Welsh Liberal blogs

The UK Government has announced it will repeal the Vagrancy Act, which allows police to arrest people for sleeping rough or begging in England and W iberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who led the fight to repeal the Bill in Westminster.   Currently anyone convicted under the law faces a fine of up to £1,000 and a two-year criminal record. However, ministers have now introduced an amendment to a bill in Parliament which scraps the law. Last year it was revealed nearly 500 people in Wales were charged under the archaic act since 2015. This included a  high-profile case  in Bangor city centre. In reaction to the news that the Vagrancy Act will be repealed, Liberal Democrat MP Layla Moran, who led the campaign against the act in Westminster said: “After years of campaigning I am elated that we consigned this archaic and cruel law to history. No one should be criminalised for sleeping rough, especially by a piece of legislation passed in the Georgian era.  “This...

 Jane Dodds, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Member of the Senedd has called on Wales to stand in solidarity with Ukraine amid continued threats to its independence by the Russian Government. This morning Dodds submitted a Statement of Opinion to the Senedd in support of Ukraine which can now be signed by other members. Commenting, Dodds said: “ Now more than ever, the rules-based international order is under threat. After years of hybrid warfare, threats and provocations, which tragically have seen over 13,000 casualties in the last few years, a further Russian incursion into Ukraine now looks like a serious possibility. Russia’s amassing of over 130,000 troops on the Ukrainian border may seem like a far-flung conflict for many in Wales, but we must be unwavering in our support for the freedom of Ukraine or come to face the consequences in the future.  “The liberal values that have underpinned European peace security for generations, namely the respect for a r...

Responding to today’s health statistics published by the Welsh Government, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have described the current situation as “abysmal” and called on more to be done to improve waiting times and make sure people get the care they need when they need it.   According to today’s statistics, waiting times for A&E are the fifth-worst on record, four out of seven health boards are failing to have even half of red calls for ambulances reach patients within the 8 minute target time, and one in four patients are waiting over a year for treatment on the NHS. This comes on top of yesterday's figures showing almost 80% of referrals to Child Mental Health Services were not being seen in the four-week waiting time. Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader and Senedd Member Jane Dodds said: “These figures truly are abysmal and make for harrowing reading. While the pandemic has resulted in extra pressure on the NHS in Wales, we cannot pretend it hasn’t been in crisis f...

 Responding to Welsh Government figures showing that almost 80 per cent of those waiting for a first appointment with Specialist Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (sCAMHS) are waiting over four weeks, Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader and Senedd Member Jane Dodds has demanded Labour provide fresh funds and a detailed timeline for when they will fix long waits for support. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader & Senedd Member Jane Dodds According to the data released today (February 16) 77.9 per cent of those referred to SCAHMS are waiting over four weeks for a first appointment, a significant deterioration from the same period last year where only 52.9 per cent were waiting over the four-week target.   The Welsh Liberal Democrats are now calling on the Welsh Government to outline how it will urgently reduce waiting times. Jane Dodds said: “These figures are devastating. We know that waiting times for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services are some of the longe...

It is with sadness that we announce that Former Assembly Member Aled Roberts has passed away aged 59. Aled was the Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for North Wales from 2011 to 2016 and served his community both as an Assembly Member and previously as a Councillor for Ponciau Ward from 1991-2012, in addition to his roles as former Council Leader and later Welsh Language Commissioner. He will be deeply missed by all of us in the Welsh Liberal Democrat family and our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends at this difficult time     Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds paid tribute to Aled stating: “I am devastated to hear of the passing of Aled. Aled was a committed liberal and was known for his extraordinary hard work as both an Assembly Member for North Wales and as a senior councillor, and former Council Leader on Wrexham County Borough Council. This news is a deep blow to the Welsh Liberal Democrat family and my thoughts and prayers are w...

 The Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated their plans to tackle the cost-of-living crisis would save typical struggling family almost £1,000 this year.  Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS Party Leader and Senedd Member Jane Dodds has stated while the Conservatives scramble to save their reputation due to successive scandals, everyday families are being forgotten by the Government at one of the most challenging financial periods since the 2008 crash. Energy bills are forecast to soar by 50 per cent in April or an estimated £600 per household, forcing families to choose between eating and heating, while broadband bills are set to rise by 9.3%. The Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling for a rescue package of measures to help families cope with the cost-of-living crisis, taking around £975 off the bills of lower income households.  Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS said: “Welsh Conservative MPs are utterly missing in action and seem to be more ...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have accused the Conservatives of failing to provide key information to the public over the replacement of EU development funds for Wales and of misleading people over the extent to which EU funding will be replaced.     Former Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Lord Mike German In the House of Lords, Former Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Mike German has challenged the Government twice in two weeks to provide details of the per capita spend for Welsh people under the UKs replacement scheme. However, the Government has replied both times stating that it “regrets it is not in a position to confirm the per capita allocation of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) in each nation at this stage”. Commenting Lord Mike German stated : “How can this Conservative Government state they are matching our former funding under the EU development scheme when they cannot even provide a per capita figure on what they have spent so far? “Under the previo...

  Nick Ramsay, former Conservative Shadow Finance Minister in the Senedd has joined the Welsh Liberal Democrats.   He will be a candidate for the Party in the Monmouthshire Council elections this coming May. Nick Ramsay Nick says: “I have thought long and hard about the future of politics in Wales and the UK.  The Conservative Party is not the party I once joined.  They have lost the trust of the people, and are unable to manage our country.  They have failed the fundamental test of competence.  I can think of little of them with which I agree.”   “I have spent a long time examining the Liberal Democrats, and I find their underpinning values of fairness, community, and internationalism match my own.   The Welsh Liberal Democrats are the best way to achieve a new village hall for Raglan ,  support for struggling local businesses   and sustainable development for Monmouthshire, and I am pleased to be able to join them in their...

  Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS has questioned the First Minister Mark Drakeford in the Senedd today over the progress the Welsh Labour Government is making in supporting residents and landlords in buildings with potential fire safety defects.   Jane Dodds MS addressing Cladding Campaigners   The question comes in light of recent announcements from the UK Government new legislation will protect leaseholders from the costs of all post-Grenfell building safety defects, not just combustible cladding. Current support from the Welsh Government applies to those in social housing alone, which the Welsh Liberal Democrats have argued leaves those in private leaseholds at the mercy of extortionate costs to make buildings safe, despite having had no idea of faults in the buildings when they purchased their property.   Commenting Jane Dodds MS said:   “At the end of January, I hosted a public meeting here on the steps of the Senedd to listen ...

  Research by the Welsh Liberal Democrats has revealed the areas in Wales set to be hardest hit by the crippling energy price hike announced by Ofgem today. This news comes as Ofgem have announced a 54% increase in the energy price cap, with average bills reaching nearly £2,000.   Average energy bills per household are expected to rise by £970 in some areas, according to analysis of ONS data by the party.   The worst hit local authority areas include Ceredigion (£972), Gwynedd (£904), Carmarthenshire (£853) and Powys (£848).   Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds, who represents 5/6 of the worst hit areas through the Mid & West Wales Region in the Senedd, has stated that the figures show the “absolute energy bill nightmare” being faced by families across Wales while oil and gas firms are making record profits.   The Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling for a windfall tax on the super profits of gas and oil producers and traders to fund s...

  Responding to Michael Gove’s levelling up speech, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated it is hard to trust the Conservatives given a long record of failure to deliver investment in Wales. Party Leader and Senedd Member Jane Dodds said: “The evidence we have from the Conservatives so far on ‘levelling up’ is that for them, it is just an empty slogan. Throughout the years various infrastructure projects promised to Wales by the Conservatives have dragged on for years only to then be cancelled, not least the electrification of the South Wales rail lines and the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon. “It also concerns me that any projects taken forward by the Conservatives will not be delivered on time or on budget. This week we have heard that the Conservatives wrote off £4.3 billion of fraudulent COVID-19 loans, that is enough to reopen the Aberystwyth-Carmarthen railway five times over. They have also wrote off £8.7 billion on unused PPE, to put this in perspective the annual budget...