Plaid Cymru will today call on the Welsh Government to act on the deprivation and poverty in parts of the South Wales Valleys at a debate in the Senedd.
A motion put forward by Plaid Cymru AM, Elin Jones, will call on the government to support grassroots regeneration as well as state investment and intervention to improve Valley communities.
The debate aims to raise concerns about the problems in Valley communities and South Wales East AM, Lindsay Whittle, has spoken of the importance of ambition to transform the South Wales Valleys.
The Caerphilly-born AM said: “The Valleys for those of us who live there are the very heart and soul of the nation.
“I believe that ambition for the Valleys people is critical. Politicians must have the ambition to create a new society where our people can expect world class health, education and social services as well as economic and social prosperity.
“The Valleys have one-third of the population of Wales so what has happened over the past 20 years or so to any efforts to improve the lives of people in the valleys?
“The Heads of the Valleys programme – intended to be a key regeneration scheme – was scrapped just over a year ago. There was the Valleys Initiative before that and everyone now seems to be looking to the Valleys Regional Park to work wonders.
“We have known some very tough times in our history. We have paid the price of coal. There are tough times ahead but our resilience will pull us through but it should be more than that. We need vision, new ideas and thinking outside the box.”
Plaid Cymru specifically call for the Welsh Government to ensure there is enough affordable childcare for parent’s needs and ensure all unemployed people in the Valleys have access to apprenticeships or training.
Mt Whittle added: “Dylan Thomas described Swansea as a lovely, ugly town. There are parts of the Valleys where you could say the same but if you love Wales and the Valleys you love it all. I do. If I won the lottery I would live nowhere else in the world. It is where I belong.”
I am sure the Plaid Cymru motion will be supported fully by the Caerphilly Labour Assembly Member, Jeff Cuthbert, Minister for poverty, or, the electorate will want to know why., After all we don`t exactly hear too much from Mr Cuthbert, low profile, “The Quiet Man” of the Assembly, or is it he does not have a lot to say about the abject poverty being experienced by some of his constituents? Let`s hear from him in respect to what he thinks he has achieved since he has been drawing his salary of a minister.
I don’t know who “Arthur the Great” is. Why won’t he use his real name? Is he a constituent?
If he wants me to deal with a specific question, or raise a matter on behalf of a constituent, then he should contact me via my official e-mail. Naturally I cannot use social media to deal with such matters.
Jeff Cuthbert thinks this news paper is a `social media` site? Using this serious `news media` site is exactly what Jeff should be using to inform us what he is up to as our elected representative in the Assembly, after all, it is his Assembly Ministry which has provided money for its existance, and, to support a young graduate reporter to report within it.
It was Jeffs department which provided public funds by way of ratepayers money and EU grants ( Paid through Caerphilly Council) for this `SERIOUS NEWS PAPER` to provide information about his and other elected members activities.
So come on Jeff, let`s hear something form you now and again, after all your Colleague Lindsay Whittle provides information on a regular basis.
No more excuses, lets have a bit of news about how you earn your salary Jeff, and where you exercise your endevours to combat abject poverty in your constituency and other areas in Wales.
This is not ‘social media’ Jeff, this is an on-line newspaper. Think of the readers comments in terms of the S. Wales Echo letters page, it is very similar.
I like Lindsay Whittle. I don’t always agree with what he says or supports but I think he is in politics for the right reason. He is a principled even if he does play too many political games.