Delyth Jewell MS on how Wales fares in UK Spending Review
Unfortunately, Wales is still being short-changed, and the review fails to deliver fair funding for Wales. Despite headlines about infrastructure investment, the money won't be allocated fairly based on Welsh need.
The announcement of £44.5 million a year for Welsh rail over the next decade is a flimsy fig leaf to excuse the scandal that is the Welsh rail injustice.
The UK Government hopes a few headline projects will distract from deep cuts to vital services that will hit the most vulnerable hardest, all while shifting the goalposts on Welsh funding.
The example of the Oxford-Cambridge rail line displayed the need for change in how we are funded here in Wales.
The UK treasury bizarrely and brazenly claims that a railway line in the south-east of England would benefit Wales.
The HS2 rail project is another clear example of how Wales misses out from infrastructure projects.
Despite the change in political colour of the government in Westminster, the UK government continues to short-change Wales. Wales is still missing out on the £4 billion it is owed.
We can all see the impact of this chronic underinvestment in Monmouthshire and Wales as a whole with overcrowded trains, underfunded bus links, cuts to rural services, lack of electrification or integration, poor accessibility, and unreliable timetables.
The funding for coal tips safety is a step in the right direction but far from where we need to be. The UK Government's commitment to coal tips safety falls far short. With a minimum cost of £600 million to make them safe, just 6.5 per cent of that is being offered annually over three years.
The detail will be key as the UK Government says this money will also be used for the repurposing of land for economic growth. We need to ensure all of this funding is used to make dangerous tips safe in Wales. Every penny must go toward safety rather than repurposing land for profit.
I will keep working for proper investment in our transport infrastructure and a funding system that works for the people of Wales.
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