Welsh Liberal blogs

The go-ahead for the demolition of a hundred-year old cinema in Cardiff is a sad indictment of neglect by the city’s Labour council according to Councillor Rodney Berman, the lead Welsh Liberal Democrat candidate for the wider South Wales Central region at the 2021 Senedd election. Cardiff’s Labour-run council has recently approved the demolition of the former Gaiety cinema in City Road in the Roath area of the city. The cinema was opened in 1912 and the building has also served as both a bingo hall and a bowling alley. Councillor Berman said: “The Gaiety has been left repeatedly to rot since the Roath area elected Labour councillors in 2012, and the city’s Labour-run council has repeatedly failed to step in to address this over the last eight years. “This once fine building is part of Roath’s heritage, but that heritage has sadly been squandered by the current Labour-run council. Labour councillors have sat back whilst the building has been left to steadil...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called for the Assembly’s Climate Change, Environment and Rural Affairs Committee to launch an inquiry into recent flooding around Pentre and the role work by Natural Resources Wales may ha Natural Resources Wales have admitted that a culvert was blocked by debris resulting from trees they cut down. This is believed to have significantly contributed to the flooding suffered by Pentre. Cllr Rodney Berman, Lead Welsh Lib Dem Senedd Candidate for South Wales Central commented: The flooding suffered by communities from across South and Mid Wales has been devastating. Our thoughts are with all those whose homes and communities have been devastated. These floods were the result of exceptional rainfall, but we must remember that extraordinary weather events will only become more frequent in future due to climate change. The Welsh and UK Government must use all the powers at their disposal to urgently tackle the climate em...

DEFRA have confirmed that farm payments in England will be reduced by 5-25% next year, depending on the band of direct payments. In December 2019 the UK Government confirmed funding for the Basic Payments Scheme in Wales would remain the same for 2020. This announcement suggests this funding will be reduced for Wales from 2021 onwards. Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, commented: Boris Johnson and the Conservatives have been promising since 2016 that farmers would not be worse off because of Brexit. Today’s announcement shows just how hollow those promises were. I’m deeply concerned that UK Government funding for farming in Wales could also be cut next year. This would undermine all the Welsh Government’s work to provide financial certainty for our farmers, who already face more challenging conditions than their colleagues across the UK. During last year’s general election campaign Michael Gove personally promised Scottish Farmers the Conservati...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised the length of NHS Wales waiting times following the release of January’s A&E data showing waiting times to be the worst on record having risen yet again. 6,882 patients across NHS Wales waited more than 12 hours in A&E to be treated, transferred and discharged. This is 226 more people than in December. NHS Wales targets specify no-one should need wait that long. 83.5% of patients were waiting less than six months to start hospital treatment, substantially less than the 95% target. Whilst 5.5% of patients waited more than 36 weeks from the hospitals’ receipt of the referral letter. Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, commented: A&E waiting times are unacceptable. Every patient forced to wait in overcrowded hospital waiting rooms and corridors is a patient being let down by the very service built to support them. We know pressures on the NHS are always greater in winter, but these new figures clearly s...

Reportting www. Welshlibdems.wales The Welsh Liberal Democrats have welcomed the Welsh Ambulance Services’ improved performance in January, with 100 more life threatening calls being responded to within the 8 minutes target. There was a 4% increase in the number of life threatening ‘red’ calls that were responded to within 8 minutes. The 66% response rate was the first time the target of 65% has been met since October 2019. Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, commented: We all know the immense pressures our ambulance staff work under on a day-to-day basis. The fact they’ve managed to improve their performance and meet their target is a testament to their commitment and ability. However, there is no room for complacency. We need a long-term and comprehensive plan to address the significant pressures faced by our Ambulance Service, especially in rural areas - where the average wait can be significantly higher. This plan must address A...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have branded it “unacceptable” that 40% of people find it difficult to make a GP appointment and called for more to be done to improve people’s access to GPs. Ps play a vital role in the NHS in Wales and difficulty accessing GPs may push more people to use already overcrowded and under pressure hospitals. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling for an Access to Primary Care Fund to improve access to GPs and other specialisms within primary care. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds, commented: This report today makes for disappointing reading. It’s utterly unacceptable that 2 in every 5 people struggle to get an appointment with their GP when they need one. The Welsh Government’s attempts to improve the situation have clearly not worked. We now we need to look at what more can be done to fundamentally address this issue. Failure to do so will mean more patients will be forced to rely upon already overcrowded A&E departments f...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the UK Government to reverse plans to scrap the BBC licence fee and ensure the future of S4C is secure in any future funding settlement. Welsh Liberal Democrat Peer Lord Roger Roberts has criticised the proposed scrapping of the licence fee as a threat to the future of S4C. Acting Leader of the Liberal Democrats Ed Davey and Liberal Democrat DCMS Spokesperson Daisy Cooper have written to the Prime Minister, outlining how the Conservative government's plans will "cost the BBC hundreds of millions of pounds" and "at least double the cost of viewing the BBC". Welsh Liberal Democrat Lord Roger Roberts, commented: Since its inception in 1982, S4C has been a major factor in promoting and supporting the resurgence of our language. S4C is a vital part of Welsh broadcasting and Welsh political life, with their work being primarily supported by the licence fee. If this government scraps t...

Today Kirsty Williams, the Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Minister, has announced that Further Education colleges in Wales will receive an additional £23m in the coming year. £6m of this funding will give college staff a 2.75% pay rise to ensure they receive the same funding as school teachers. £2m of the funding will allow colleges to improve their mental health and wellbeing support for students and staff alike. £10m will continue the Skills Development Fund to help colleges address skills gaps within their local workforces, whilst £5m will allow colleges to invest in their staff’s professional development. Kirsty Williams, Welsh Liberal Democrat Education Secretary, commented: “Our further education colleges play a vital role in post-16 education in towns and cities all over Wales, as well as the wide range of services and employment opportunities they provide to local communities. “Ensuring students of all ages can access mental health support...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have welcomed the end of the benefits freeze and an inflation-linked increase in benefits income. However, the party has also warned that on its own ending the freeze will not be enough to reverse the years of harm the Conservatives have caused to those receiving welfare. Research from Citizens Advice has shown an increase in the number of people unable to cover their living costs since the start of the benefits freeze in 2016. It also highlighted that close to 4 in 10 households receiving benefits and seeking advice on debt are not expected to have enough money to cover their costs by 2024, this is even if benefits continue to rise with inflation. Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, commented: “I’m glad that the Conservatives have finally listened to opposition parties calls to scrap the heartless and damaging freeze on benefits. This policy has brought untold hardship to thousands of families across Wales, hardship these families...

The Liberal Democrats are pressing the Government to commit to providing additional funding in their upcoming budget in order to protect access to cash and free withdrawal services in rural areas. Jamie Stone, Liberal Democrat MP for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, has written a letter to the Chancellor with the support of MPs from Plaid Cymru, the SNP, Labour and the Conservatives to call for this additional funding to be made available. Research conducted by Which? has revealed that between January 2018 and December 2019, the UK has witnessed the closure of 1,203 local bank branches and around 8,700 fee-free ATMs. Meanwhile, the number of fee-charging ATMs has increased by 37% meaning last year alone consumers paid over £29million just in transaction fees. The Liberal Democrats have been leading the fight to protect rural banking services and led the cross-party campaign which made Barclays U-turn on their plans to stop customers withdraw...

Student application data published today (Thursday, February 6) saw a 6% increase in the number of applications to higher education institutions in Wales - the largest increase among the four UK nations. The figures, published by UCAS for applications up to January 15, also show the proportion of applicants from the most deprived areas in Wales increase by 10% this year. The proportion of Welsh 18-year-olds applying for university reached a record high, with almost a third applying to higher education. The proportion of all applicants from Wales who applied to Welsh higher education providers rose to 76.3%, up from 75.5% last year. Kirsty Williams, the Minister for Education, has radically reformed the student finance system in Wales, with a fundamental shift towards supporting students with their day-to-day living costs. Wales is the only country in Europe which offers equivalent living costs support for undergraduate full-time, part-time and post-graduate st...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have responded to the release of 2019’s National Rough Sleeper Count that shows a 17% increase on the previous year. The count took place over two weeks in October and showed 405 people sleeping rough compared to 347 people last year. Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, commented: It’s disappointing to see the numbers of rough sleepers in Wales continue to increase. If we consider ourselves to be a caring and compassionate society, we have a moral duty to tackle homelessness. We recognise that the Welsh Government is already implementing some of the recommendations of the Homelessness Action Group. However, this is no time to get complacent. We urge the Welsh Government to listen to organisations like Cymorth Cymru and increase funding for the Housing Support Grant in their final budget. Increasing the Housing Support Grant will help prevent homelessness, lead to fewer rough sleepers on our streets and help disadvantaged peop...

LGBT History Month is a welcome opportunity to celebrate the activism, strength and the spirit of the entire LGBT+ community. This is the time to look back at the key moments in the struggle for equal rights and to reflect on how we can build a more just world for everyone. This month we celebrate iconic LGBT+ pioneers and strengthen our efforts to give meaningful attention to LGBT history. Introducing the amendment that led to the repeal of Section 28 remains one of my proudest moments in parliament In the UK, LGBT History Month falls in February to coincide the repealing of Section 28 in England and Wales. Introducing the amendment that led to the repeal of that abhorrent act remains one of my proudest moments in parliament. We have made great strides in advancing equality over the last few decades. From the equalisation of the age of consent to the introduction of the Alan Turing Law, there is much to celebrate. And recently I was thrilled to see Northern Ireland join...