Heledd Fychan Canol De Cymru - South Wales Central

My name is Maël, I am a 22 year old MA student at the University of Bath. I was born in Brussels and have lived there my whole life but my Dad is Welsh and part of my heart has always been here, in Wales. My short work experience with Heledd was my first time working in the Senedd – something I have wanted to do for a while now – and I am lucky to have done it in her office. My time here was in the midst of a turbulent time for the Senedd but despite this rather stressful period, Heledd and Brooke were both helpful, friendly, and great to work with. I had the opportunity to see Heledd’s work from the inside: seeing her passion and her determination and just her day-to-day work such as scrutinising the Welsh government, meeting with interest groups, and working in committees. I also was able to contribute to her work as an MS by helping with her communication strategy and briefing Heledd on two important policy issues for her.

In a recent question to the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Transport Ken Skates, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central Heledd Fychan raised concerns about passenger safety, station cleanliness, and the availability of toilet facilities on the new fleet of South Wales Metro.

In response to MS Fychans Question, the Cabinet Secretary for Transport acknowledged the issues and committed to addressing them in upcoming discussions with Transport for Wales. He affirmed the importance of providing safe, clean stations and adequate toilet facilities, especially for women and disabled passengers.

Today, a majority of Senedd Members supported a no confidence motion in Vaughan Gething, the First Minister of Wales. This vote shows there are serious concerns about his leadership.

As many of you will be aware at the beginning of this month Plaid Cymru ended its Cooperation Agreement with the Labour Welsh Government.  I’m proud of what was achieved through the Co-operation agreement over the last two years such as free school meals for all primary school pupils, expanding the free childcare offer for thousands more families, taking action to address the housing crisis, steps to safeguard the Welsh Language and more. We will always cooperate when we can to deliver for our communities. But the time has come for the agreement to end. Since taking over as First Minister Vaughan Gething already took the decision to delay important policies such as council tax reform which was supposed to support the poorest families in our community. He has also lost the trust of myself and many others by failing to pay back the £200,000 donation to his leadership campaign from a company convicted of environmental offences. We need a Welsh Government we can trust and myself and my colleagues in Plaid Cymru we will continue to hold the Welsh Government to account on every decision.

Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru spokesperson for Education has written urgently to the Welsh Government Cabinet Secretary for Education, calling for an emergency review into the state of higher education in Wales, following concerning reports from Aberystwyth and Cardiff Universities about financial pressures that could lead to job losses.

Plaid Cymru urge the UK Government to pay towards making hundreds of tips and former coal tips safe

Recent data (November 2023) reveals there are 81 unsafe coal tips across Rhondda Cynon Taf and Cardiff. 

The information was collected by the Coal Tips Safety Taskforce, established after a landslip at a disused coal tip in Tylorstown, Rhondda Cynon Taf, in February 2020.  

Over the past two years, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central Heledd Fychan has seen a sharp increase in the number of constituents reporting that they are battling to secure a suitable education for their children with additional learning needs.  This led to Heledd conducting a survey and then producing a report containing the heart breaking and brave lived experiences shared with her.