News

Shared Prosperity Fund leads to mutual hostility between Cardiff Bay and Westminster

Published

4 years ago

April 17, 2022

THE UK GOVERMENT’S Shared Prosperity Fund announcement on Wednesday, April 13, renewed tension between Cardiff Bay and Westminster.

On Wednesday, the UK Government announced the Shared Prosperity Fund would provide £585m to local authorities in Wales over the next three years.

That money includes an allocation to Wales of £101m to deliver a UK adult numeracy programme called Multiply.

The Welsh Government says that slice of funding “risks duplicating Wales’s national curriculum and learning approaches.”

The £585m is not extra or new money. Instead, the UK Government funds replace EU funding lost by Wales thanks to Brexit.

The tension arises from the difference in how the UK Government will allocate the funds and how it’s calculated them.

Westminster claims the funding takes account of residual European funding already allocated to the Welsh Government and that the Shared Prosperity Fund tops up those funds. It implies awarding more funds would double-count the funding available in Wales.

The Welsh Government denies those claims and says the Shared Prosperity Fund leaves Wales £1bn short over the next three years.

It’s more likely that the truth lies somewhere between both positions.

A HISTORY OF WASTE AND BUREAUCRACY

The Welsh Government further says how the UK Government plans to allocate the funds undermines the devolution settlement.

EU funds were administered by the Welsh Government, which could set its priorities for their application.

To ensure money was spent where it wanted it spent, the Welsh Government built a network of third-party stakeholders and quangos.

There is no doubt that the Welsh Government blew vast quantities of EU money on vanity projects and snaffled money intended for discrete purposes for its own initiatives.

However, Westminster honoured the Welsh Government’s broad autonomy and kept its distance.

Wales got more out of the EU than it paid in. However, ahead of the EU Referendum, Stephen Crabb warned David Cameron that fact would not persuade Wales to vote to stay in the EU.

Mr Crabb criticised the Welsh Government for investing EU funds in the wrong places and on the wrong projects. He also heavily criticised Cardiff Bay for wasting money on bureaucracy.

Under Boris Johnson, the Conservative Government in Westminster has pulled the funding rug out from under the Welsh Government.

Instead of funding passing through the Welsh Government’s coffers before passing to third parties and thence to delivery at a local level, the Shared Prosperity Fund will pass directly to regional bodies and local authorities to use on priorities they set.

DECISIONS ABOUT WALES MUST BE MADE IN WALES

Plaid Cymru’s Westminster Leader, Liz Saville Roberts MP, condemned the UK Government’s decision.

“Just like decisions about Wales should be made in Wales, funding allocated to Wales should be spent by the government of Wales – not by Westminster and its out-of-touch Tory Ministers.

“The Tories promised in 2019 to replace EU cash with a programme that was ‘fairer’ and better tailored to Wales’s economy. They have broken that promise.

“Already below what was promised and failing even to match EU funding, this so-called Shared Prosperity Fund will leave Wales and our communities £1bn worse off.

“The Westminster Government has also resisted increasing regional support in line with the unprecedented inflation they are overseeing – which is exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and squeezing household budgets and those of our local authorities and the Welsh Government.

“And where EU funding to Wales was allocated to communities by our government according to need, this post-EU regional funding regime depends on the ‘input’ of and advocacy by MPs when the Westminster Government is cutting the number of Welsh MPs by a fifth.

“Dividing Wales into 22 separate economic regions, reducing the number of MPs, and cutting corners with funding sets up the scheme to fail.

“This is another bitter reminder that Westminster will never work for Wales.”

WESTMINSTER DID NOT LISTEN CLAIMS ECONOMY MINISTER

Wales’s Economy Minister was equally disenchanted with the Shared Prosperity Fund.

Vaughan Gething MS said: “Although there has been some movement, the funding plans set out by the UK Government today do not reflect the distinct needs of Welsh communities. We are concerned that too little will reach those communities most in need. The Welsh Government proposed an alternative formula that would distribute funding more fairly across Wales according to economic need, but the UK Government rejected this.

“The proposed role of the Welsh Government also falls short of a genuine co-decision-making function essential to maximising investment and respecting devolution in Wales.

“On this basis, it has not been possible to endorse the UK Government’s approach on this Fund. We cannot support their decision to redirect economic development funds away from those areas where poverty is most concentrated.

“The dramatic reduction in the funds compounds their regressive decision. Wales would have received £1bn more had the UK Government delivered its pledge to replace EU funds for Wales in full.

“We have made it clear to the UK Government that this has implications for the role the Welsh Government can play in the next steps of delivery and implementation and the commitment of our resources.

“Put simply, we are facing a loss of more than £1bn in un-replaced funding over the next three years. As a result, there will be hard decisions to make for the Welsh Government and other institutions across business, higher education, further education, and the third sector which have benefitted from EU Structural Funds previously.”

CONSERVATIVES WELCOME SETTLEMENT

The Welsh Conservatives drew attention to the fact that Wales will be the largest beneficiary of the Shared Prosperity Fund.

They also highlight the following allocations within Wales:

North Wales – £126 million.
Mid Wales – £42 million.
South West Wales – £138 million.
South East Wales – £279 million.

The Welsh Conservative Shadow Economy Minister, Paul Davies MS, said: “The people of Wales voted to leave the European Union, and I am glad to see the UK Conservative Government delivering on the will of the people once again, despite years of obstruction by Labour in both Wales and Westminster.

“I am pleased to see that Wales will be the biggest beneficiary of this Fund.

“Contrary to what Labour ministers would have people believe, this investment will ensure that all parts of Wales will benefit following our departure from the EU.

“I would encourage all parts of Wales to take up the opportunity to deliver for their local communities building back better out of the pandemic.

“The Labour Government in Cardiff Bay needs to stop playing politics and work with the UK Government and local authorities to ensure that this funding is spent directly on supporting communities across Wales.”

News

Parties make final push as Wales prepares to vote in historic Senedd election

Published

8 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Campaign leaders criss-cross country in last-minute battle for crucial votes

WALES heads to the polls tomorrow (Thursday, May 7) after a frenetic final day of campaigning that saw party leaders, candidates and activists make one last push to win over undecided voters in what is being described as the most unpredictable Senedd election in modern Welsh history.

With polling stations due to open at 7:00am, parties spent Wednesday targeting key battleground constituencies across the country, including the new Ceredigion Penfro seat, amid growing expectations of a fragmented Senedd and a dramatic shake-up in Welsh politics.

The election is the first to be held under Wales’ new expanded Senedd system, with 96 Members of the Senedd being elected across 16 large constituencies using a proportional closed-list voting system.

Reform UK appeared to finish the campaign with significant momentum following a major rally on Tuesday attended by party leader Nigel Farage. The event drew large crowds and considerable online attention as Reform attempted to convert strong polling figures into seats in Cardiff Bay for the first time.

Farage used the rally to attack both Labour and Plaid Cymru, while positioning Reform as the party of “change” for disillusioned voters. Reform campaigners have focused heavily on immigration, cost of living pressures and opposition to what they describe as “wasteful government spending.”

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth spent the final day presenting his party as the main alternative to both Labour and Reform UK, insisting Plaid could “build a fairer Wales” while warning against what he described as “divisive politics.”

Labour figures, including First Minister Eluned Morgan and deputy leader Huw Irranca-Davies, urged voters not to “take risks” with public services, arguing only Welsh Labour could protect the NHS and local councils during a period of economic uncertainty.

Labour activists were heavily focused on turnout operations in traditional strongholds, amid polling suggesting the party could lose ground after decades as the dominant force in Welsh politics.

The Conservatives attempted to rally core voters with warnings about both Labour and Reform, while also focusing on farming, the rural economy and healthcare waiting lists.

In west Wales, Conservative candidates Paul Davies and Sam Kurtz spent the day meeting voters and carrying out final campaign visits across Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion, arguing their experience and local knowledge would be important under the new electoral system.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party also maintained visible campaigns in several areas, hoping tactical voting and the proportional voting system could help them secure representation.

Across Wales, campaign teams handed out leaflets outside transport hubs, supermarkets and town centres, while social media campaigning intensified throughout the day.

Political analysts believe turnout could prove decisive, particularly because the new voting system means relatively small shifts in support could determine the allocation of the fifth and sixth seats in many constituencies.

The campaign has been dominated by debates over the NHS, farming, the economy, transport, tourism and the rising cost of living, alongside concerns about the future direction of Welsh devolution.

Polling stations open across Wales from 7:00am until 10:00pm on Thursday, with counting due to begin on Friday morning.

The Herald will provide live election coverage online throughout polling day and count day, including updates from count centres, candidate interviews and reaction as results emerge from across west Wales and the rest of the country.

News

Plaid Cymru projected to lead Senedd as Labour faces historic collapse

Published

8 hours ago

May 6, 2026

Tom Sinclair

Final poll suggests Welsh politics could be on the brink of a major realignment

PLAID CYMRU is on course to become the largest party in the Senedd, according to the final YouGov MRP projection for ITV Cymru Wales before polling day.

The model suggests Labour’s century-long dominance of Welsh elections could be coming to an end, with Plaid projected to win 43 seats in the newly expanded 96-member Senedd.

Reform UK is forecast to finish second on 34 seats, while Labour is projected to fall to just 12.

The poll, based on responses from more than 4,600 adults between April 25 and May 4, puts Plaid Cymru on 33% of the vote, ahead of Reform UK on 29%. Labour is on 12%, the Conservatives on 9%, the Greens on 8% and the Liberal Democrats on 6%.

Labour facing major losses

The projection points to a dramatic collapse in Labour support across Wales.

YouGov’s central estimate would represent a notional loss of 32 seats for Labour compared with the 2021 result under the new electoral system.

It would also be Labour’s worst result at any major Welsh election since 1906.

The model suggests Labour may fail to top the poll in any of the 16 new Senedd constituencies, and could return no members at all in four of them.

In west Wales, Labour’s support is projected to have fallen into single figures in some areas.

First Minister Eluned Morgan, who leads Labour’s list in Ceredigion Penfro, could also be at risk if the projection proves accurate.

Reform surge

Reform UK is projected to make major gains, rising from just 1% of the vote in 2021 to 29% in the final pre-election model.

The party’s support appears to be spread widely across Wales, though it is weaker in Cardiff and strongest in parts of the south Wales valleys.

One of the most striking projections is in Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr, which includes the Merthyr Tydfil area where Keir Hardie was elected as Wales’s first Labour MP in 1900.

There, YouGov’s central estimate puts Reform UK narrowly ahead on 34%, Plaid Cymru on 33%, and Labour on 14%.

Smaller parties

The Conservatives are projected to win just four seats, which would be their weakest devolved election result.

That would leave them one short of the five members needed to form an official political group in the Senedd.

The Greens are forecast to enter the Senedd for the first time, winning two seats in Cardiff.

The Liberal Democrats are projected to win one seat in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, keeping Jane Dodds in the Senedd.

No majority expected

No party is projected to win the 49 seats needed for an outright majority.

YouGov’s modelling suggests Plaid Cymru would be best placed to lead the next Welsh Government, but would probably need support from another party.

Plaid and Labour together reach a majority in most of the model’s simulations, while a Plaid-Green arrangement does so far less often.

A Reform-Conservative majority appears unlikely in the projection.

Under the new D’Hondt voting system, small movements in vote share could still make a significant difference, particularly for the final seats in each constituency.

Polling stations open tomorrow, Thursday, May 7.