Welsh Liberal blogs

    I want to take you back to May 1999, and the first-ever elections to the then Welsh Assembly.  Almost 600 years after the first Welsh Parliament was established in June 1404, the people of Wales once again had its own national democratic institution. Wales was entering a new dawn – an opportunity to meaningfully hand power to people, to communities, away from the corridors of power. It was an opportunity to cast off the dust and to set about creating our own destiny here in Wales.  Our job here in Wales is made all the more difficult by Conservatives in Westminster and their assault on devolution and our national parliament. But that quiet earthquake in 1999 has passed many people in Wales by. 22 years on and that radical, reforming streak that ushered in a new era has, in too many ways, been replaced by a steady incrementalism, slow to move when the world is hurtling on. Now, granted, even after 1999 Wales operated with two hands tied behind i...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Welsh Government to match the UK Government’s decision to suspend business rates for small businesses. Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced during his budget that the UK Government would suspend for a year business rates in England for small businesses with a rateable value of less than £51,000. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds commented: Today’s announcement from the UK Government is a welcome step in the right direction and one which I’m sure small businesses in England will appreciate. However, we must now ensure that small businesses here in Wales are not disadvantaged by this. I urge the Welsh Government to match the proposals announced today by the UK Government and not to simply reject them out of hand simply because of which party enacted them. We cannot let tribalism or narrow party politics get in the way of doing what is right and will better people’s lives. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have lo...

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...

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...

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...

T This Christmas I want to reiterate my thanks to you for all your hard work in 2019 and how important it is we hold onto a sense of hope as we move into 2020. 2019 has been an exceptionally busy year for the Welsh Liberal Democrats in particular; the European elections, the Brecon and Radnorshire by-election, and the recent General Election.  This has been a time of very mixed emotions, but it's been inspiring to see so many new people enthusiastically getting involved in our political system for the first time. I hope this will continue as it’s so important we all stand up and fight for what we believe in and the type of country we want to live in. But now is the time to relax. For us all to put up our feet, spend time with our friends and loved ones, and be merry. However, there is one thing we must never forget – and that’s just how lucky we are.  This Christmas hundreds of people across Wales will be spending this Christmas alone, wit...

The Welsh Government’s statistical bulletin on childcare shows that parents are too reliant on family and friends for childcare. It also showed that too many parents struggle to access appropriate childcare during early mornings, after school and at weekends.   The statistics showed that 76% of parents in Wales utilise free childcare from family and friends. 51% of these parents used between one and ten hours of free childcare from family and friends a week. 23% used between 10 and 20 hours a week. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds commented: Affordable and accessible childcare is essential to building a fairer economy. Too many parents, especially mothers, are unable to go back to work even if they want to due to the exorbitant costs of childcare. This must change. We all value the huge help friends and family provide in helping care for our children, but we cannot take this help for granted. Our ageing population means that increasing num...

The Liberal Democrats have announced that Wales would receive an extra £29m as a result of Liberal Democrat plans to end rough sleeping within five years in England. The plan’s commitments to scrap the Vagrancy Act, increase Local Housing Allowance payments and extend the “move on” period for refugees from 28 days to 56 would be applicable to Wales. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have a plan to end rough sleeping in Wales through devolved policy areas. The latest government figures show that 347 people were sleeping rough across Wales in the 2 weeks between 15th and 28th October 2018. This is an increase of less than 1% (2 people) compared with October 2017. In 2018, 1,320 people were prosecuted under the Vagrancy Act across England and Wales. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds, commented: No one in Wales should have to sleep on the streets. The numbers of rough sleepers on our streets is consistently high, serving as a clear example of our societ...

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have urged Alun Cairns not to stand as a candidate for the Vale of Glamorgan following his resignation as Secretary of State for Wales. Alun Cairns’ resignation follows revelations he was aware that former aide and Assembly Vale of Glamorgan candidate Ross England deliberately sabotaged a rape trial; despite assurances to the contrary. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds commented: I welcome Alun Cairns’ resignation as it is clear he is not fit to represent Wales. These recent events show he is not fit to represent the Vale of Glamorgan in Westminster either. There must now be a full independent investigation to determine what people knew, when they knew it and how Mr England was able to be selected as a candidate despite his actions. This whole situation is a damming indictment of the entire leadership of the Welsh Conservatives. The way they have tried to turn a blind eye to the case is outrageous. Both Mr E...

Speaking in Parliament this morning Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MP has called for greater action to tackle Bovine TB across farming communities in Wales. The debate this morning took place in Westminster Hall and was focused on the Government's policy on TB in cattle and badgers. Following the debate, Jane is seeking reassurances that action is being taken to draw up a long term plan outbreaks of the disease. Commenting she said: "Bovine TB still casts a dark shadow over affected farming communities, with 12,000 cattle slaughtered in Wales alone last year. "There are over 250,000 dairy cows across Wales and they form a key backbone of our agricultural economy. With more than 700 new cases of TB in herds last year alone we need to ensure we're doing everything we can to control this deadly disease. “I agree with NFU Cymru that we must use all the tools in our toolbox to tackle Bovine TB, including greater levels of vacc...

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader and MP for Brecon and Radnorshire Jane Dodds has called the UK Government’s £55m funding for the Mid Wales Growth Deal insulting.Mid Wales Growth Deal funding insulting Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns used his speech to Conservative Party Conference in Manchester to announce £55m of funding for the Mid Wales Growth Deal over 15 years. The UK Government are contributing £500m to the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal and £241m to the Swansea Bay City Deal. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MP commented: Alun Cairns’ announcement shows that, under this Conservative Government, Mid-Wales will never get the funding we truly need. The £55m promised is frankly insulting. Not only is it nowhere near enough, it is a fraction of the funding being provided for the Cardiff and Swansea City Deals. Our rural communities have been let down and forgotten about for far too long. What’s more, they will be some of the harde...

Hear from the leader of the Welsh Lib Dems and one of our newest MPs, Jane Dodds! Jane started by thanking everyone who came to help in Brecon and Radnorshire... Whether you came during the recall petition or the by-election or even both – thank you.  Without all of you, and the wider party and beyond, I would not be standing here today as the MP for Brecon & Radnorshire. She moved onto our recent wins: This victory was a team effort, and one which signalled to both Wales and the UK, that the Liberal Democrats can win.  This victory was a team effort, and one which signalled to both Wales and the UK, that the Liberal Democrats can win. Winning council seats. Winning our largest ever group of MEPs. Winning Parliamentary seats across the country. Conference, there has never been a better time to be a Liberal Democrat. She talked about some of our recent recruits... One week after I was elected, we were joined by Sarah Wollaston. The day I took my ...

Jane Dodds, the newly elected MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, delivered her maiden speech in Parliament today during a crowded debate on Brexit. The full transcript of Jane Dodds’ speech is below: Thank you, Mr Speaker. May I start by paying tribute to my predecessor, Mr. Chris Davies. He worked hard for our local communities, raising awareness on the difficult issue of mental health and suicide in our farmers. I thank him for his service. Chris followed hard on the heels of the highly respected Liberal Democrat MP, Roger Williams. Roger’s are large boots to fill and if I can even partially match his passion, service and commitment, I shall be very pleased. It is a huge pleasure to represent Brecon and Radnorshire, one of the most beautiful constituencies in the country. It is also the largest constituency in England and Wales - something that I’m sure some Members here will have discovered during the recent by-election when searching for another elu...

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds has welcomed Jo Swinson’s election as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. Jane has hailed Jo Swinson’s vision for a liberal UK at the heart of the EU, a UK that leads the way in fighting climate change. Jo Swinson won the leadership election with 47,997 votes, compared to Ed Davey’s 28,021. As Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane remained neutral throughout the leadership campaign and looks forward to continuing to work with both Jo Swinson and Ed Davey to create a more liberal Britain. Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds commented: I’m thrilled to see Jo Swinson elected as our new Liberal Democrat leader. Jo is the right person to lead our party and our growing liberal movement through these turbulent and dangerous times. Jo Swinson has long been a friend of the Welsh Liberal Democrats and of Wales. I look forward to working with Jo to fight injustice, rebuild our broken social safety net and build a th...