Strengthening and bettering our nation through co-operation
POVERTY casts a shadow over the lives of thousands of children and adults in Wales, driven by lack of decent work, an inadequate social security system and high costs of living. New research published this week shows that one in five children in every county in Wales lives in poverty.
It’s over 18 months since Plaid Cymru entered into a three-year Co-operation Agreement with the Welsh Government, and as my party’s Lead Designated Member on the Agreement, I have reflected on the progress we have made.
Some important steps have been taken to support children and their families.
Free school meals and childcare and radical action to tackle the housing crisis have been notable themes so far.
Since the beginning of the Agreement, over 5 million additional free school meals have been provided to primary school children, and by the end of 2024 we will ensure that all primary school children in Wales have a nutritious meal as part of their school day.
The expansion of free childcare for two-year-olds is creating an additional 9,500 spaces in disadvantaged communities, ensuring that our poorest children can access highquality early years services.
As well as making tangible differences in everyday lives, the Co-operation Agreement commits to strengthening our nation’s democracy through Senedd reform, laying the groundwork for an empowered, fairer, and more representative Senedd.
While the Conservatives in London actively diminish Wales’s representation in Westminster, we are strengthening our democracy closer to home.
We have also secured the biggest ever investment in flood prevention and mitigation, made Welsh history a mandatory part of the curriculum, and have published Anti Racist Wales and LGBTQ+ action plans committed to make Wales an antiracist nation and the most LGBTQ+ friendly nation in Europe.
And we’ve ensured action on the biggest challenge facing humanity, by establishing an independent, cross-sector group to explore how Wales may reach Net Zero by 2035.
But as with all big, national changes, their effects will be felt at grassroots level.
My work as the Member of the Senedd for Arfon, and the lives of people in my constituency have been a driving force to me personally throughout my work on the Cooperation Agreement.
From housing to poverty, from climate change to the future of our language, the area I was brought up in has been central to my politics.
I recently visited Ysgol Llanllyfni in my constituency to meet with pupils enjoying a hot, free school meal.
I also visited the Hirael area in Bangor who have recently received a further £342,087 towards the local Flood Protection Plan.
The next phase of the Cooperation Agreement will bring further announcements and developments in various policy areas, such as work to support the creation of a National Care Service, bringing forward a Welsh Language
Education Bill, the expansion of community-owned energy generation through Ynni Cymru, and proposals for establishing the right to adequate housing, fair rents and making homes affordable.
Our work through the Cooperation Agreement has allowed us not just to champion life-changing policies but to implement them too.
It has shown that we can work together to enact positive change, while continuing to scrutinise and challenge ourselves and others.