Heledd Fychan Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr

I was pleased to support my colleague, Sioned Williams MS as Chair of the Cross Party Group on Human Rights as the launched a report on their inquiry into the state of human rights in Wales last week. 

The inquiry assessed whether the Welsh Government is delivering on its commitment to strengthen human rights.  Evidence was gathered from over 20 stakeholders, focusing on five key UN treaties:

• UNCRPD (Disabled People)
• CEDAW (Women)
• ICESCR (Economic, Social & Cultural Rights)
• CERD (Racial Discrimination)
• CRC (Children’s Rights)

The report has confirmed what we already know from evidence by key partners and individual testimony that there remains a significant gap between aspirations and implementation beyond the strong policy and legislative foundation we have in Wales. 

Yesterday (Wednesday 15/10/2025), Labour have voted against a Plaid Cymru motion that called for the Welsh Government to introduce policies to support town centres.

The Plaid Cymru motion called on the Welsh Government to:

• establish a preferential business rates multipliers for small and independent high street retailers, including hospitality businesses.
• establish long-term funding certainty for town centre regeneration.
• bring forward legislation to strengthen community ‘Right to Buy’ powers.

This week, I had the opportunity to visit the Natural Resources Wales incident room. It was really interesting to see firsthand how they issue flood alerts and track river levels and rainfall across the region. I know that flooding is an issue of concern for many constituents and it was good to meet with the team at NRW to learn more about their roles.

I met with climate activists at Climate Cymru’s Act Now, Change Forever lobby. The effects of climate change aren’t distant threats - they’re already devastating our communities across Wales. From frequent flooding, wildfires and more extreme weather, the risk is very real.

We spoke about the urgent need for bold and practical solutions especially in the face of rising climate denial. It’s time for polluters to pay, not our communities.

Members of the Cardiff Action Now Network recently came to meet me at the Senedd. It was great to hear about their upcoming campaign priorities from tackling child poverty by reducing the cost of the school day to making public transport fairer as well as improving workplace accessibility for disabled people. There were plenty of really good ideas that will make a real difference, and I look forward to working with the group as the campaigns progress.

Heledd Fychan sent a message of support to Wales’ women’s football team as they head to Switzerland for their first major international tournament.

from 2 July to 27 July, the team will compete in the UEFA Women’s Euro tournament, facing 16 teams across eight different venues in Switzerland. The tournament marks a historic milestone as Wales’ women take to the international stage for the first time.

Today, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has published their long-awaited Outline Business Case for Clydach Terrace which looked at options to reduce the risk of flooding for the street. This follows the devastating flooding residents experienced in February 2020 as a result of Storm Dennis, which saw some having to swim to safety to survive.

This July, I’m hosting a Funding Fair for local groups and charities to connect directly with funders and explore opportunities for support.

On Wednesday 18^th of June Heledd Fychan, Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central and Plaid Cymru spokesperson on Culture, led a powerful debate centred around  the question – are culture and the arts nice to have or central to Wales’ future?

Responding to comments made by the Cabinet Secretary for Finance, Mark Drakeford, on Radio Wales and Radio Cymru this morning (Thursday 12th June 2025), Plaid Cymru’s Heledd Fychan has slammed the Welsh Government’s “incompetence” for failing to secure a better deal on rail compared to the billions that English cities and regions will receive.