Latest news with #WelshConservatives
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.
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
BBC News
4 days ago
- Politics
- BBC News
Grooming gangs victim says Wales needs own inquiry
A survivor of child sexual exploitation has repeated her call for a Wales-specific inquiry into the woman, who goes by the pseudonym Emily Vaughn, had her experiences shared in the Senedd earlier this year by the Welsh Conservatives as they pushed Welsh ministers to instigate an inquiry the UK government's decision to launch one covering Wales and England, she said Wales needed to "wake up" to the fact that abuse did not stop at Senedd voted against Tory calls for a Wales-specific inquiry in January, but unanimously supported a Plaid Cymru amendment that Welsh ministers should consider one and also carry out an audit of cases with police. The prime minister announced an inquiry to cover Wales and England on the weekend, following a report from Baroness Louise Casey, who led an audit into abuse and report was published on Monday alongside a statement in the Commons from Home Secretary Yvette Cooper. Ms Vaughn, who is now in her 30s, said she was first groomed at the age of 11 and abused from the age of said she was trafficked to Telford, Blackpool and within Wales, and was raped a statement, she said: "It is time for Wales to wake up to the truth that grooming, sexual exploitation and organised abuse do not stop at regional borders."Survivors in Wales have long been silenced, overlooked, or forced to seek justice through systems not built with their experiences in mind."While inquiries have been launched in England and other parts of the UK, the specific cultural, institutional, and social factors unique to Wales have yet to be properly investigated or addressed."There needs to be an independent public inquiry into grooming gangs and systemic sexual exploitation in Wales." Ms Vaughn later clarified that there should be a Wales-specific inquiry which should: "look at children trafficked into Wales and around Wales for both sexual and criminal exploitation".Senedd Conservative leader Darren Millar said on Monday that he welcomed the UK government's inquiry, but it was long overdue and it vindicated people such as Ms Vaughn. A freedom of information request made by BBC Wales in March revealed Welsh police forces had identified no current widespread issues with grooming Welsh government said on Monday it welcomed the new inquiry and would: "consider its recommendations in full to inform our actions"."Our ten-year Strategy for Preventing and Responding to Child Sexual Abuse is due out for public consultation shortly," it added. "There are four strands to the strategy which are prevention, protection, supporting children and young people and their families, and supporting adult survivors."
South Wales Argus
11-06-2025
- Business
- South Wales Argus
Where are new railway stations being built in Newport?
The boost, which gives Wales a total extra £1.6 billion, will see five new rail stations between Cardiff and the border. UK Government said the settlement is the "best in the history of Welsh devolution." Chancellor Reeves told Parliament the new stations will follow the route from 'Cardiff West Junction.' These proposed stations will be: Newport West, Somerton, Llanwern and Magor and Undy - the latter being promised as an innovative alternative to a parkway – a 'walkway station' that reduces car use and encourages sustainable transport. The Welsh Government has already committed more than £300 million to building an integrated transport system for Wales. The Reeves boost will add to the Welsh Government's now considerable spending and planning armoury for transport. The Chancellor's announcement backs the Welsh Government's vision for transport, which will add to the rail improvements with minor changes such as bus lane extensions, more cycling and walking routes, as well as general upgrades in the importance of what is known as public and sustainable routes. The result of the spending review will mark a significant victory for Welsh Labour and its lobbying of the UK Government on spending and transport issues. It is also seen as a boost for Welsh Labour ahead next year's Senedd elections. Roads will remain a lesser priority in Welsh Government policy and planning. The Chancellor's cash boost and already committed Welsh Government money will now set out how planning and infrastructure policy will be approached and funded for many years to come. The new railway stations will form the backbone of major public transport improvements to the entire southeast of Wales and be an alternative to infrastructure investment on the now out-of-date and clogged M4. The improvements will include relief tracks on the South Wales main line being converted to carry passenger trains. Ken Skates, the Welsh Government's cabinet secretary for transport, has said the new stations will 'allow millions of new train journeys each year' and form part of a 'transformational project'. The plans have been proposed by the Welsh Government as an alternative to an M4 relief road or other alternatives to infrastructure upgrades on the now jammed major route through south Wales. Two years ago, the Welsh Government had said it expects the first of the new stations to be completed by 2027. The new stations are being touted as the cornerstone of Welsh Labour's planned 'sustainable transport corridor' along the A48 between Cardiff and Newport. The work, beginning this financial year, was said to take five years to complete. Opposition parties have expressed doubt. The Welsh Liberal Democrats said Wales is again being 'short changed' by Labour. Meanwhile Plaid Cymru's Heledd Fychan MS said: "£445m is merely a drop in the ocean compared to the billions Wales is owed on rail, and what Labour – up until they came into power – used to agree with us on.' Welsh Conservatives said the people of Wales had again been cheated of money and services by Labour and that Welsh ministers have their heads the sand. Previously, Welsh Conservative transport Brief, Gwent's Natasha Ashgar, had been more forthright in her views on Labour's 'sustainable vision for transport,' which she labelled as 'pandering to extreme eco-warriors,' when she spoke to the South Wales August in 2022. Among other details relevant to Wales, a further £118 million will be allocated to coal tip safety.
The Independent
10-06-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Welsh FM accused of doing ‘nothing' to protect pensioners from winter fuel cut
The First Minister of Wales has been accused of doing 'absolutely nothing' to protect pensioners, following a UK Government U-turn on winter fuel payment cuts. Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, called for Eluned Morgan to apologise to the pensioners affected by the change last winter, arguing the Welsh Government should have stepped in to support those in need. Speaking during First Minister's Questions on Tuesday, Mr Millar said the cut had forced vulnerable people to choose between heating and eating. Baroness Morgan, leader of the Welsh Labour Government, said she was 'absolutely delighted' that the UK Government had reversed the cut for many. The payment, worth up to £300, will be restored to the vast majority of pensioners, with anyone with an income of under £35,000 a year now getting the payment automatically. The decision last July to restrict the winter fuel payment to the poorest pensioners was intended to save around £1.5 billion a year, with more than nine million people who would have previously been eligible losing out. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, announced the partial U-turn on Monday, following significant backlash from charities, opposition MPs and the Government's own backbenchers. Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Millar said: 'Yesterday we saw a screeching U-turn on the winter fuel allowance by Rachel Reeves, after considerable pressure from the Conservative Party. 'You will know that over half a million Welsh pensioners were deprived of their winter fuel payments last year, leaving some very vulnerable people with the unenvious choice of having to choose between heating and eating – it's an absolute disgrace. 'You are meant to stand up for Wales but what did you actually do in terms of this winter fuel allowance? You did absolutely nothing.' Mr Millar argued Baroness Morgan should have implemented a Welsh winter fuel payment or stood up to Sir Keir Starmer and demanded the payment be restored sooner. Baroness Morgan responded that she was 'absolutely delighted' that Sir Keir Starmer had listened to pensioners in Wales and across the country. 'I'm really pleased that because we have made representations to the Prime Minister on this issue that he has changed his mind and that will make a difference to hundreds of thousands of pensioners across Wales this winter, in a country where we do have more older people and housing which is more difficult to heat. 'I don't think that it's bad to listen to people and then to make sure that you respond to them.' Baroness Morgan had previously pushed back against the cut, having called for a 'rethink' in early May, saying it was something 'that comes up time and again'. At the time, the Government said there would 'not be a change to the Government's policy'. On Monday, Ms Reeves suggested that the 'stability we've brought back to the economy' meant the Government was able to change the eligibility threshold for winter fuel payments.
