Plaid AM blasts Peter Hain as Swansea loses out on £660m
The City and County of Swansea could lose out on £660m of public sector funding over the next decade due to the unfairness of the Barnett Formula.
The Holtham Commission, which looked at the way the Assembly is funded, yesterday reported that Wales could lose out by up to £2,900 per person over the next decade due to the unfair nature of the Barnett Formula.
Swansea’s population of 228,000 would therefore miss out on up to £660m in terms of public sector expenditure.
Plaid’s South Wales West AM Dr. Dai Lloyd today stated:
“This is a huge amount of money for Swansea to be losing out on. The Barnett Formula is clearly unfair as it does not take into account the needs of the different devolved administrations, and this means that Wales unfairly loses out.
“Wales should get a higher percentage rise in funding than England because the needs are higher – often due to the impact of policies imposed on Wales by Westminster governments
“Only Plaid has been prepared to stand up and fight for fair funding for the communities of Wales. Despite the weight of evidence previous Labour governments in Wales have failed to undertake the task of reforming the unfair formula. It has taken Plaid, as part of the One Wales agreement, to commission a Government backed study looking into the way Wales is funded.”
The South Wales West AM criticised the Welsh Secretary Peter Hain who today warned the Welsh government against fighting for more money for Wales, saying that it could mean that other parts of the UK would lose out.
Dr. Lloyd added:
“What is particularly worrying is the attitude of Peter Hain. For the so called Welsh Secretary to be asking the Welsh government not to fight for more money for Wales is a farce. That just goes to show where London Labour’s priorities lie.
“What we in Wales need now is for both the Conservative and Labour parties in London to clearly spell out what they intend to do in relation to funding Wales, if they win the next election. And in the shorter term, the cuts that are now coming our way have to be halted or the effects of our under-funding will inevitably grow.”
