Plaid Cymru repeats calls for Wales to receive £4bn HS2 share
A Plaid Cymru general election candidate has repeated calls for Wales to receive its £4bn HS2 share.
Ann Davies, Plaid Cymru’s candidate for Caerfyrddin has pledged to prioritise “essential” public transport if she’s elected as an MP.
The party has long agreed that Wales is owed billions from funding of the HS2 rail project.
The sum has not yet been paid due to Westminster’s classification of HS2 being an “England and Wales project”.
The consequential funding for HS2 has already been paid to the devolved administrations in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Plaid Cymru recently earned cross-party support in a call for Wales’s fair share of HS2 funding in the Senedd.
But despite this, both UK Labour and the Conservatives have refused to commit to giving Wales the money it would have received if the project was designated England only.
But despite this the Westminster head office of Labour and the Tories have ignored these calls.
Public transport
Ms Davies says the £4bn in rail funding from Westminster could be used to build Wales’ public transport infrastructure and restore lost bus services.
Last summer is was estimated that 10% of bus routes had been axed in Wales after the Welsh Government’s £150m pandemic-era emergency funding ended.
The Welsh Government began work on a new funding offer saying it was supporting councils by making bus travel more attractive.
Speaking ahead of a visit to Bysiau Cwm Taf Valley Coaches today (June 18), Ms Davies said: “Plaid Cymru is the only party making the case for fair funding for Wales in this election – and that includes securing the £4bn owed to Wales from HS2 to invest in improving our own public transport in all parts of the country and reversing cuts to local bus services.
“The Tories have underfunded Wales for over fourteen years. Between 2011 to 2020, for example, Wales received a total of £514m less than it would have if it received it under a population-based share of the UK’s rail infrastructure spending.
“But it’s also utterly scandalous that Labour, too, refuse to commit to giving Wales full funding from HS2 – ignoring the will of the Senedd and their own branch in Wales which has called for this.
“And that’s to say nothing of the Welsh Labour Government cutting £150 million from bus funding in 2023.”
The Bus Emergency Scheme, an essential funding stream for many rural bus services was also ditched by the Welsh Government last year.
Infrastructure
Ms Davies added: “As someone who lives and works here myself, I understand just how impossible it is to get anywhere without decent public transport.
“It’s why Plaid Cymru has been so relentless in demanding the billions in funding that we’re owed so we can build our transport infrastructure, restore our bus services, and connect our communities north to south.
“And the benefits of this funding go beyond just improving our transportation network. It could also mean investment in our local economies, creating jobs and stimulating growth. This could help to attract new businesses and industries to our region, bringing much-needed prosperity and opportunities for our communities.
“Only a vote for Plaid Cymru on 4 July will demand fairness for Wales – giving us the funding we need and the public transport system we deserve.”
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Please correct me if I am wrong but wasn’t the initial figure £6bn?
Probably, but having curtailed the project the figure adjusts downwards although given time inflation will drive it back up !
I find it breathtaking the arrogance & disrespect shown towards Wales by the Conservatives who deliberately made HS2 an England & Wales infrastructure project robbing us of billions of consequential. And less we forget. This isn’t Wales holding out the begging bowl to Westminster. The money is rightfully ours! It’s part of the Barnett formular where if money is spent in England the other home nations receive a percentage. Also, during a parliamentary debate a Conservative committee member said on the 9th March 2023, one John Lamont MP for Berwick, Roxburgh & Selkirk stated that Wales should have received 5%… Read more »
This is Lala politics, they can call for £4bn for every welsh family, but it ain’t going to make a jot of difference.
I often wonder how many other England and Wales projects have been passed and done without our knowledge and without any benefit to us!!
It’s going to be stolen from Wales whether Wales likes it or not. Much like the Crown estates.
That’s how things work, they steal from us tell us to be grateful for the privilege, and if we dare speak out, we just get shouted down with “you couldn’t survive without us” or we receive the usual shouts of “nationalism”.
This “union becomes more of a laughable farce with each day.
Spot on.
It comes to something, when all three parties in opposition in the Senedd , support the Labour Gov calling for our HS2 money, but the UK Labour party outright refuse. A clearer message could not be sent, of where UK Labour see Cymru. To quote Trump, who said last week, ” I dont care about you, I just want youre vote”.