Latest news with #LouiseEmery
Daily Mail
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Fury as Welsh Labour government spends £250,000 on project to count MOTHS while it cuts public services
Taxpayers have been left furious after the Welsh Labour government spent £250,000 on a project to count moths - while it cuts public services. The 'Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn' project is surveying the moths' limestone habitats on Llandudno's Great Orme headland and in neighbouring areas. It was handed a grant of £248,348 by the Government's Nature Networks Fund, and will be delivered by the Heritage Fund. The under-fire government claims it with help protect at-risk insects, including the Horehound Plume micro-moth. A Tory councillor branded the spending 'ridiculous' - as families struggle with the cost of living and local authorities cut frontline services. Llandudno's Louise Emery hit out after a grant was awarded by the Welsh Government to Conwy county council. She said: 'Rather than for the benefit of invertebrates, how about Welsh Government benefit schools and communities by properly funding local authorities to improve education and provide basic services such as maintaining highways and public toilets? 'It's about priorities, and establishing the number of moths on specific limestone headlands should not be a priority when Welsh Labour in Cardiff continue to tell local authorities they have no money. This is utterly ridiculous.' The project, which also works with schools, found 'a staggering' 1,109 horehound plume moth caterpillars on the Great Orme in Llandudno. Cllr Emery continued: 'There is money available from Welsh Government but only for certain things, so while local authority budgets are really being squeezed, Welsh Government finds money for projects such as the Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn. 'On its own merit, in its own little world, I can see some benefit to that. But in the grand financial picture of what local authorities are facing, I find it incredulous that they can find money for a project like this, but we can't find money for basic public amenities such as toilets or looking after our parks and gardens or highways. 'So it's not that I'm against the project in itself.' The Welsh Government said: 'The Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn project was awarded £248,348 as part of the Nature Networks Fund in February 2024. It is a collaborative initiative led by Conwy County Borough Council in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Butterfly Conservation. 'The project is carrying out surveys and protecting rare and at-risk invertebrate such as the micro-moth, measuring about 2cm across which has been found in abundance in its only known Welsh habitat. This work will inform future habitat management and conservation strategies.' Additionally, the project surveyed the population of the rare weevil Helianthemapion aciculare, first discovered in the UK on the Great Orme in 1992. The 2024 survey suggests this remains its only UK habitat. Cllr Charlie McCoubrey, Conwy council leader said: 'This is a grant-funded project. It's important to note that grant funding is for specific projects and cannot be spent on other services. Whilst grant funding is available, we will continue to apply for it.' Last year it was revealed Labour Welsh Government officials splashed out nearly £16,000 dining at an exclusive New York restaurant and thousands more on World Cup flights, luxury hotels and other hospitality on taxpayer-funded credit cards. The hefty tab amounted to £1.49million between April 2022 to April 2023, when Mark Drakeford served as First Minister. This was almost double the previous year's figure of £821,871.38. Notably, the expenses included a food bill for exclusive New York restaurant Zou Zou's, which totalled an eye-watering £15,933.45. They said it was was part of an event to promote Wales for St David's Day.
Yahoo
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Welsh Labour spends £250,000 on moth-counting project
The Labour-run Welsh Government has come under attack for spending almost £250,000 on a project to count moths. The two-year project, called Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn, will survey the moth population living in limestone habitats on the Creuddyn peninsula in the north of the country. The programme, being delivered by the Heritage Fund, was given a £248,348 grant last February from the Government's Nature Networks Fund and will involve working with schools. The Welsh Government said the collaborative initiative would help protect rare and at-risk invertebrates such as the micro-moth, which measures about 2cm in diameter. But councillors have described it as a misuse of funds at a time when budgets for public services are being tightened. Louise Emery, a Conservative councillor in Llandudno, told Wales Online: 'Whilst local authority budgets are really being squeezed, the Welsh Government finds money for projects such as Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn. 'On its own merit, in its own little world, I can see some benefit to that, but in the grand financial picture of what local authorities are facing, I find it incredible that they can find money for a project like this but we can't find money for basic public amenities such as toilets, or looking after our parks and gardens or highways.' Cllr Emery also drew attention to the issue at a conference organised by the Welsh Conservatives, saying: 'It is always about priorities. 'So we need to say as the Welsh Conservatives, who will be in power in 2027, that we need to focus on the absolute basics of what we do at local authorities: collect the bins, educate your children and look after your vulnerable, and fix your highways.' A Welsh Government spokesman said: 'The Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn project was awarded £248,348 as part of the Nature Networks Fund in February 2024. It is a collaborative initiative led by Conwy county borough council in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Butterfly Conservation. 'The project is carrying out surveys, and protecting rare and at-risk invertebrates such as the micro-moth, which has been found in abundance in its only known Welsh habitat. This work will inform future habitat management and conservation strategies.' The project also found 1,109 caterpillars of the horehound plume moth on the Great Orme in Llandudno last year. Sion Dafis, the project manager, said at the time: 'This project will provide an interesting picture of invertebrate life in the area, and we want to involve the local community in making their own discoveries and raise awareness of the need to conserve habitats.' Charlie McCoubrey, the leader of Conwy council, said: 'This is a grant-funded project. It's important to note that grant funding is for specific projects and cannot be spent on other services. Whilst grant funding is available, we will continue to apply for it.' The funding comes at a period of heightened scrutiny over Welsh Labour's policy decisions, which have often proved to be controversial. The Government has faced intense criticism for its blanket 20mph speed limits, which were reduced from 30mph. A petition against the limits on the Welsh Government's website gained almost half a million signatures – the largest recorded there – and forced Lee Waters, the devolved minister behind the policy, to step down from his front-bench post. On Wednesday, Jane Hutt, Welsh Labour's chief whip, prompted further accusations of a 'war on motorists' when she suggested the Government would be open to reducing some speed limits to as low as 5mph. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
Telegraph
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Welsh Labour spends £250,000 on moth-counting project
The Labour-run Welsh Government has come under attack for spending almost £250,000 on a project to count moths. The two-year project, called Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn, will survey the moth population living in limestone habitats on the Creuddyn peninsula in the north of the country. The programme, being delivered by the Heritage Fund, was given a £248,348 grant last February from the Government's Nature Networks Fund and will involve working with schools. The Welsh Government said the collaborative initiative would help protect rare and at-risk invertebrates such as the micro-moth, which measures about 2cm in diameter. But councillors have described it as a misuse of funds at a time when budgets for public services are being tightened. Louise Emery, a Conservative councillor in Llandudno, told Wales Online: 'Whilst local authority budgets are really being squeezed, the Welsh Government finds money for projects such as Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn. 'On its own merit, in its own little world, I can see some benefit to that, but in the grand financial picture of what local authorities are facing, I find it incredible that they can find money for a project like this but we can't find money for basic public amenities such as toilets, or looking after our parks and gardens or highways.' Cllr Emery also drew attention to the issue at a conference organised by the Welsh Conservatives, saying: 'It is always about priorities. 'So we need to say as the Welsh Conservatives, who will be in power in 2027, that we need to focus on the absolute basics of what we do at local authorities: collect the bins, educate your children and look after your vulnerable, and fix your highways.' A Welsh Government spokesman said: 'The Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn project was awarded £248,348 as part of the Nature Networks Fund in February 2024. It is a collaborative initiative led by Conwy county borough council in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Butterfly Conservation. 'The project is carrying out surveys, and protecting rare and at-risk invertebrates such as the micro-moth, which has been found in abundance in its only known Welsh habitat. This work will inform future habitat management and conservation strategies.' The project also found 1,109 caterpillars of the horehound plume moth on the Great Orme in Llandudno last year. Sion Dafis, the project manager, said at the time: 'This project will provide an interesting picture of invertebrate life in the area, and we want to involve the local community in making their own discoveries and raise awareness of the need to conserve habitats.' Charlie McCoubrey, the leader of Conwy council, said: 'This is a grant-funded project. It's important to note that grant funding is for specific projects and cannot be spent on other services. Whilst grant funding is available, we will continue to apply for it.' The funding comes at a period of heightened scrutiny over Welsh Labour's policy decisions, which have often proved to be controversial. The Government has faced intense criticism for its blanket 20mph speed limits, which were reduced from 30mph. A petition against the limits on the Welsh Government's website gained almost half a million signatures – the largest recorded there – and forced Lee Waters, the devolved minister behind the policy, to step down from his front-bench post. On Wednesday, Jane Hutt, Welsh Labour's chief whip, prompted further accusations of a 'war on motorists' when she suggested the Government would be open to reducing some speed limits to as low as 5mph.
Wales Online
20-05-2025
- Automotive
- Wales Online
Raft of fines handed out on one road near Welsh beach
Raft of fines handed out on one road near Welsh beach They were parked on a single yellow line with some saying it's 'not clear' you can't park there A long line of cars on Llandudno's picturesque West Shore had parking tickets stuck to their windscreens by a Conwy County Council traffic warden (Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service ) A sunny afternoon at a Welsh beach became an expensive day out for some over the weekend. A long line of cars on Llandudno's picturesque West Shore had parking tickets stuck to their windscreens by a Conwy County Council traffic warden. They were parked on a single yellow line at a spot on Abbey Road near the Great Orme's Marine Drive. Most were also partly blocking the pavement on the popular route for walkers and cyclists. No less than eight cars in a row received parking tickets by around 5pm yesterday, Sunday, whilst the drivers enjoyed the sea and sunshine. The local democracy reporting service witnessed several drivers return to their cars with furrowed brows after spotting a yellow penalty charge notice stuck to their windscreen. There is generally ample free parking places on West Shore and a pay and display car park. Those ticketed will now face a £70 fine unless they pay the fine early at £35. A line of cars were fined (Image: Local Democracy Reporting Service ) Llandudno Cllr Louise Emery said she had 'some sympathy' for those who received a ticket as better signage was needed but added that it was also a matter of "common sense". Article continues below "West Shore is a really popular place to come down to the beach, with beautiful sunsets," she said. "It is a great place to be for visitors and residents alike. This area of the road always seems to attract cars parking on and off the pavement. Personally, I don't think it's clear that you can't park there. "Yes, there is a single yellow line, but I don't think the signage is clear, so I have sympathy for people that park there, but it should be obvious when you are doing that that you are blocking the highway because it is a narrow road, and there is plenty of parking across West Shore, and we do have the car park at the far end, which yes, you have to pay, but it is not excessive." Article continues below Single red lines mean you can't park, stop or load during specified time periods that should be displayed clearly on surrounding signs. She added: "On one side I think the signage needs to be improved so the visitors are really aware they cannot park there, and secondly common sense would tell you it is not a very clever place to park." Conwy County Council was contacted for a comment.
North Wales Live
20-05-2025
- Politics
- North Wales Live
Welsh Government's £250K grant to 'count moths on the Great Orme is crazy'
A Llandudno councillor described the spending of £250,000 of taxpayers' money on 'counting the number of moths on the Great Orme' as 'crazy'. Speaking at a Conservative Party conference in Llangollen last week, Cllr Louise Emery raised the issue of a grant paid by Welsh Government to Conwy County Council. The 'Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn' is a two-year project focussing on invertebrates associated with limestone habitats on the Creuddyn peninsula. Delivered by the Heritage Fund, on behalf of the Welsh Government, the project is funded by the Nature Networks Programme and involves working with schools and the community for the benefit of invertebrates. Cllr Emery, though, believed Welsh Government money could be better allocated to councils at a time when many local authorities are struggling to make ends meet and cutting front-line services. "We are seeing a lack of investment in roads, and it is priorities. The worst one I've heard of is £250,000 counting the number of moths on the Great Orme – crazy!' she said at the conference. 'So there is money. It is always about priorities. So we need to say as the Welsh Conservatives, who will be in power in 2027, that we need to focus on the absolute basics of what we do at local authorities: collect the bins, educate your children, and look after your vulnerable, and fix your highways, essentially." Speaking later, Cllr Emery elaborated on the comments made at the political conference, explaining it was Welsh Government who allocated the funds spent on the project. 'My point I was making at the Conservative conference was about priorities and that there is money available from Welsh Government but only for certain things, so whilst local authority budgets are really being squeezed, Welsh Government finds money for projects such as the Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn,' she said. 'On its own merit, in its own little world, I can see some benefit to that, but in the grand financial picture of what local authorities are facing, I find it incredulous that they can find money for a project like this, but we can't find money for basic public amenities such as toilets or looking after our parks and gardens or highways. "So it's not that I'm against the project in itself, but it is a priority where you allocate money to. This is not Conwy revenue money. I was saying there is grant money available, which I think should be prioritised, supporting local authorities properly.' A Welsh Government spokesperson said: 'The Cryptic Creatures of the Creuddyn project was awarded £248,348 as part of the Nature Networks Fund in February 2024. It is a collaborative initiative led by Conwy County Borough Council in partnership with Natural Resources Wales and Butterfly Conservation. 'The project is carrying out surveys and protecting rare and at-risk invertebrate such as the micro-moth, measuring about 2cm across which has been found in abundance in its only known Welsh Habitat. This work will inform future habitat management and conservation strategies." Cllr Charlie McCoubrey, council leader said: 'This is a grant-funded project. It's important to note that grant funding is for specific projects and cannot be spent on other services. Whilst grant funding is available, we will continue to apply for it.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter
