Neath-Afan Gymnastics Club and St Barnabas Church in Waunarlwydd, Swansea have benefited from the Assembly Government’s Community Facilities and Activities Programme.

The Neath-Afan Gymnastics Centre project will see an industrial unit being developed for use as a Gymnastics Centre. Works will include the conversion of a toilet block into disabled friendly facilities, an office and redecoration throughout. The second phase will include insulation, further refurbishment and gymnastic equipment, and investment totalling £184,968

The St Barnabas Church Hall Restoration Programme aims to restore the church hall by replacing the roof, making the building watertight and improving the energy efficiency of the hall and increasing the hall’s usage. The scheme totals £42,189.

Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd stated:

“This funding announcement by the One Wales Government is to be welcomed. Community schemes such as this have the potential to deliver significant regeneration benefits locally. The One Wales Government’s financial commitment is a clear sign that it looks to support communities in meeting its regeneration aims whenever it can.”

Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd stated:

“This funding will help older people and people with disabilities to repair, improve and adapt their homes to enable them to continue living in them by offering a range of services including, advice on funding and technical matters, practical assistance in completing forms, finding a reliable builder, arranging plans and schedules of work and inspecting the quality of building work and provision of direct in-house fast-track solutions.

“Care and Repair in Swansea carries out a great deal of good work and it is pleasing the Plaid’s Minister Jocelyn Davies is recognizing this work with increased funding for the year ahead.

“Simple adaptations to a person’s home, such as adding grab rails or improved steps, can have a huge impact on their quality of life, and I would urge anyone in Swansea who feels that they would benefit from such changes to contact the Care and Repair team to see how they can help.

“This funding settlement of £4.9m for next year represents a 9.47% increase on the current financial year, will enable Care and Repair to continue the crucial work they do in the community.”

Last June, an Independent Commission, chaired by economist Gerald Holtham, considered the way the Assembly Government is funded and found that Wales is losing out by £300m a year.

The Commission recommended that the controversial Barnett formula should be replaced with a new needs-based system which would take into account factors such as the age of the population and levels of poverty.

Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd stated::

“This issue is not one for the political anoraks – it is of great importance and relevance to Swansea during these times. We see that Swansea Council, along with other Councils in Wales, is facing very difficult decisions due to tight budgetary situations.

“The way that Wales is funded from Westminster is a key driver in this. Were the Assembly to receive a fair share of funding from Westminster it would have more to spend on local services. The Labour and Tory parties in Wales have recognised that this can’t go on but their masters in London refuse to do anything about it.  Wales needs fairer funding and a strong, independent voice in Westminster during these hard times. Only Plaid Cymru can provide that voice.”

“Were this extra £300m shared equally across all Welsh Assembly Departments, it would have resulted in an increase of over £85m extra for local Government in Wales this year.

“Split equally between 22 local authorities this would mean an increase of funding of £3.9m, but given that Swansea is one of the larger authorities it would expect to receive even greater funding.

“This extra funding would have been a welcome relief to those of us who would like to see more funding for education in Swansea, and would enable the council to continue funding facilities such as the Tennis Centre.”

Swansea is to receive £163,216 from a fund which aims to repair damaged roads following the recent cold weather.

Dr. Lloyd stated:

“Councils such as Swansea have seen significant increases in outgoings as a result of the recent cold weather. The funding announced by Plaid’s Ieuan Wyn Jones clearly recognises the pressure facing local Councils.

“It is vitally important that we try and get our road network back up to scratch as soon as possible. I have heard of so many examples in Swansea where the condition of the roads are terrible. I am hopeful that the extra Assembly funding will assist Swansea Council during these tough economic times.”

Plaid Cymru’s Dai Lloyd AM said that it is deeply concerning that a party that is not in government in either London or Cardiff can bring down a plan that is designed to bring about real benefits in Welsh communities.

Dr Lloyd said that this shows yet another failing of the LCO system – adding that the Conservative attitude shows their anti Welsh devolution principles.

The Chair of the Plaid Cymru group in the National Assembly, Dai Lloyd AM said:

“If this really is the end of the line for the Housing LCO, it will be a disgraceful waste of public resources. But more significantly, it will mean that 3 Conservative MPs in London have been allowed to bring down the policy of the Welsh government that was democratically elected by the people of Wales.

“It is very worrying that the Tories are willing to take this kind of action now – and it clearly shows a complete lack of respect for Wales. This sort of action is a worrying omen of how the Tories plan to treat Wales if they win the general election.

“As part of the Welsh government, Plaid is trying to tackle homelessness and hardship, yet the LCO system, aided and abetted by the Conservative party seem hell bent on holding us back.”

Dr Dai Lloyd AM and Parliamentary Candidate Harri Roberts (Swansea West) have called for charges on ATMs to be regulated at a UK Government level. 

Dr. Lloyd, who is Plaid Cymru’s Social Justice Spokesperson today (Tuesday, Feb 2nd) raised the issue with First Minister Carwyn Jones at the Assembly.

Dr. Lloyd stated:

“The only cash point available to over a thousand students living in Hendrefoelan Student Village is an ATM cash machine which charges £1.50 with each withdrawal. The nearest free to use cash machine is over a mile away.

“Plaid believes that this is a totally unacceptable situation. It is clearly unfair that students, many of whom already have sizeable student debts, have to pay £1.50 for each and every withdrawal of cash.

“It is high time that action is taken to protect our communities.  It is wrong that companies should profit most from those who can afford it least.  I am calling on the London Labour government to take immediate action to regulate the proliferation and charges of these ATMs

“I am hopeful that the Welsh Assembly Government can put pressure on its UK counterpart to try and protect some of our most vulnerable communities from such charges.”

Dai Lloyd added:
 
“The amounts that are being charged to use some of these ATMs are ridiculous. We have seen rapid increases in prices recently. Some are now charging as much as £2.50 for every withdrawal - for anybody withdrawing £10 that’s an extra 25% - a cost which many users can ill afford.  To make matters worse it would appear that more deprived areas with no free cash withdrawal options are being targeted by these companies.  This is disgraceful and unscrupulous behaviour by these ATM companies.”

The One Wales Government has announced that an independent review will be held on how schools, colleges and universities in Wales are financed, with the ultimate aim of reducing bureaucracy and channelling funding directly into education.

Dr. Lloyd, Plaid’s Local Government Spokesperson, stated:

“The way that we deliver our key public services over the next few years is going to be vital in protecting front line services.

“With the Assembly Government and Local Authorities likely to face a funding squeeze over the next few years as a result of the recession, it is vital that we review the systems that we have in place to deliver our public services.

“We have seen a reorganisation within the Welsh NHS, which will hopefully lead to a more streamlined service in future years – the education system must also stand up to the same level of scrutiny.

“Swansea Council, like most across Wales is undergoing school reorganisation changes which aim to reduce the numbers of surplus places, and while that in itself may bring financial gains, those gains may not be sufficient given the possible scale of cutbacks in the public sector.

“Many schools are in debt and are operating with a budget deficit. To address this problem, we must ensure that we cut out bureaucracy and that as much money as possible goes to the frontline rather than being tied up in Administrative systems.

“I look forward to the review findings and would urge all Councils, including Swansea, to make representations to the Minister.”

Ahead of a debate on the Local government settlement, Dr Lloyd said that levels of funding for councils is already having a clear effect on services in some areas.

He said Labour, Conservative and Lib Dems are all simply ignoring the problem, and called on them to pledge fair funding for Wales.

Dr Dai Lloyd AM said:

“Once again, the National Assembly has been discussing how little money there is for essential services, including those provided by our local authorities. The plain fact is that Wales is clearly underfunded by the Westminster government and the situation will not improve until fair funding for Wales is pledged by the London parties who have so far ignored what is happening.

“An Independent review has recommended that no further cuts should be made to Wales’ budget until the funding shortfall is addressed. The London consensus is to stay silent on this issue, and it shows how little they prioritise the needs of our communities.”

Plaid AM Dr. Dai Lloyd and Swansea Councillor Darren Price point to a blog entry in which Mr Bourne claimed his party would invest to “enhance the existing rail services” in Wales - yet he failed to point out that his own Tory bosses in London have failed to give a guarantee that the electrification of the South Wales line between Swansea and London will continue as planned if they win the next general election.

The Conservatives’ Shadow Transport Secretary Theresa Villiers, speaking at the party’s annual conference in Manchester last autumn, said that ‘We are keen to level with people and be very straight with them that electrification can bring benefits but it is not possible to give a cast-iron commitment because of the state of the public finances’.

Swansea-based Dr. Lloyd said:

“How can people believe a word the Tories say when they so blatantly say one thing but intend to do another?

“Yet again Nick Bourne has shown that he will say what he thinks people want to hear, but the reality of what his party would do in power is completely different.

“Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones has fought hard to get assurances that the electrification plan will go to Swansea after initial plans only included Bristol to London.  But the Tories are not prepared to guarantee that this important boost for the Welsh economy will take place.

“This kind of hypocrisy by the Conservative party must be exposed.  The people of Wales have a clear choice - between London parties that will never priorities Wales’ communities, economy and people, and Plaid Cymru - the only party that will always stand up for our interests and needs.”

Dr. Lloyd added:

“The Tory bosses in London have failed categorically to commit to this project and no amount of words by Nick Bourne can hide that fact. This Tory snub is simply a kick in the teeth for Swansea and South West Wales.

“Their position shows the Tories for what they are – a party more interested in serving the South of England than the people of Wales. The UK Government has clearly been convinced of its affordability, with plans already being developed to start the work. The scheme should not be scrapped at this late stage to simply fund the Tories’ planned tax breaks for the rich.”

The announcement is a result of years of campaigning by organisations and individuals throughout Wales.

Long-term presumed consent campaigner Dr. Dai Lloyd welcomed the bid for a Legislative Competence Order (LCO) which would give the Assembly the necessary power to implement the system. He stated:

“This statement of principle by the One Wales Government is a key milestone in our attempts to bring about a system of presumed consent in Wales. This means that if the LCO bid is successful, then we in Wales could take a lead and introduce a system whereby individuals would have to opt out of an organ donation system, as opposed to the current situation of having to opt-in.

“This statement follows an in-depth consultation process undertaken by the Assembly Government across Wales involving key organisations and individuals. Research suggests that 90 percent of the general population are in favour of organ donation, yet recent figures show that only 28 percent actually get round to doing anything about it by signing up as an organ donor.

“The number of people needing a transplant in Wales is at an all time high. In the last seven years for example, those listed as waiting for a new kidney has rocketed from 309 in December 2001 to around 500 today.

“Quite simply, people are dying on these waiting lists. We have the opportunity to change that by simply changing our approach. There is no doubt that a system of soft-presumed consent would produce a far higher potential donor rate than at present, which is far too low at 28%.

“In the 22 countries around the globe that currently operate a system of presumed consent the evidence shows that donor rates are around 25 to 35% higher than in Wales.

“Far too many families in Wales are watching a brother, sister, mother or father waiting for a life-saving transplant, when the answer is staring us in the face. We need more organ donors, and presumed consent is proven to work.”