Heledd Fychan Canol De Cymru - South Wales Central

As the first National Eisteddfod in three years kicks off in Tregaron, Plaid Cymru has today called on Welsh Government to extend its support for the festival to ensure its continued success for the future.

Whilst welcoming the funding provided to the National Eisteddfod during the Covid-19 pandemic and also the funding to offer 15,000 free tickets, Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for Culture and the Welsh Language, Heledd Fychan MS believes that greater support should be provided over the coming years to enable the National Eisteddfod to continue to evolve, to better promote itself to international audiences, and also to extend the provision of free tickets to people of all ages so that more can participate in, and enjoy, what the Eisteddfod has to offer.

Residents of Abercwmboi have been in touch with me after receiving one of the Flood Packs my office has produced. Residents are still worried sick about the systems that are meant to protect them from future flooding events like Storm Dennis, which impacted them in 2020.

On Tuesday 19 July, Heledd Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central and Luke Fletcher Member of the Senedd for South Wales West held a Cost-of-living event in Pontyclun. This built on an event organised by Heledd Fychan MS in Treforest in February, and brought together organisations from across the region of South Wales Central who are working to support people impacted by the cost-of-living crisis.

As we all know, increasing costs of food, fuel and energy are putting individuals and families under huge strain. The focus of the event was to get a clearer understanding of how the cost-of-living crisis was affecting local organisations and their service users. It also provided an opportunity for attendees to establish working relationships and to learn best practice from one another.

Monday (18.6.22) the Welsh Government announced the terms of reference for the independent flood review.  

Secured as part of the Plaid Cymru co-operation agreement, this review is an important first step in securing the answers and Justice for everyone that was affected by the flooding that occurred in February 2020, as well as across Wales in 2020 and 2021. 

Plaid Cymru has blasted the Welsh Government for lack of leadership, objectives and overall strategy over the opportunities presented by the Wales men’s football team being in the World Cup.

Plaid Cymru’s spokesperson for sport, Heledd Fychan MS noted that concerns were raised in the last Wales International Cross Party Group, over the lack of clarity on who is leading the project; how organisations and businesses will be involved; whether any objectives have been set, and what investment is being made by government to ensure opportunities are not missed.

Plaid Cymru's Children and Young People spokesperson, Heledd Fychan MS, has today called on the Education Minister to consider launching a Rapid Review of education inequality in Wales.

Her call comes as new research published today by the Education Policy Institute shows that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are falling behind their counterparts by up to two years in some areas.

Heledd Fychan MS said that the issue must be addressed urgently given that the cost-of-living crisis is likely to exacerbate inequalities over the coming months and years. 

On Wednesday 22 June 2022, Rhondda Cynon Taf Council’s Labour Cabinet unanimously voted in favour of proposals to create a new English medium school in Glyncoch.

The school, which is due to be built on the site of the former Ty Gwyn school, will replace Cefn and Craig yr Hesg primary schools. In the report recommending the proposal it was noted that this new school would “increase capacity and improve the quality of the English medium primary education provision available to learners in Glyncoch.”

Today, RCT Council’s Cabinet are due to discuss the new Pontypridd Placemaking Plan.

Whilst investment and development is very much needed in the area under consideration, local Plaid Cymru representatives are today urging RCT Council to re-consult and more importantly listen to the views of residents, local businesses and users of the town.

It was great to visit Tafwyl over the weekend, and enjoy the entertainment as well as the stalls.

Deian Hughes is a first year Politics and International Relations student from Cardiff University who this week joined the team to gain experience in my constituency and Senedd office. On his final day he wrote this blog about his experience