outside the Senedd, and a leader who is a compelling public presence, between elections, Plaid’s communications seem a little diffuse and inclined to contrarianism for the sake of it.

Election campaigns start the day after the last election finished.

Plaid needs to spend more time driving home its core manifesto pledges on everyday issues, whether in government or not.

This time Plaid’s manifesto is admirably focused on what it wants to achieve if it forms a government.

It needs to stick to those lines as hard as possible, even if it is either not in government or in government in a joint enterprise with Labour.

Plaid also needs to accept that whatever its electoral fate on May 6, not everything it wants to do will be deliverable.

Plaid calls its manifesto ‘the most radical since 1945’. This article doesn’t make a judgement on that claim. However, 1945’s Labour manifesto came in at under 5,000 words and barely 11 pages of A4.

Plaid’s five core policy areas are interwoven in the detail of its manifesto.

A more concise document (126 pages!) that preached less to the choir and more to voters would improve it no end.

THE CORE POLICIES

As Adam Price told The Herald when he became leader, the core of Plaid’s programme boils down to five key policy areas.

1. The best start in life for every child

· Free school meals to all primary school children using quality Welsh produce.

· Investing in 4,500 extra teachers and support staff, reducing class sizes, and valuing the teaching profession.

· Childcare free for all from 24 months.

2. A plan for the whole country to prosper

· A £6bn Green Economic Stimulus to help create 60,000 jobs.

· A guaranteed job or high-quality training for 16–24-year-olds.

· Zero-interest loans to support small businesses to bounce back post-Covid.

3. A fair deal for families

· Cut the bills of average Council Taxpayers, helping the weekly budget go further.

· £35 per child weekly top-up payment to families living below the poverty line.

· 50,000 social and affordable homes and fair rents for the future.

4. The best national health and care service

· Train and recruit 1,000 new Doctors and 5,000 new Nurses and allied staff.

· Free personal care at the point of need for the elderly, ending the divide between health and social care.

· Guaranteed minimum wage of £10 an hour for care workers.

5. Tackling the climate emergency

· Set a Wales 2035 Mission to decarbonise and to reach net-zero emissions.

· Establish Ynni Cymru as an energy development company with a target of generating 100 per cent of electricity from renewables by 2035.

· Introduce a Nature Act with statutory targets to restore biodiversity by 2050.

In principle, none of the above should be particularly contentious. The climate emergency and green energy pledges will not play well among older voters. However, the environment is an issue that resonates with younger voters (aged 16-24).

Of Wales’ three main parties, Plaid has the most to gain from younger voters and mobilising them to turn out. It’s a mystery why Plaid hasn’t both encouraged younger voters to register and targeted them more assertively. Doing so would deliver a USP and a future voter base.

PAYING FOR IT

Ynni Cymru, a Welsh national energy company, is an idea Plaid floated at the start of the last Welsh Parliamentary term. It has re-emerged in a much-changed form from that originally floated. Instead of controlling green energy production, Ynni Cymru would be a staging post, a project development company similar to Transport for Wales.

The long-term aim is the establishment of a state-backed energy company.

Unnos –Land and Housing Wales – would be a clearinghouse for investment in funding affordable and social housing in the same vein.

Extending the state will come at a cost.

More public spending needs more money. That money can only come from raising taxes and more public borrowing. Plaid’s reliance on historically low interest rates to fund its plans glosses the certainty of future interest rises and their impact on those plans’ deliverability.

Plaid is at least upfront that – if it forms a government in its own right – some people will pay more tax in one way or another. And, at least, it confronts the issue of Council Tax head-on instead of pussyfooting around it like Labour. After 22 years, Labour intends to have a jolly good chat about it for the next five years.

For which reason, if no other, Plaid deserves a round of applause.

INDEPENDENCE DAY

Independence. Plaid is in favour. It promises to hold a referendum on independence if it forms a majority government.

Of all Plaid’s policy pledges, that’s the least surprising.

Surprisingly, Plaid has not – so far – managed to convert the upswing in public support for Wales’ independence into a larger poll share for itself. Unless that changes in the last couple of weeks of this election campaign, Plaid needs to ask itself why that is the case.

Business

Community council objections to Tenby Lidl store scheme

Published

8 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a new store on the edge of Tenby by retail giant Lidl, which has seen objections from the local community council, are likely to be heard next year.

In an application recently lodged with Pembrokeshire County Council back in October, Lidl GB Ltd, through agent CarneySweeney, seeks permission for a new 1,969sqm store on land at Park House Court, Narberth Road, New Hedges/Tenby, to the north of the Park Court Nursing Home.

The proposals for the latest specification Lidl store, which includes 103 parking spaces, would create 40 jobs, the applicants say.

The application follows draft proposals submitted in 2024 and public consultations on the scheme, with a leaflet drop delivered to 8,605 local properties; an information website, with online feedback form; and a public exhibition, held last December at the De Valence Pavillion in Tenby, with a follow-up community event held at New Hedges Village Hall, close to the site, publicised through an additional postcard issued to 2,060 properties.

Some 1,365 responses have been received, with 89 per cent of respondents expressing support for the proposals, the applicants say.

A supporting statement says: “Lidl is now exceptionally well established in the UK with the Company operating c.980 stores from sites and premises both within and outside town centres. Its market share continues to increase substantially, and the company is expanding its store network considerably. The UK operational model is based firmly on the success of Lidl’s operations abroad with more than 10,800 stores trading across Europe.

It adds: “The granting of planning permission for the erection of a new Lidl food store would increase the retail offer and boost the local economy. The new Lidl food store would create up to 40 employment opportunities for people of all ages and backgrounds, providing opportunities for training and career development. This in turn will create an upward spiral of economic benefits.”

Local community council St Mary Out Liberty Community Council has formally objected to the scheme, saying that, while it supports the scheme for a Lidl store in principle, recognising “the economic benefits a new retail store could bring,” it says the proposed location “is unsuitable, conflicts with planning policy, and cannot be supported in its current form”.

Its objections add: “The A478 is heavily congested in peak tourist months. A supermarket would worsen congestion, increase turning movements, and heighten risks to pedestrians, cyclists, and emergency access.”

It also raises concerns on the potential impact through “noise, lighting, traffic disturbance, and loss of quiet amenity” on a neighbouring residential care home.

An initial assessment by Pembrokeshire County Council, highlighted concerns about the visual impact, with the authority’s landscape officer commenting that the store would introduce “an intense urban function into an otherwise rural context”.

The report added: “It is not considered to be compatible with the character of the site and the area within which it is located; and furthermore, will lead to a harmful visual impact on the setting of the National Park.”

The application will be considered by county planners at a later date.

Local Government

£4m Plaid Cymru deal boost to Pembrokeshire council coffers

Published

12 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PEMBROKESHIRE’S financial situation for next year is some £4m better off after a higher settlement from the Welsh Government, but the council still faces difficult decisions, councillors heard.

While council tax makes up a proportion of the council’s annual revenue, a crucial area of funding is the Aggregate External Finance (AEF) rate from Welsh Government.

Pembrokeshire was to receive a 2.3 per cent increase on its settlement, a total of £244,318,000, amounting to an extra £5,493,000, placing it at joint 13th of the 22 local authorities in Wales.

Now, following a Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru agreement, local authorities including Pembrokeshire have received a better financial settlement.

Speaking at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, while presenting a report on the outline draft medium term financial plan (MTFP) 2026-27 to 2028-29, Cabinet member for finance Cllr Alistair Cameron said the recent rise in the financial settlement from the Welsh Government had decreased the expected funding gap for the next financial year for the county from £17.7m to £13.6m, but stressed: “There are still increased pressures we are going to have to face.”

His report for members outlined some of the pressures faced by the council in setting its budget for the next financial year.

“Based on the revised projected funding gap of £13.6m, it is evident that major budget savings as well as a significant Council Tax increase will be required in order to deliver a balanced budget for 2026-27. The lower the Band D Council Tax increase, the higher the budget savings requirement will be, with the consequential adverse impact on the provision of Council services and on the medium-term financial sustainability of the council.”

His report also noted the decision in October by members to cut the council tax premium on second homes from 150 to 125 per cent, which on its own has increased the funding gap for 2026-27 by £1.3m.

The report, listing the many pressures and potential savings, said that where possible, discretionary fees and charges income has been budgeted to increase by 3.8 per cent, with any increases above this level included as part of the budget savings options presented.

The report for members, prior to the revised settlement from Welsh Government, gave council tax increase options ranging from five to 10 per cent with 7.5 per cent highlighted as the most favoured option, the 7.5 rate equating to a £2.38 a week increase for the average Band D property; each one per cent increase or decrease in council tax being worth £0.908m for council coffers.

Leader of the Conservative group on the council Cllr Di Clements made a plea to the leader, calling on the council to use the extra money from Welsh Government to “contribute to making this authority financially sustainable in the long term,” adding: “We know it’s tough out there for our council tax-payers, let’s hopefully give them a break this year.”

Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy said the better settlement was “a huge sigh of relief” for the council, adding: “The budget negotiations still won’t be any easier because we’ve had this pot of money; [but] we have to applaud Plaid Cymru on this.”

A long string of recommendations essentially noting the report, but including the fees and charges increase, was moved by Cllr Cameron, seconded by Leader Cllr Jon Harvey, backed by members by 46 votes to one, with three abstentions.

The actual setting of the budget and related council tax level along with any potential savings and cuts, will be decided at a later date, with a public consultation running to January 4, followed by committee scrutiny ahead of Cabinet considering a revised draft budget on February 9, before it is recommended to full council on February 20.

News

Kurtz criticises Tufnell over GP pressures at Argyle Medical Centre

Published

19 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Jon Coles

Local MS says Welsh Government decisions are root cause of crisis

CONSERVATIVE Senedd Member Sam Kurtz has criticised Labour MP Henry Tufnell after the MP suggested GP practice management should be held accountable for patient dissatisfaction at Pembroke Dock’s Argyle Medical Centre.

Patients registered at the surgery have for years raised concerns about access to appointments, particularly difficulties securing same-day consultations and long waits to get through on the phone.

Speaking to BBC Wales, Mr Tufnell said he had discussed the situation with the Health Board’s Chief Executive and claimed the senior official “feels powerless” to intervene.

He said: “I’ve spoken to the Chief Executive of the Health Board, and he feels powerless to do anything about it. We need to come together and hold the management of these surgeries to account; there must be transparency about what they’re doing, and, fundamentally, we need reform in the system.”

***Concerned about Argyle Surgery: Henry Tufnell MP***

Mr Kurtz responded angrily, arguing that responsibility for reforming NHS Wales rests with the Welsh Government, not GP surgeries or frontline staff.

He said: “I don’t think it’s very helpful to point the finger at the surgery and suggest the fault lies with them when staff are working incredibly hard.

“If he wants to point the finger, it should be at his Labour colleagues in Cardiff Bay, who have continuously piled pressure onto GP practices by imposing contracts that are extremely difficult to deliver. That is why surgeries like Argyle are under such strain.”

Mr Kurtz later told The Pembrokeshire Herald that the problems faced by GP practices across Pembrokeshire were the result of long-term policy failures rather than poor local management.

“As someone born and raised in Pembrokeshire, I have seen first-hand the damage caused by the Welsh Labour Government’s mismanagement of our local NHS, despite the dedication and professionalism of frontline staff who continue to do their very best in increasingly challenging conditions,” he said.

“Anyone seeking to place the blame on NHS staff should back off. The fault does not lie with them. Real improvement will only come through properly supporting GP practices, listening to their concerns and working with them rather than against them.”

Argyle Medical Group is the second-largest GP practice in Wales, serving around 25,000 registered patients with nine GPs — an average of approximately 2,800 patients per doctor. In 2021, the practice had the equivalent of 10.75 full-time GPs and was actively seeking to recruit more.

However, ongoing recruitment difficulties forced Argyle to withdraw from its contract at St Clement’s Surgery in Neyland and reduce hours at St Oswald’s Surgery in Pembroke. Following the Neyland closure, patients were transferred to the Neyland and Johnston Medical Practice, which later handed back its GP contract after retirements and further recruitment problems. Those patients are now treated by salaried and locum GPs employed by the Health Board.

Similar pressures are being felt across Pembrokeshire, from Tenby in the south-east to St Davids in the north-west. While Wales does not face “GP deserts” on the same scale as the well-documented shortage of NHS dentists, reduced access to general practice has contributed to more patients attending hospital for conditions once routinely dealt with by GPs. This has placed additional strain on hospital services and staff.

In 2018, the Welsh Government pledged to recruit 1,000 additional GPs into NHS Wales. While overall GP headcount has risen, the number of full-time GPs has continued to fall. Many newer recruits work part-time, as locums, or on limited contracts, meaning fewer doctors are available in practice on a day-to-day basis.

Newly qualified GPs have also tended to favour larger urban centres, particularly along the M4 corridor and in north-east Wales, where professional support and career opportunities are greater. Critics argue that Welsh Government recruitment and retention strategies have failed to address persistent shortages in rural and coastal communities.

There are also ongoing shortfalls in independent prescribing pharmacists and community nursing staff, limiting efforts to relieve pressure on GP surgeries.

Mr Kurtz said: “The foundation of NHS care — with GPs as the first point of contact — has buckled. Blaming GP staff is a distraction. The issues are structural, long-term and political, and ultimately the buck stops in Cardiff Bay.”