JANE DODDS

COLUMNIST

ONE of the greatest benefits of being a party leader is the ability to highlight important issues that aren’t getting the attention they deserve.

As leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, I’ve made ending loneliness one of my priorities.

The dictionary defines loneliness as “the unhappiness that is felt by someone because they do not have any friends or do not have anyone to talk to”.

Make no mistake, loneliness is an epidemic, with half a million people in Wales reporting feeling lonely.

This has a substantial negative impact on the health and wellbeing of those it affects.

So many factors can cause people to become lonely. Becoming a parent, getting divorced or a sudden health issue are all significant life events that can very quickly cause someone to become lonely.

I’m proud that over the past year the Welsh Lib Dems have led the fight to end loneliness.

In April I had the privilege of visiting Age Connects Cymru and saw the excellent work they do.

I’ve raised the issue of loneliness in conference speeches and media interviews and received some interesting responses as a result.

Some have thanked me for discussing loneliness, but there are others who question whether it is a political issue and asked what role governments have in ending loneliness.

Loneliness is and should be a political issue. Any issue that has this much of an impact on people’s wellbeing is a political issue and should be the concern of governments.

There are concrete steps Welsh Government and councils can take to help end loneliness. They can start by ensuring the continuation of funding for Age Connects Cymru and similar organisations working across other age groups.

In the longer term, governments must focus more on preventing loneliness. At our spring conference this year we set out our clear plan. We want to see loneliness treated as a public health issue and Public Service Boards develop long-term and bottom-up approaches to preventing loneliness.

We think planning policy has a role to play by helping provide adequate community and recreational spaces. Local authorities can also do more by identifying and promoting initiatives to develop intergenerational socialisation, including befriending services, luncheon clubs and day centres.

Many of these services, and other vital ones like community transport, rely on proper funding. Therefore, we must consider the wider financial pressures local authorities are facing.

The Welsh Government must divert every penny it can to local government to ensure it can continue to properly provide these crucial services.

No-one should be forced to be lonely. Loneliness is not inevitable and it’s not too much to ask for society to help people make the valuable connections needed to avoid loneliness.

We have the opportunity to end loneliness in Wales – we must take it.

■ Jane Dodds, leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats