Lee Waters in spat with Green Party candidate over backing for by-pass

Martin Shipton

Former Transport Minister Lee Waters has said he finds it extraordinary that a lead candidate for the Green Party is backing the building of a by-pass.

Mr Waters, a champion of sustainable transport who has stepped down as the MS for Llanelli and is not seeking re-election in next month’s Senedd election, had an exchange of views on Facebook with Cllr Rob James, who is heading the Greens’ candidates list in Sir Gaerfyrddin, which covers the whole of Carmarthenshire.

Referring to the long standing call for a by-pass to be build round Llandeilo, Cllr James stated in a post: “ “Air quality isn’t an abstract issue. It has real consequences.

“I met the mother of Ella Kissi-Debrah, the first person in the UK whose death was officially linked to air pollution. That conversation has stayed with me.

“People in Llandeilo are dealing with congestion and idling traffic every day. That has a direct impact on the air they breathe and doing nothing isn’t a Green option. As you know, the Welsh Government has already acknowledged this challenge. Through WelTAG [Welsh Transport Appraisal Guidance) it sets out a clear approach: consider a range of options; prioritise change like public transport and assess environmental health and social impacts. But also address the immediate problems communities face.

“That means balancing long-term change with short-term action. Improving air quality now, while ensuring any scheme properly manages risks like flooding, and supports shifts to more sustainable transport over time.”

Mr Waters responded: “Novel to have a Green candidate who favours building a by-pass on a flood plain.”

The former minister contacted Nation.Cymru and said: “See this Facebook comment from the lead Green candidate in Carmarthenshire, doubling down in favour of a by-pass. Needless to say, this is not Green policy.”

Labour Party policy

We contacted Cllr James, who said: “The Welsh Government has decided to take forward the Llandeilo by-pass, so it’s Labour Party policy. Obviously there are concerns about its precise routing and there’s a need to make sure that environmental factors are taken into consideration. To be fair, Plaid Cymru, which controls the county council, has taken that view for a long time. Llandeilo deserves its by-pass.”

In terms of the Senedd election campaign, Cllr James said: “The Labour vote in Carmarthenshire has collapsed and we believe the Greens are likely to poll higher than Labour. We are definitely in with a chance of winning a seat here.”

Cllr James and Mr Waters have history. Until early 2024 Cllr James was leader of the opposition Labour group on Carmarthenshire County Council. But in September 2023 he had been barred from seeking selection as Labour’s general election candidate in the Caerfyrddin constituency following an incident involving the sending of a mischievous text message. The message had been sent around the time earlier in 2023 when Carmarthenshire councillors were debating the issue of second homes.

Two homes

Cllr James was accused of having texted a message to a Plaid Cymru councillor suggesting they could have some fun by claiming that Mr Waters had two homes in Llanelli and didn’t live in either of them.

He said he had forgotten sending the message, which he claimed was meant facetiously. At the time he was removed from the selection process, party officials took the view that allowing him to remain would risk reputational damage for the party.

Cllr James was suspended by Labour in January 2024. He subsequently joined the Green Party.