Senedd committee warns of growing division in Welsh communities

Emily Price

The Senedd’s Equality and Social Justice Committee is calling on the Welsh Government to take urgent action to address growing divisions in Welsh communities.

Its new report, ‘Co-operation over Conflict: Wales must Act’ warns that rising tensions, misinformation and extremist activity are putting public trust, safety and democracy at risk.

The Committee says Wales must act now to “bring people together, protect shared spaces, and make sure everyone feels welcome and heard”.

Riots

Chair of the Equality and Social Justice Committee, Jenny Rathbone, warned that recent events have shown how quickly things can unravel.

In May 2023, riots were sparked in Ely, Cardiff, following the deaths of two teenage boys in an e-bike crash.

During the same year, a camp was set up outside the Stradey Park Hotel in Llanelli by the far right to protest against using the hotel to house asylum seekers.

More recently a ‘Stop the boats’ rally took place in Newtown, Powys with hundreds gathering for the anti-immigration march and speech from Reform UK councillor Karl Lewis.

‘Spiral’

Ms Rathbone said: “We’ve seen what happens when communities feel ignored – people lose trust, tensions rise, and things can spiral. We are facing a perfect storm: a cost-of-living crisis, shrinking public services, and a dangerous rise in misinformation and hate.

“We have a duty as politicians to run towards the smouldering discontent that could erupt unless we act.

“We’ve got great examples of communities pulling together, which we can build on; but that’s not enough. We need leadership, we need action, and we need it now.

“All stakeholders agree that the Welsh Government needs to coordinate our collective efforts to combat conflict that could cause havoc to our communities unless we act.”

The Committee is calling on the Welsh Government to set up a national expert group by mid-November to lead urgent work on bringing communities together.

It has also called for communities to be given the right to take ownership of local spaces that matter to them.

The committee says there should be an effort made to tackle false information online by using real-time monitoring and working with trusted local voices.

Extremism

There should also be support public involvement in decision-making, and a response to rising extremism by understanding what’s happening across Wales to help communities stand up to hate.

The Committee says Welsh ministers must “act quickly” and work closely with councils, community groups and others to make these changes happen.

A Welsh Government spokesperson said: “We welcome the Committee’s report and will set to work immediately by accepting Recommendation 1 to set up an Expert Group on Social Cohesion. We will consider the rest of the recommendations at pace.

“Recent increases in hate and division need a whole-society response to make Wales a welcoming place to live.

“Next week we’ll launch the next phase of our Hate Hurts Wales campaign to help victims report crimes, encourage bystanders to take safe action, and deter offenders.”