Latest news with #DavidChadwick
ITV News
a day ago
- Business
- ITV News
Anger as Oxford-Cambridge railway line classified as England and Wales project
Politicians have expressed frustration as upgrades to a railway line between Oxford and Cambridge have been classified by the Treasury as an England and Wales project, despite no work taking place in Wales. The £6.6billion project will connect communities between Oxford, Milton Keynes, Bedford and Cambridge. Usually, under the Barnett Formula - the system used to fund the devolved nations - Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland get extra money when more cash is spent on devolved issues like education in England. But because the railways are not fully devolved to Wales, the Welsh Government doesn't receive this money when it comes to rail infrastructure, unlike Scotland and Northern Ireland. The issue hit the headlines when HS2 was also classified as an England and Wales project. This has left some MPs feeling Wales is being shortchanged. David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, said on X: "There can be no justification for this whatsoever. The UK government has decided to deliberately shortchange Wales." Speaking to BBC Radio Wales, he said: "I don't think anybody seriously believes that a railway from Oxford to Cambridge benefits rail users in Swansea or Bangor. "The Treasury is just using these classifications to avoid paying Wales what it's owed, and that's the real point - somebody in the UK Government has decided to shortchange Wales again by deliberately labelling this as an England and Wales project to avoid giving Wales any money, and that's why I'm calling for this to be re-classified as an England-only project." In the Senedd, Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth challenged First Minister Eluned Morgan on the issue, saying it was "confirmation that we have another HS2 on our hands. You could not make this up." The first minister responded: "Rail infrastructure is not devolved to Wales, you might want it to be, but that is the situation it is in. "There is a pipeline of projects for England and Wales. Are we getting our fair share? Absolutely not. Am I making the case? Absolutely. And I'm hoping we'll see some acknowledgment of that through the spending review. "The Oxford- Cambridge line is part of that broader rail infrastructure, HS2 is an exception to that which is why we're making the case in a separate way. " In a written answer to David Chadwick MP, the Department for Transport said: "East West Rail is set to cover the route from Oxford to Cambridge and is therefore part of the RNEP portfolio which covers funding for projects in England and Wales. The RNEP portfolio can be distributed to any scheme across England and Wales."
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Anger as Oxford rail line classed as Wales project
There is anger that a multi-billion pound project to build a railway line between Oxford and Cambridge has been classed as an England and Wales project. The £6.6bn line will see no tracks laid in Wales, but because of the way it has been classified, it means the country will not benefit from any extra cash. David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, told Radio Wales Breakfast it was "HS2 all over again". The UK government said it was paid for through its "rail network enhancements pipeline, which funds projects in both England and Wales". Chadwick said Wales was "being denied hundreds of millions in funding that could transform our own rail network". He added that Labour expected people in Wales "to believe the ridiculous idea that this project will benefit them and they are justified in not giving Wales the money it needs to improve our own public transport systems". Why a 49-mile train journey took me seven hours From paralysis to Parliament in 10 years for MP Wales has 'entitlement' to HS2 cash - ex-minister Unlike Northern Ireland and Scotland, most of Wales' railway is funded by the UK government, and not ministers in Cardiff. Under the system used to fund the devolved nations, called the Barnett Formula, Scotland and Northern Ireland get extra money when more cash is spent on rail in England and Wales. It follows the long-standing row over HS2 - deemed to be an England and Wales project - so Wales gets no extra cash, which would be the case if it was England only. However, none of the track planned for HS2 will reach Wales. Differing figures have been given for how much politicians think Wales is owed from HS2, from £4bn suggested by Plaid Cyrmu and the Welsh government in the past to £350m in the most recent figures from Welsh ministers. The UK government said its rail network enhancements pipeline also paid for the redevelopment of Cardiff Central Station, improved level crossings in north Wales and support for the upgraded south Wales relief lines. Wales' Transport Secretary Ken Skates said the UK and Welsh governments had agreed "an ambitious pipeline of improvements that will make up for underinvestment by previous governments" and were "seeking a fair share of investment".
BBC News
a day ago
- Business
- BBC News
Oxford-Cambridge rail line classed as England and Wales project
There is anger that a multi-billion pound project to build a railway line between Oxford and Cambridge has been classed as an England and Wales project. The £6.6bn line will see no tracks laid in Wales, meaning the country will not benefit from extra funding. David Chadwick, Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, told Radio Wales Breakfast it was "HS2 all over again". The UK government said it was paid for through its "rail network enhancements pipeline, which funds projects in both England and Wales". Chadwick said Wales was "being denied hundreds of millions in funding that could transform our own rail network".He added that Labour expected people in Wales "to believe the ridiculous idea that this project will benefit them and they are justified in not giving Wales the money it needs to improve our own public transport systems". Unlike Northern Ireland and Scotland, most of Wales' railway is funded by the UK government, and not ministers in the system used to fund the devolved nations, called the Barnett Formula, Scotland and Northern Ireland get extra money when more cash is spent on rail in England and follows the long-standing row over HS2 - deemed to be an England and Wales project - so Wales gets no extra cash, which would be the case if it was England none of the track planned for HS2 will reach Wales. Differing figures have been given for how much politicians think Wales is owed from HS2, from £4bn suggested by Plaid Cyrmu and the Welsh government in the past to £350m in the most recent figures from Welsh ministers. The UK government said its rail network enhancements pipeline also paid for the redevelopment of Cardiff Central Station, improved level crossings in north Wales and support for the upgraded south Wales relief Transport Secretary Ken Skates said the UK and Welsh governments had agreed "an ambitious pipeline of improvements that will make up for underinvestment by previous governments" and were "seeking a fair share of investment".
Powys County Times
3 days ago
- Politics
- Powys County Times
Letter: Powys MS tries to hard to rubbish our Lib Dem MP
Methinks Tory MS James Evans doth protest too much in his efforts to rubbish our elected parliamentary MP for Brecon and Radnor along with Cwm Tawe which Mr Evans seems to have missed (some mistake here, surely?). I know David Chadwick to be a worthy successor to those who worked tirelessly before him, on behalf of the Liberal Democrats and in the interests of their constituents – namely Richard Lives, Roger Williams, Kirsty Williams and Jane Dodds. Like his predecessors David Chadwick has the concerns of those he represents at the heart of what he does. He continuously demands answers from Central Government on health, education, rural transport, local banking and, first and foremost, agriculture and the rural economy.
Powys County Times
23-05-2025
- Health
- Powys County Times
Calls to tackle 'disastrous' Powys ambulance wait times
Calls have been made to tackle 'disastrous' ambulance wait times in Powys. A call for action has been made to tackle long ambulance waiting times in Powys following the publication of new statistics. New figures showed that in Powys, only 40 per cent of red calls, the most serious category of incidents, were answered within target times. This is compared to 50 per cent across Wales. Meanwhile, 61 per cent of amber calls, which include strokes and heart attacks, took over 60 minutes to respond to. Other data showed 608,000 people were still on an NHS waiting list across Wales, while more than 8,389 people were waiting over two years to start treatment. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have stated that Labour's management of the NHS in Wales over the last 25 years has been a 'disaster' for the public and said their top priority in next year's Senedd elections would be to fix social care to relieve pressure on hospitals and the ambulance service. They said many hospitals in Wales and in Shropshire and Herefordshire are unable to discharge patients because social care packages aren't available, leading to bed blocking and ambulances queuing outside A&E units. 'Today's statistics are the latest in a long line that paint a really disastrous image of Labour's management of the NHS in Wales over the last 25 years,' said Welsh Liberal Democrat Senedd Member for Mid & West Wales Jane Dodds. 'But behind every single one of these statistics are real people, real families being impacted by the inability to get the help they deserve when they need it. 'We must see real action to drive down waiting lists and relieve the pressure on our emergency departments and hospitals. That is why the Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to make fixing social care our number one priority. Help support trusted local news Sign up for a digital subscription now: As a digital subscriber you will get Unlimited access to the County Times website Advert-light access Reader rewards Full access to our app MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, added that he had 'countless' constituents bring the problem up with him. 'People should be able to have confidence that during their hour of need, the NHS will be there to protect them,' said Mr Chadwick. 'Sadly in Wales, that hasn't been the case for some time. 'I've had countless constituents contact me since being elected, outlining the trauma they have had whilst trying to get hold of an ambulance during an emergency. 'None of this is the fault of our heroic ambulance staff of NHS workers, but it is the symptom of a failing system. 'We need to reform social care and ensure patients can be discharged back into the community as quickly as possible.'
