A group of Labour and Conservative Assembly Members have raised the issue of access rights to Eglwysilan Common with the Welsh Government in a recent meeting.
Caerphilly AM Hefin David, Pontypridd AM Mick Antoniw, Cynon Valley AM Vikki Howells and South Wales Central AM and Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies met with Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths last month to discuss ongoing problems faced by their constituents.
The group said there were fears that unless action was taken, common land could be lost not just at Eglwysilan, but across other parts of Wales too.
Common land is land that is owned by someone but which other people are allowed to use as detailed in a Commons Rights Register. Many commons are important for agriculture in Wales, providing grazing for livestock.
They are also enjoyed for leisure, and many like Eglwysilan provide vital green space between built up residential or industrial areas.
As a result of the meeting, the Cabinet Secretary wrote to local authorities, the police and Natural Resources Wales to establish who exactly is responsible for what when it comes to protecting, policing and managing common land in Wales. She will then look at gaps in the existing arrangements and the ways in which they can be improved.
Hefin David AM said: “This has been an ongoing issue for a number of my constituents who live on or around the Common. My constituents should not be prevented from exercising their grazing and access rights on the common within the boundaries of the law.
“This meeting was an important first step on the journey to improving the law around common land in Wales and it’s one that I’m determined to see through for the benefit of my constituents.”
The four AMs have been working together on a cross-party basis in the National Assembly and they all represent areas which contain or border Eglwysilan Common.
Andrew RT Davies AM said: “Several constituents from across my electoral region have experienced issues with the Common – and have been prevented from exercising their grazing rights.
“It’s vital we work on a cross-party basis to sort the problem out – and I’m very grateful to Hefin for arranging the meeting.”