Leanne Wood: After the elections

Its been a diffucult election for Plaid. Despite holding up our vote and seats in a number of places, we've lost some long-serving, hard working community activists, some of whom have dedicated many years of service to the party, their community and their country.  I am personally sorry for each and every one of them, but also grateful for all that they have done for their communities and for the party.

Some results were very close.  On a night when there were massive swings back to Labour, especially in their traditional heartlands, where the cuts are being felt particularly acutely, Plaid Cymru took less of a hit that the other two parties as well as the independents.  The call to 'send a message to Cameron & Clegg', to turn the election into a referendum on the UK government's austerity measures was clearly attractive to people and that message was sent in a spectacular fashion.  People are fearful - the economic crisis has created great uncertainty and people voted for safety.

This election has highlighted those communities where there is deep strength to the support for Plaid Cymru. We must work now to further deepen and broaden that base of support.   And despite the difficult night, we also saw some new councillors make gains in parts of the country which aren't traditionally the strongest areas for us in places like Trebanos and Bangor town, we have new champions for Plaid, new beacons of progressive politics. 

We know from the findings of our internal review Moving Forward what we need to do to turn Plaid Cymru into a successful party capable of making inroads into new territory.  Plaid Cymru activists must now be ready to roll up their sleeves to carry out the hard work needed to re-build our internal party structures so that we are able to effectively communicate our messages to large numbers of people.  For strong communities in a strong Wales, we must have a strong Plaid Cymru.  The re-building work starts now.

A vote for Plaid Cymru - a vote for jobs

 

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood has called for people to vote for jobs on Thursday by voting Plaid Cymru.

Leanne said that Plaid Cymru councillors will act as local champions for their areas and Plaid run councils will be powerhouses for their local economies.  She said that the party is focussed on ways to raise finance and work with small businesses and social enterprises to promote schemes that can create jobs and apprenticeships.

Following these elections, Plaid Cymru plans to: 

• Create and save jobs by keeping more taxpayers’ money local. Using for example, our fantastic Remploy factories as well as other local firms to supply goods to the public sector.
• Fund apprenticeships for our young people.
• Provide practical support for small businesses and social enterprises - to help them to take on more staff as well as other measures - like help with marketing and the forming of consortia aimed helping them to apply for public contracts - action to help them grow and thrive.

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood AM said:

"When the economy is in so much difficulty, all levels of government must step up to the plate and do whatever can be done to create jobs and stimulate economic activity.  All levels of government have to take their share of responsibility for making things better.

"Plaid Cymru's focus is on what our local councils can do to help to create jobs.  Councils can play an important role - but they have to be led by people who have the determination, will and ambition to make such a plan happen.

“Plaid Cymru councillors have a proven track record of taking action to boost their local economies.  Plaid Cymru in Gwynedd launched the 'Gwynedd Loans Fund' which has protected or created more than 300 jobs in the county.  In Cardiff Plaid Cymru introduced the ‘Capital Cardiff’ public investment scheme which has helped to create more than 600 jobs in the city.  And 160 young people in Caerffili have so far benefitted from the apprenticeship scheme that Plaid Cymru introduced.  Schemes like these can be extended and expanded by Plaid Cymru run councils - our work begins next Friday.”

Labour led NPTC Neglecting Skewen

Skewen Plaid Cymru candidates for the local council Elections on May 3rd , Russell Gwilym Morris and Pauline Fellowes  feel angered that Skewen constantly gets forgotten about by the Labour led council . One example is the local park , where there seems to be no major effort to invest to make it into an attraction Skewen can be proud of .
Below are photos taken by Russell and Pauline whilst walking through the park yesterday .

As  you can see the Park is really showing its age and needs investment , something Labour don't seem in a rush to come up with .

£1bn boost to local economies

“Spend Councils’ money locally – and we’ll save jobs”

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood has outlined her party’s plans to spend more of councils’ money locally to safeguard jobs and provide a boost to local economies.

Wales’ councils spend billions of pounds worth of public money and Plaid is pledging action to ensure that more of that money remains in the local economies – which provide employment and support to town centres.

Currently around £4bn is spent by the public sector in Wales buying goods and services. Plaid Cymru has called for government action to ensure that a greater percentage of that money can be spent in Wales. Plaid’s target of 75% of the public sector spend in Wales would mean around £3bn pounds of tax-payers money staying in Wales.

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood AM said:

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and of the wider Welsh economy. Plaid Cymru wants to see our public sector supporting small businesses by allowing them to bid for contracts to provide goods and services.

“The more public money we can lock into our communities, the more jobs will be safeguarded and created, the more businesses will flourish, and the more prosperity we’ll have as communities and as a nation.

“As part of the previous Welsh government, Plaid Cymru increased the number of public sector contracts going to Welsh companies to 50%. More work can be done to increase this figure to 75% which would lead to a £1billion boost for our economy.

“Plaid Cymru wants to see the Welsh government working together with local authorities to make this happen. Plaid Cymru councils will introduce procurement models that are accessible to smaller businesses and contracts which will include social and environmental clauses to promote the sustainable development of our economy.”

Double-dip disappointment as UK economy remains stagnant

Plaid Cymru have responded with disappointment to figures this morning which show that the UK has suffered two consecutive quarters of negative growth, blaming the double dip recession upon the direction of the UK Con-Dem government’s economic policy and the austerity cuts that they have introduced.

UK’s first quarter GDP figures, published this morning, showed a contraction of -0.2% in the economy, following last year’s fourth quarter figures of -0.3%. This means that the UK is in a ‘double-dip’ recession, as consistently warned by Plaid since the 2010 UK General Election when the Con-Dem coalition announced their economic plans.
Plaid Cymru Treasury spokesperson, Jonathan Edwards MP, said:

“These are disastrous figures and this ‘double-dip’ recession shows the abject failure of the UK Coalition’s economic policies.

“These figures show that the UK economy remains stagnant, years after the financial crisis began.

“We are now firmly looking at an economic lost decade – with most of the cuts still to come and most of the public sector job losses yet to take place.

“Worse may still come with the Eurozone in crisis and no real sign of growth in domestic demand as families continue to tighten their belts.

“Plaid have warned since the very beginning of the financial crisis that growth was vital for the economy’s well-being, but the UK Coalition’s package of austerity cuts, job losses and tax rises for ordinary people have undermined the economy and led to the double-dip recession we are now in.
“Our policy throughout the crisis has been to invest in infrastructure projects, such as hospitals, schools, rail and roads, which would have created jobs now to boost the economy and invest in better prospects for the future.

“In recent weeks we have had the Con-Dem’s giving tax breaks to their rich friends who earn more than £3,000 a week while the economy is stagnant. The Tories are out of touch.”

Plaid Cymru is the only party committed to fighting for the future of Wales

“Plaid Cymru is the only party committed to fighting for the future of Wales.”



We believe that through the collective strength and talents of our people we can achieve a prosperous, sustainable and just Wales. We will not stand back and let our communities be devastated by consecutive reckless UK governments and by the inaction of a do nothing Government in Wales .


Together we will fight for the future of jobs in Wales, through ensuring that councils: 

Pump £1billion extra into the Welsh economy by improving local procurement.
Provide grants and loans to fund business start-ups.
Provide paid apprenticeship, skills and training schemes – to support our young people.


Together, we will fight for the future of our communities, through ensuring that councils:

Campaign to save vital local services currently under threat from closure and centralisation.
Introduce schemes to allow local communities to benefit from the ownership and control of our natural resources.
Ensure that the housing needs of our communities are met by bringing empty properties back into use, investing in affordable housing and campaigning against over-development .


Together, we will fight for a future for our young people, through ensuring that councils:

Work tirelessly to ensure that all our children have the basic skills of literacy and numeracy so that they can reach their full potential.
Identify and support young carers to ensure their needs are met.
Support young families everywhere in Wales through parenting programmes which help to give children the best start in life.



Plaid Cymru Councillors are community leaders who are elected to serve the interests of the people they represent, they are proud of their towns, villages and communities. They place this duty higher than any other consideration. This is what sets Plaid Cymru Councillors and candidates apart from the others.

Plaid Cymru is ambitious for Wales. Together we can make Wales more successful, and Plaid believes that independence is key to unlocking the potential of the nation. To achieve this aim we realise that each community in Wales needs the strength and sustainability to take us forward as a nation.

We know that people are facing difficult times, whether it’s in trying to find a job, in struggling to pay the bills, or in seeking support services for vulnerable family members. Our communities are suffering due to the irresponsible actions of a small, greedy minority. Only Plaid Cymru is working hard to make Wales better
for the majority.

Plaid Cymru will always be there for the people of Wales. Our Councillors are always there for the people they represent. Whether in government or opposition our Councillors work tirelessly to represent you and your family.

We also understand that your community is infinitely more important to you than any councillor or political party which is why Plaid believes in putting people first.

Plaid Cymru-run councils have led the way in supporting local economies. We have dealt with the Westminster-imposed cuts wisely to protect the most vulnerable. We are also doing everything in our power to make sure that our communities can move beyond “managing the cuts” and thrive in the future.




We are under no illusion about the challenges we face, but just as the goal of empowering our nation to stand on its own two feet is an ambitious one, we are also ambitious for the future of our local communities. We are proud that, thanks to our role in the Welsh Government, cuts to your council services are around half the size of those that are being made to services in England.

As a party we believe in local democracy – local leadership, local decision making, and community empowerment. For Plaid Cymru devolution does not end in Cardiff Bay, we believe our communities should
be empowered to take responsibility for their own destinies.

This Manifesto provides an outline of the principles behind the decisions that we will implement on your behalf in local government. It also demonstrates our record – what we have been doing on your behalf throughout
Wales and what we will continue to do for the sake of Welsh communities.

Our local Plaid Cymru teams will also share with you their vision, their record and introduce their local champions when they produce manifestos for your local community .

Manifesto here http://www.english.plaidcymru.org/uploads/Manifesto_2012/Plaid_ManiffestoLleol_2012_engWeb.pdf

Job-creating powers could help transform nation's economic fortunes

Majority back Welsh responsibility over income tax

Plaid Cymru has welcomed the findings of a Western Mail poll which show that the vast majority of Welsh voters support the devolution of tax-varying powers to Wales.

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood AM said;
"The fact that a clear majority want to see the transfer of these powers to our nation is very positive news.

“Plaid Cymru's submission to the Silk Commission has called for the Welsh Government to be able to set Welsh income tax rates.

“Having these powers in Wales would give us more tools to focus on economic growth and the creation of more jobs that would then increase the tax base.

“Surely any self-respecting Welsh Government would prefer to have control over these job-creating levers rather than see them remain in the hands of a remote government in Westminster which doesn't place the economic well-being of our nation as a priority or even an after thought.

"People are saying clearly that they want our nation to take greater control over the economic tools that can help to improve our lives. The First Minister and his Labour Government now have a big decision to make - the choice is between taking responsibility for ourselves or to continue to blame others; the choice is between home rule or continued Tory rule."