Remaking Wales: Why the new Welsh Government must lead a song that unites Wales.

Bethan Sayed, Head of Politics and Advocacy at Climate Cymru

The 2026 Senedd election marks the biggest political shift in modern Welsh history. Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party for the first time, while Reform also made significant gains.

With a fresh mandate and a commitment to fairness, there is a renewed opening for our communities to shape the future.

At Climate Cymru, we welcome the pledge of a government that aims to be people-centered and open.

Those involved in the Cymru Together collective that we established before the election may too welcome this pledge, with 240 organisations signing up to an open letter united in our call for a fairer, healthier, and more equal Wales.

This marks an important start, but the real work lies in the delivery. For the new Welsh Government to be effective, it must actively listen to and engage with the communities it represents.

Civil society organisations stand ready to contribute their expertise as constructive partners, while also maintaining an independent role in holding the government to account, ensuring it remains responsive to the needs and realities of the people it serves.

For too long, politics in Wales has been something done to people, not with them. Wales needs a different style of leadership. It was heartening to see the Plaid MSs sing the national anthem, standing in unison on the steps of the Senedd. Nonetheless, we need to remember this is a divided parliament, perhaps more divided than ever before.

That “choir of hope” needs to be more than a photo op. It needs to resonate not just in every policy and committee room but every community hall, pub, college in the country. So that every person in Wales feels like they are part of it- confident that they aren’t just being heard, but are actually integral to the shaping of Wales on the streets of Cwmtwrch, to Caerdydd, to Caergybi.

The Merthyr historian Gwyn Alf Williams said: “Wales is a process… The Welsh make and remake Wales day by day and year by year if they want to.”

Wales is not a finished project; it’s something we have to fight to build every single day. If the government tries to “remake” Wales from behind a desk without the people, they will fail. To turn ambition into a reality that people can actually feel, they must take the heart of Wales with them.

Shelter against the storm: Warm homes for all

To truly change a child’s life, we have to change the world around them. While the Cynnal pilot and enhanced childcare are vital steps, money in a pocket cannot stop the chill of a damp wall. Every child in Wales deserves a home that acts as a sanctuary, a place that is warm, dry, and affordable to heat.

Poverty is often the shadow cast by inefficient housing. That is why we urgently need a street-by-street retrofit model to become a national infrastructure priority. We need to move beyond the pilot schemes and start a transformation of our terrace streets and housing estates. By wrapping our homes in energy efficiency, we don’t just lower bills; we breathe dignity back into our living spaces and create sustainable, local jobs.

Power must be handed back

Real stability only comes when we own our own resources. The government’s promise to work with communities must mean a genuine handover of power. We support the development of Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru, but a national energy company must serve the people, not just the state. It needs to be an enabler for community energy projects, ensuring that the profits stay in our villages to build wealth for the long term.

The same applies to the Community Right to Buy Bill. This is a tool to reclaim our high streets and our land. But a “right to buy” is a hollow promise if communities don’t have the capital to compete with private developers. The government needs to provide the backing to ensure our assets stay in our hands.

Nature and farming: A shared mission

Restoring nature is the heartbeat of our collective future. We will only succeed through prioritising initiatives that heal our climate, reclaim biodiversity, and weave social justice into the transition.

This requires a new covenant with our rural heartlands. We must end the “us vs. them” narrative when it comes to nature and farming, and foster a partnership rooted in the long-term viability of our land. They must walk hand-in-hand to protect our future.

Global Solidarity

As a Nation of Sanctuary, our responsibility doesn’t stop at the border. What we consume in Wales has an impact on the world beyond us- on people who are facing the worst of a crisis they didn’t create. Our climate action must be rooted in solidarity with them, reflecting a Wales that cares for its global neighbours as deeply as its own.

Turning the song into a reality

Gwyn Alf Williams warned that if we don’t choose to remake Wales, it will cease to exist. Cymru Together is where that remaking happens. We are a movement of hundreds, bringing in the voices that are usually ignored: our youth, our migrant communities, and people with disabilities. We don’t want to be “consulted,” we want to be the ones designing the solutions.

We accept the government’s invitation to be open, and be held to account. But we want this new Welsh Government to be bold and radical. We will work as a collective to ensure Wales can thrive, despite the political divisiveness that we know will not disappear overnight.

We are ready to bring real life stories, ideas and expertise to the table. The song on the Senedd steps was the start, but now we need the action to match the melody. The work is hard, but together, we can build the Wales we all deserve.