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Wales Online
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Wales Online
Welsh Labour told to focus on young people, councils and tourism to win election
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The political scene in Wales is facing increasing examination as North Wales Live readers share their thoughts on Labour's record and future outlook. There's a significant sense of discontent among the public, especially concerning the Senedd, the Welsh Assembly. It's clear that Labour in Wales holds a unique position, having maintained power for a prolonged period and still commanding substantial backing. Nonetheless, beneath the "Welsh Labour" label lies a diverse group of individuals rather than a cohesive unit. The party's leadership in Wales is headed by a figure who wasn't the first choice among numerous elected members and didn't win a ballot of party members. Simultaneously, at the national level, the party leader, although triumphant in the leadership contest, is experiencing dwindling approval ratings. These dynamics are critical, as Labour prepares for a demanding year ahead, confronting challenges on two primary fronts: the rising appeal of Reform's populist stance and the long-standing rivalry with Plaid Cymru. One reader, Alwyn67 believes: "Personally, I think Labour will perform poorly in the next Senedd elections, primarily due to the party's unpopularity in Westminster. The vast majority of people I speak to barely know what the Assembly does, let alone name any of its successes over the past 25 years. To be fair, there have been some achievements; new primary school buildings, better covid response, free school meals, improved transport for example. However, policies like the Senedd expansion, the 20mph speed limit, and declining performance in NHS and education are areas where Labour seems unwilling to be honest about the shortcomings or acknowledge lessons learned. "At Westminster, Labour is really struggling with the difficult realities the country faces - an ageing population, long-term issues caused by Covid, stubborn inflation, a massive public sector deficit (£120 bn per year), and an economy projected to shrink by another 5% over the next five years, on top of the 5% hit already caused by Brexit. Regardless of political leaning; Plaid or Reform voters, left or right, i can't see any easy way out of this. Things are likely to get worse before they get better. Just look at the debate currently going through Parliament on health-related benefits have risen from £20 bn in 2020 to £40 bn in 2025 and are projected to reach £66 bn by 2030. To manage that alone, spending would need to be cut by £26 billion over the next five years. And labour are trying to push through reforms that reduce that only reduce this by 3bn to 23 bn per year." Dye feels: "There are probably less opportunities for young people in Wales than other parts of the UK. Wales' biggest asset is probably tourism. This current Welsh assembly has needlessly spent money on vanity projects to put themselves on the map instead of focusing on the Welsh economy. The poor infrastructure of getting to tourist locations, high level of parking charges, double Council tax rates for 2nd homes is destroying tourist businesses all over Wales. Poor funding to Councils has resulted in higher Council tax rates with less or poorer services. It's time to let someone else have a go of putting Wales back on its feet." Expatboyo says: "After so many years of browbeating the people of Wales with their dictatorial ways, the consequences for Labour are becoming clear." Jonesey1 writes: "Difficult choices to be made at the next election : Welsh Tories have little to no chance. Welsh Labour have mucked it up for a quarter of a century. Plaid Cymru are untested but are unassailably Welsh which might swing it for them. Welsh Liberal Democrats, maybe. Reform UK, no policies other than 'stop the foreigners'. Soooo, decisions, decisions, incapables or no-hopers." Ofcourseitis comments: "A party on the edge hmm let's analyse why - 20mph, article 4, NHS, Pisa education results tourist tax, 10% hikes in council tax, Cardiff Airport, alcohol tax, meddling with school holidays, cancelling all road projects, meal deal bans, mandatory Welsh lessons, trees in Africa, fields for concerts, active travel routes, net zero everything, anything else?" SCATHINGPEN thinks: "If Labour retain control of the Assembly (sic) after next year's elections in Wales then Wales is finally and irrevocably finished. If it's bad now, wait and see a few years down the line if Labour continue to hold power." Toxteth O'Grady thinks: "North Wales is an afterthought in both Cardiff and Westminster. We would be better off aligning with our closest neighbours over the border. They are also hard done by by the London based and obsessed political parties." Weneedpie questions: "It will be interesting to see how the new polling system work in Wales, and whether with the 'closed proportional list system' it more closely resembles voting cast. In other countries a voting system such as this tends to lead to closer outcomes, with no party gaining enough seats for overall control. Plaid Cymru and Labour in alliance maybe? There is still a long way to go and a week is a long time in politics, but I hope people vote on the issues, and the policies and are not persuaded by a social media party with its cult leader and no costed policies nor yet a party leader for Wales. We really do not need an overlord from Clacton telling us what to do." Do you feel that the Welsh Labour party's days are numbered? Comment below or HERE to join in the conversation.
Wales Online
28-05-2025
- Business
- Wales Online
Welsh Government told to look to 'Victorians' for rail network improvements
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info The Welsh Government has unveiled a bold strategy to revolutionise rail services across North Wales – plans that have been met with enthusiasm by some and labelled as "pie in the sky" by critics. Initiatives include "quick wins" that are expected within the next year, such as boosting Transport for Wales capacity on the North Wales line and establishing a direct Llandudno to Liverpool service. North Wales Live readers are mainly of the opinion that they will believe it when they see it. Transforming the network into something truly game-changing will need more time and far more financial support, especially from the UK Government who oversee the rail infrastructure. Successive UK administrations have been criticised for not investing enough in Welsh railways, especially when compared to English regions. Beyond electrification, several challenges must be addressed before any progress can be made. A notable example is Chester, located just over the border; despite serving as a major junction, it lacks the platform capacity of stations like Crewe, leading to severe bottlenecks that affect services in North Wales. Congestion on existing rail lines, particularly at the Padeswood cement plant on the Wrexham - Bidston line, appears to be a bottleneck that might be resolved within the next three years. Unblocking this would enable more frequent services. Achieving a direct service from Wrexham to Liverpool calls for a distinct approach as outlined by the Transport Secretary: "In order to achieve that ultimate ambition we would have to upgrade signalling along the line and also utilise the latest train technology, like electric trains that are battery operated. That's the sort of technology we want to utilise. You can't take diesel through the tunnel." Clearing these bottlenecks will do wonders for services to and from North Wales, but only time will tell if there's the political will - and most importantly the money - to make this happen. Commenter Alwyn67 says: 'It seems like we are held back by so much Victorian era infrastructure in the UK. Adding new platforms is incredibly expensive. The Chinese have it right - just blow it up and start again. Hopefully the tram-train as in Cardiff Bay might be a future for cities like Chester/Wrexham.' DavidSmithmeister replies: 'If only it was a bit more Victorian - in the sense of the sheer comprehensive coverage of the network, practically every settlement from a few hundred people up was served, and far more resilience to faults due to far wider scope for service diversion. The system we have today is paltry and embarrassingly pared-back.' Garrog remembers: 'About 15 years ago there were proposals to re-introduce the passing loops on the Conwy Valley Line to enable more trains on the line. However, the local NIMBYS objected as it was tied to slate being transported by rail as well. Instead we are left with a single train on a shuttle service back and forth from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog that no one uses due to the poor service timings.' Hamol adds: 'And also the line gets closed for weeks after every storm when the track is washed away.' Toxteth O'Grady suggests: 'How about more carriages on busy weekends? I've seen trains absolutely rammed with people going to Chester on a Saturday and yet several empty carriages on weekdays when people are at work.' Thewokearefastasleep retorts: 'So buy more carriages for the weekends that will lie empty during the week because the existing ones are under used as it is? It will mean more drivers for additional services, but who will only work weekends unless more people use the train throughout the week. These schemes are a recipe for financial failure, people don't use the trains because they are too expensive. It's alright wanting more tourists to travel from Liverpool to Llandudno - but how much will that cost a couple or a family of four compared to the cost of petrol to drive 60 miles each way?' Steamnut points out: 'An easy starting point which could be implemented next week, and for little money, would be to put longer trains on the Chester-Holyhead route. The trains are always rammed and surely, a lot of people do not use the service because of this?' Hollyhead explains: 'You can't just stick extra coaches on as this affects the stopping pattern and station access. The need to extend platforms is more important before you extend trains, and that's just not possible at some high usage smaller stations. What's needed is a higher frequency pick up service, feeding into hub points, but you can't do that at Llandudno junction which is the usual interchange station. TFW needs to put more loco hauled trains on stopping at just Bangor, junction, Rhyl and Chester as these have long platforms. Longer short journey stoppers could feed into those stations.' AngelaJones thinks: 'You won't get people out of their cars, the trains are too expensive and unreliable. Wrexham Bidston for example, hardly any one uses it.' Do you think the Welsh rail network needs updating? Will these new plans help? Have your say in our comments section.
North Wales Live
28-05-2025
- Business
- North Wales Live
Welsh Government told to look to 'Victorians' for rail network improvements
The Welsh Government has unveiled a bold strategy to revolutionise rail services across North Wales – plans that have been met with enthusiasm by some and labelled as "pie in the sky" by critics. Initiatives include "quick wins" that are expected within the next year, such as boosting Transport for Wales capacity on the North Wales line and establishing a direct Llandudno to Liverpool service. North Wales Live readers are mainly of the opinion that they will believe it when they see it. Transforming the network into something truly game-changing will need more time and far more financial support, especially from the UK Government who oversee the rail infrastructure. Successive UK administrations have been criticised for not investing enough in Welsh railways, especially when compared to English regions. Beyond electrification, several challenges must be addressed before any progress can be made. A notable example is Chester, located just over the border; despite serving as a major junction, it lacks the platform capacity of stations like Crewe, leading to severe bottlenecks that affect services in North Wales. Congestion on existing rail lines, particularly at the Padeswood cement plant on the Wrexham - Bidston line, appears to be a bottleneck that might be resolved within the next three years. Unblocking this would enable more frequent services. Achieving a direct service from Wrexham to Liverpool calls for a distinct approach as outlined by the Transport Secretary: "In order to achieve that ultimate ambition we would have to upgrade signalling along the line and also utilise the latest train technology, like electric trains that are battery operated. That's the sort of technology we want to utilise. You can't take diesel through the tunnel." Clearing these bottlenecks will do wonders for services to and from North Wales, but only time will tell if there's the political will - and most importantly the money - to make this happen. Commenter Alwyn67 says: 'It seems like we are held back by so much Victorian era infrastructure in the UK. Adding new platforms is incredibly expensive. The Chinese have it right - just blow it up and start again. Hopefully the tram-train as in Cardiff Bay might be a future for cities like Chester/Wrexham.' DavidSmithmeister replies: 'If only it was a bit more Victorian - in the sense of the sheer comprehensive coverage of the network, practically every settlement from a few hundred people up was served, and far more resilience to faults due to far wider scope for service diversion. The system we have today is paltry and embarrassingly pared-back.' Garrog remembers: 'About 15 years ago there were proposals to re-introduce the passing loops on the Conwy Valley Line to enable more trains on the line. However, the local NIMBYS objected as it was tied to slate being transported by rail as well. Instead we are left with a single train on a shuttle service back and forth from Llandudno Junction to Blaenau Ffestiniog that no one uses due to the poor service timings.' Hamol adds: 'And also the line gets closed for weeks after every storm when the track is washed away.' Toxteth O'Grady suggests: 'How about more carriages on busy weekends? I've seen trains absolutely rammed with people going to Chester on a Saturday and yet several empty carriages on weekdays when people are at work.' Thewokearefastasleep retorts: 'So buy more carriages for the weekends that will lie empty during the week because the existing ones are under used as it is? It will mean more drivers for additional services, but who will only work weekends unless more people use the train throughout the week. These schemes are a recipe for financial failure, people don't use the trains because they are too expensive. It's alright wanting more tourists to travel from Liverpool to Llandudno - but how much will that cost a couple or a family of four compared to the cost of petrol to drive 60 miles each way?' Steamnut points out: 'An easy starting point which could be implemented next week, and for little money, would be to put longer trains on the Chester-Holyhead route. The trains are always rammed and surely, a lot of people do not use the service because of this?' Hollyhead explains: 'You can't just stick extra coaches on as this affects the stopping pattern and station access. The need to extend platforms is more important before you extend trains, and that's just not possible at some high usage smaller stations. What's needed is a higher frequency pick up service, feeding into hub points, but you can't do that at Llandudno junction which is the usual interchange station. TFW needs to put more loco hauled trains on stopping at just Bangor, junction, Rhyl and Chester as these have long platforms. Longer short journey stoppers could feed into those stations.' AngelaJones thinks: 'You won't get people out of their cars, the trains are too expensive and unreliable. Wrexham Bidston for example, hardly any one uses it.'
