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Wales Online
a day ago
- Business
- Wales Online
'The Welsh people have had to suffer' over lack of action on M4
'The Welsh people have had to suffer' over lack of action on M4 The Brynglas tunnels were called a "national 26 years of mismanagement" (Image: South Wales Echo ) People in Wales have had to suffer because of the Welsh Government's decision to scrap the M4 relief road, Senedd members said. A debate in Cardiff Bay heard arguments from a series of Conservative Senedd members criticising the decision, made six years ago this month not to proceed with a £1.5bn plan to divert the M4 south of Newport on a new six-lane route to avoid the Brynglas tunnels bottleneck. One Tory MS said the Brynglas tunnels were a "national 26 years of mismanagement". The Welsh Conservatives picked the M4 relief road as the topic of their debate in the meeting of the full Senedd, calling for the Welsh Government to put the idea back on the table. You can read the history to the debate here. Both Plaid Cymru and Labour voted against the motion. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here . Former deputy minister for transport Lee Waters told the Senedd "new roads lead to more traffic". Article continues below He said before the tolls on the Severn Bridge were removed in 2018 traffic was forecast to rise by 17%. However, he said National Highways figures show it is now up 34% compared to when there were tolls. "That's what happens when you increase road capacity, when you encourage and incentivise driving—32,000 vehicles a day now crossing the Severn bridge. A University of London study last year showed that, as a result, more people are now commuting from Newport to Bristol because what happens when you increase road capacity is people simply move further away from their place of work. So they drive further. "As a result, house prices within a 5km range of the bridge are now up by 13%. Double the rise in Newport. So that's what happens. People travel more. "They travel further from their place of living to their work, and more journeys are created. So, as soon as you've built the road, the traffic congestion levels are up and, lo and behold, what's the next demand? Build another road to relieve the congestion. And round and round we go. And the evidence is clear, it doesn't work." However, the Welsh Conservatives criticised the scheme being stopped. Welsh Conservative MS Sam Rowlands told colleagues: "The Welsh Government spent £135.7 million of public money on plans for the M4 relief road before scrapping it. "FOI requests from the Welsh Conservatives on the scheme found that 29 homes were purchased for over £15 million through compulsory purchase orders. "Two of these properties were bought for £575,000 and £400,000 in April 2019, just two months before the First Minister decided to ditch the scheme. "At least £44 million was spent by the Welsh Government on development costs and a public inquiry, an inquiry that in fact backed the building of the relief road, saying the economic benefit of the project would outweigh the cost by two to one. "At every step of this journey, there's been indecision and money wasted. "At the end of it all, it's been the Welsh people who've had to suffer as a result." Fellow Conservative MS Gareth Davies said: "The Brynglas tunnels have become a national symbol—a bottleneck where people sit stationary for miles in traffic. It's a perfect illustration of 26 years of mismanagement". Transport minister Ken Skates refuted the Welsh Government had "stood still" in improving things at the M4. Article continues below "Lord Burns and the South East Wales Transport Commission put forward recommendations on both the short-and-long-term solutions to relieve congestion, and the short-term measures have been fully implemented on the M4," he said. He referenced plans for the so-called Burns stations - east Cardiff, west Newport, Somerton, Llanwern, and Magor and Undy - which saw a financial commitment from the UK Government in Rachel Reeves' spending review. You can see the five stations here.
South Wales Argus
2 days ago
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Laura Anne Jones MS on A40 Raglan and Magor station
After years of accidents, sadly, in the last month, a young man died on the stretch following a collision. With the community at crisis point over these unsafe junctions, with incidents increasing, and likely to increase further now that the Heads of the Valley Road is now finished, it is now imperative that action is taken. I am pleased to say I managed to secure a commitment from the cabinet secretary for transport, Ken Skates, to come and meet with local representatives to hear our concerns, and I am pleased to report we had a really useful and productive meeting with Ken Skates MS and his Welsh Government officials this week. It seems we will now see some improvements over the next year - 'quick wins' - that should, until a more permanent solution is found, be of some comfort to the Raglan and surrounding areas community. There were also positive discussions on perhaps a new direction to take on achieving the more permanent big solution that we all jointly want to see achieved, as well as the 'quick wins' I have referenced above. So we will continue to do all we can together, cross-party and cross-levels of government in Monmouthshire, for the best possible outcome for the Raglan A40, to hopefully prevent further future accidents and loss of life. I would like to thank Mr Skates for joining us, and I would also like to thank my colleague Peter Fox MS, representative of Catherine Fookes MP, Cllr Richard John, Cllr Penny Jones, Cllr Jayne McKenna, Monmouthshire cabinet member Cllr Catrin Maby, Mitchel Troy Community Council, MCC Active Travel and Welsh Government officials and a big thanks to Raglan Community councillors for hosting the meeting and for leading the charge on this issue. The announcement of a new rail station for Magor represents a hard fought victory for campaigners who have worked incredibly hard for many years, with again, cross-party support from representatives, of which I was one. However, it remains to be seen whether the wider UK Government investment in rail will be sufficient to stop the rot caused by Cardiff Bay's mismanagement of Welsh infrastructure. And while we do welcome this new investment in Welsh rail, it only amounts to £45 million per year, well below the £1 billion the UK Conservative Government spent on rail between 2014 and 2024. In any case, the win for Magor and Undy shows what proper grassroots campaigning in our communities can do. Our region has suffered with congestion on the M4 for years, and with the M4 relief road, we had a solution within our grasp. Sadly, the Welsh Government binned the project, leaving residents frustrated. In the Senedd in recent weeks, I was pleased to speak in a Welsh Conservative debate, calling for the M4 relief road to be resurrected and built. It's time to make Wales open for business again.
Wales Online
3 days ago
- Politics
- Wales Online
Wales' First Minister says 'lessons need to be learned' over grooming gang abuse
Wales' First Minister says 'lessons need to be learned' over grooming gang abuse The Conservative group leader in Wales said sexual exploitation of children had been 'happening right under our noses here in Wales' Wales' First Minister Eluned Morgan has said "lessons need to be learned" over the sexual exploitation of children an opposition politician claimed had been "happening right under our noses here in Wales". Welsh Conservative leader Darren Millar asked questions to the First Minister about the issue on Tuesday, June 17. He had previously raised the case of a Welsh survivor of child sexual exploitation who goes by the pseudonym Emily Vaughn. She has previously shared her story to raise awareness of the impact of abuse on victims By the age of 20 Emily was raped more than 1,500 times after she was transported from Wales to Telford where she was sexually abused on a regular basis for six months which you can read about here. Her story was used by the Welsh Conservatives to add weight to their calls for a Welsh-specific inquiry in a previous discussion in the Senedd. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. The Senedd voted against those calls in January but Plaid Cymru's amendment – which called for an all-Wales audit – was unanimously agreed and you can see the details of that here. Prime Minister Keir Starmer has now announced an England and Wales-wide inquiry following a report from Baroness Louise Casey who led an audit into abuse and exploitation. Her report was published on Monday, June 16. Article continues below Senedd Conservative group leader Mr Millar said the Casey report made numerous references to Wales "including exploitation of children by a gang in Wrexham and the case of a 13-year-old girl who was sexual abused by three men yet was on a child protection plan just for neglect rather than sexual exploitation". He told the Senedd: "The evidence is clear: sexual exploitation has been happening right under our noses here in Wales and concerningly Baroness Casey also referred to more than 1,000 under-18s receiving support at sexual assault referral centres here in Wales in just 2023-24 alone and that appears to be more than twice the rate of under-18s presenting at such centres in England. That is alarming.". Mr Millar said he had asked the Welsh Government to publish its correspondence with the police, local authorities, social services, and other stakeholders in January. He said: "It took five weeks for the Welsh Government to issue a simple three-sentence response. "It didn't publish the information, it issued what I regarded as a dismissive three-sentence response, and the Casey report also suggests that the Welsh Government has failed to provide information that she also requested and it warned that fear of being accused of racism has deterred authorities from acting both here in Wales and in other parts of the UK. "So, will you guarantee, First Minister, that there will now be full co-operation with the national inquiry?" Mrs Morgan replied: "Obviously we'll be looking at the recommendations to ensure that there is full co-operation. I have written to the home secretary to ensure that Welsh issues and any recent events as well as historic events will be investigated and analysed by this inquiry. It is clearly an issue that needs to be addressed so I think that lessons need to be learned. "We mustn't shy away from collecting data on the ethnicity of perpetrators. "I think that abuse is abuse and it must be condemned, irrespective of where it comes from, but what we will do is to ensure that we comply and we work with the inquiry to make sure that we do everything we can to stop this hideous approach and that the things that are happening to young girls in our community stops." Article continues below
ITV News
10-06-2025
- Business
- ITV News
Rachel Reeves is set to announce at least £445 million for Welsh transport in spending review
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce major Welsh transport upgrades in her Spending Review. At least £445 million is set to be spent on rail projects in north and south Wales to enhance connectivity between cities, towns, and centres. The money will be used to fix level crossings, build new stations and upgrade existing lines. It is understood to be a combination of direct funding and money for the Welsh Government. The Treasury said: 'With this Government Wales will thrive, and the Chancellor has prioritised bringing forward a package that has the potential to be truly transformative.' An unnamed Labour Party source has said that the "historic investment is down to the tireless work of the Welsh Secretary, Jo Stevens, who has delivered Labour's promise to right the chronic underfunding of Welsh rail by the Tories."The source added: "This investment is more than Wales would have had so far had HS2 been Barnettised. It will make a massive difference economically and politically." Talking on ITV Wales' Sharp End about the announcement, Peter Fox, a Welsh Conservative MS said: 'Its not enough, its no where near enough.' 'We are suppose to be grateful that we are getting the funding, this is not good news for Wales. We should be angry.'
Pembrokeshire Herald
10-06-2025
- Business
- Pembrokeshire Herald
Police renew appeal for witnesses after three-vehicle crash on A477
Opposition parties blame Labour's tax policies and call for urgent reforms WALES continues to have the lowest employment rate in Britain, according to the latest official figures released for May 2025, sparking renewed political criticism over the Welsh Government's economic performance and approach to tackling poverty. The data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that employment in Wales stands at 72.2%, the lowest in Britain, compared to a UK average of 75.1%. Meanwhile, economic inactivity—people neither in work nor actively seeking work—remains the highest in Britain at 24.2%, above the UK average of 21.3%. Unemployment in Wales has risen to 4.7%, a year-on-year increase of 1.3 percentage points, and the number of paid employees has dropped by 5,300 in the past month, according to separate figures from Stats Wales. The figures have prompted concern from opposition parties, who argue that tax and regulatory policies are pushing businesses to halt recruitment or cut jobs. Welsh Conservative Shadow Economy Secretary Samuel Kurtz MS said: 'Under Labour, our economy is broken, both here in Wales and across the United Kingdom. You cannot tax your way to prosperity.' He criticised what he called a 'regulatory stranglehold' on enterprise, including business rates, the so-called 'jobs tax,' and the proposed Tourism Tax, which he claims stifles growth. 'We would scrap business rates for small firms, revitalise our high streets and axe the Tourism Tax once and for all,' Kurtz added. Welsh Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick went further, saying: 'These figures show the huge damage Labour's misguided jobs tax is already having on the Welsh economy. With Wales more dependent on small businesses than other parts of the UK, the Chancellor must scrap it now.' The criticism was echoed by the Welsh Conservatives' Shadow Social Justice Secretary Dr Altaf Hussain MS, who cited a recent 'Poverty in Wales' report revealing that 22% of the population—around 700,000 people—are living in poverty. This includes 200,000 children (31%), 400,000 working-age adults (21%), and 100,000 pensioners (16%). 'After 26 years of Labour in Wales, poverty remains stubbornly high,' Dr Hussain said. 'We would cut taxes for working families and match England's childcare offer, enabling more parents to work and reducing child poverty.' The Welsh Government has not yet responded to the latest labour market figures or the criticism from opposition parties. Ministers have previously stated they are focused on reducing regional inequality and supporting job creation through skills programmes and targeted investments. The full employment and poverty statistics can be accessed via Stats Wales and the Office for National Statistics.
