Plaid Cymru renews call for fair funding for Wales

Plaid Cymru has called for fair funding from Westminster to replace the “outdated” Barnett Formula.

The formula is used to allocate funding to the UK’s devolved administrations but has been widely criticised because it takes no account of different needs or different costs across Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

It also has no legal standing or democratic justification and being merely a convention, could be changed at will by the Treasury.

Lord Joel Barnett who devised the calculation eventually came to the view that the formula he had devised was unfair.

‘Gutted’

Plaid Cymru’s candidate for Ynys Môn, Llinos Medi, has reiterated her party’s calls for a fair funding model based on Wales’ needs to make a real difference to people’s lives.

She said: “Welsh public services have been gutted due to underfunding by Westminster.

“The current funding model is out of date and just doesn’t take into account our needs as a nation. As a result, our public services are in crisis and billions of pounds worth of Welsh taxpayers’ money is spent on projects in England only.

“Only Plaid Cymru is fighting for a fairer funding deal for Wales in this election. The Tories don’t care – they’ve crashed the economy and left ordinary people to pay the price. Labour are yet to commit to giving Wales the fairness we need – more evidence that they just takes Wals for granted.

“Only Plaid Cymru will fight for the fairness that Wales deserves. Unlike the other parties, we won’t settle for less.

“By voting for Plaid Cymru on 4 July, you’ll get a strong local voice that will demand fairer funding for Wales so we can invest in our NHS, public services and schools and demand the billions owed to us in rail cash to connect our communities north to south.”

General election candidate

Plaid Cymru has also announced Cris Tomos has been selected as its general election candidate for the Mid and South Pembrokeshire Constituency.

Mr Tomos is a community and political activist in Pembrokeshire and was previously the county councillor for Crymych ward and Pembrokeshire cabinet member for Environment, Public Protection and Welsh Language.

He now works for the community development charity PLANED, based in Narberth.

He said: “It is a great privilege to have been chosen as the Plaid Cymru candidate to stand in the general election of the 4th of July” he added “I will be focussing my campaign on how greater powers can be given to communities and neighbourhoods to address local employment, energy and home building  opportunities and develop neighbourhood plans to support carers and those affected by the spiralling day to day expenses and cost of living .”

The Mid and South Pembrokeshire constituency will be contested for the first time at the general election.

As part of constituency changes, the Pembrokeshire seats of Preseli Pembrokeshire and Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire were scrapped.

The redrawing of boundaries means parts of north Pembrokeshire – including St Davids – are joining the new Mid and South Pembrokeshire constituency, which replace the Pembrokeshire elements of the Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire seat.

Parts of the north of the county are now in the new Ceredigion Preseli constituency, areas including Crymych and Maenclochog joining with Ceredigion.

Other candidates for the Mid and South Pembrokeshire seat are Welsh Liberal Democrat Alistair Cameron, former minister Stephen Crabb for the Conservatives and Henry Tufnell for Labour.