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The recent Caerphilly by-election debate for BBC Wales was notable for the candidates speaking over one-another with fingers pointed and volumes raised – one cool head that seemed to prevail however, was Steve Aicheler, who is standing for the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

Speaking at his campaign launch last month, Cllr Aicheler told Caerphilly Observer that Welsh politics needed “serious solutions to serious problems” rather than what he calls “headline-chasing populism”.

A resident of Machen for 20 years with his family, Cllr Aicheler serves as a community councillor on BTM Community Council, a governor at Machen Primary School, and works for Enterprise Educators UK – a national organisation that promotes entrepreneurship education across universities and colleges.

Understanding and promoting the local economy is a key element of his pitch to voters – more on that later.

Through his community work, Cllr Aicheler says he has seen first-hand how local groups can improve lives when they are given the right support.

“The community council has quite a small remit, but it can still make a difference,” he said. 

“By supporting places like Bedwas Workmen’s Hall, we can give people opportunities to engage with culture and community events. We can represent their views to the county council, and that’s desperately needed because people don’t feel they’ve got a voice.”

Of course this is a by-election nobody wanted to contest, following the sudden death of Labour Senedd Member Hefin David.

While Cllr Aicheler stood against him in Caerphilly for the 2021 Senedd election, he paid tribute to Dr David and described him as “an absolute gentleman” and “a real champion for Caerphilly”.

“We were political opponents, but got on very well. He was always encouraging and supportive, even though I was opposing him. His death is an absolute tragedy.”

‘Serious politics might be boring – but it’s what we need’

Cllr Aicheler said the Liberal Democrats are focused on the “real issues that make a difference to people’s lives” – improving the NHS, social care, childcare, and education.

He said: “They’re not perhaps the issues which grab headlines, but they make a difference. They really make a difference, and we need some serious politics in Wales to sort out the serious problems – not headline grabbing populism.

“Serious politics is boring. Maybe that’s what we need.”

He argues that the Welsh Liberal Democrats stand apart from the other main parties by focusing on practical, costed policies.

“We’ve recently published detailed proposals on a much better childcare service for Wales.”

A former business owner himself –  he ran Castle Bikes in Caerphilly for several years –  Cllr Aicheler said supporting small businesses is one of his main priorities.

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of the UK,” he said. “That’s where new ideas come from. That’s where employment comes from.

“When the Labour government imposes quite hefty rises on the employer’s national insurance, that punishes business – and it punishes small businesses disproportionately.”

He added: “The Conservatives understand big business, because that’s who’s funding them, so their policies support big business at the expense of small business. Labour just doesn’t seem to understand what businesses need to thrive, which is a regulatory environment which allows them to employ people, allows them to innovate, allows them to make those decisions, and a tax environment that allows them to employ people and doesn’t punish them for doing that.”

He believes the Cardiff Capital Region (CCR) Deal – a partnership of ten councils designed to boost investment across South East Wales –  is failing to deliver for Caerphilly.

He said: “It’s supposed to be the Cardiff Capital Region that includes Caerphilly, Ebbw Vale, Newport, but actually it seems to be mostly focused on Cardiff. So let’s scrutinise that and make that work properly for Caerphilly, because Caerphilly needs to be a thriving economic community in its own right.

“It can’t just be a dormitory town for Cardiff. We’ve got some great business support organisations in Caerphilly like Welsh ICE and TownSq – both operating across the UK to provide support and training.

“We’ve got the potential here in Caerphilly, but we also have a really confused situation of business support.”

He added: “Let’s get our heads together and provide businesses with the support that they need.”

‘Libraries are essential to our communities‘

Cllr Aicheler also spoke passionately about the role of libraries, following plans for potential closures in Caerphilly County Borough.

“When the closure of Machen Library was announced, I carried out some community engagement to see if there was support for a community takeover,” he said.

“What came back to me really strongly from the community was: don’t close the library. We want it to be a library. Libraries are a good thing.

“They are essential parts of our community and community infrastructure. They give young people access to books, a safe space where they can do their homework, and access to the internet.

“They give older people a place, a neutral space that they can just drop into and have a conversation with someone, as well as picking up a book.”

Education and optimism for Wales

Education, he says, is at the heart of his campaign. After a decade at Cardiff Metropolitan University supporting enterprise and innovation, Cllr Aicheler believes Wales’ future depends on investing in education and skills.

Describing the Welsh curriculum as “world-leading”, he said. “I’m really proud to be able to point to the Welsh curriculum and point to the four purposes and that one of the purposes is to develop creative enterprising individuals who can contribute to society.”

He added: “We need to shout about that more and we need to double down on it and make sure that our education system is getting the results the curriculum gives it the potential for.”

He argues that Caerphilly’s schools are underfunded compared to other areas and that universities across Wales are struggling to stay afloat.

“Our universities in Wales are really struggling at the moment. Every single one of them is making redundancies. And Wales has, again, the lowest rate of young people going to university.

“How are we going to have a successful economy and a successful future if our young people aren’t developing the higher level skills that will support higher skilled employment?”

Cllr Aicheler also wants to see better links between Caerphilly and nearby universities such as Cardiff Met and the University of South Wales.

He described universities as “anchor institutions” supporting local innovation, attracting investment, and helping small businesses grow.

But he added: “If those universities are having to make massive cutbacks and can’t support those innovation systems, you’re really fighting a battle with one hand tied behind your back.”

‘People deserve optimism‘

Transport is another focus for Cllr Aicheler. He points to the £1 youth bus fares scheme, introduced with Liberal Democrat support in the Senedd, as an example of the party’s practical approach.

“I think it has made a genuine difference to young people’s lives,” he said. “They can get to work, they can get to college to study, and for leisure use – and they can use public transport to do that.

“The cost of car insurance for a young person is absolutely astronomical and actually we need to change those habits so that we’re used to using public transport as the way that we get around. That’s how we solve the climate crisis.”

Cllr Aicheler joined the Liberal Democrats in 2019. He said: “I was so frustrated with Brexit that I needed to get involved and try and fight back, I couldn’t just sit on the sidelines anymore.

“We put people at the heart of what we do and we genuinely listen to what people need. I think one of the key principles that stood out for me with the Lib Dems is that decisions should be made as close as possible to people.

He added: “We have a government that wants to centralise everything, and that’s not right and it’s not helpful and it doesn’t support people.”

For him, the Caerphilly by-election is about bringing optimism back into Welsh politics. 

“Wales is a fantastic place to live. It’s a fantastic country, a great community, but we need some optimism that it can be better, that we can improve the economic situation, and I don’t see that from other parties.”

Caerphilly’s by-election candidates for October 23

• Welsh Liberal Democrats – Steve Aicheler
• Gwlad – Anthony Cook
• Wales Green Party – Gareth Hughes
• Welsh Conservatives – Gareth Potter
• Reform UK – Llŷr Powell
• UKIP – Roger Quilliam
• Richard Tunnicliffe – Labour
• Lindsay Whittle – Plaid Cymru