Last month we returned to the Senedd, following a successful summer show season in B&R. During the first week of the new term, the Welsh Labour Government in Cardiff Bay have put forward their plans to get 36 more politicians into to the Senedd. I stand firm on my commitment that I made during the Senedd Election that there should be no more powers and no more politicians in Cardiff Bay.
At a time when many people across Wales are struggling, is it right that Welsh Government want to spend £17.8m a year for 36 more politicians in the Senedd? Then they will call for a bigger Parliament, more offices, more Ministers. The list will go on! I think that money could be better spent on improving the public services we all access every day. More doctors, more nurses, more teachers.
The case can be made to strengthen scrutiny in the Senedd but this Welsh Labour Government evades scrutiny at every turn. This exercise is only being done to keep their voting partners in Plaid Cymru and the Lib Dems happy.
The focus needs to be on getting the bread-and-butter issues under control in Wales and until the people of Wales start to see vast improvements in public services, there should be no more politicians and no more powers given to the Senedd.
One of the biggest ongoing issues for many people in my patch is the 20mph speed limit policy. There is a place for 20mph – outside hospitals, schools and in communities where the majority of residents want it. But not this default roll-out across Wales. It is clear to me that Labour’s default 20mph speed limit will have a detrimental impact on our economy, emergency services, and the livelihoods of the people in Wales. The implementation costs are in excess of £30million with a hit to the Welsh economy to be around £9billion. Labour should be focusing on the people’s priorities, which they continue to neglect. This money would be better spent on enforcing the speed limits we had to make our roads safer.
As always, I encourage residents to reach out to me should they need any support. It remains to be the greatest privilege of my life to be able to represent the place I born and raised in.
