Welsh Labour Manifesto 2016 UNITED & CONNECTED 1
UNITED & CONNECTED Welsh Labour will continue to build a secure and united society, where everyone is respected and valued. We will balance and protect people s rights and responsibilities and create the conditions in which they can lead fulfilled lives. To do that, they need to have the tools to connect with their friends, families and wider communities. That s why we are delivering the most ambitious superfast broadband scheme anywhere in Europe and have delivered ground-breaking laws on active travel and community cohesion. Over the last term of Government, we have delivered: The Intermediate Care Fund to help frail and elderly people Ground-breaking Social Services legislation Protection of the Free Bus Passes and Free swimming Superfast Broadband access to more than half a million premises across Wales An agreement on the electrification of the Great Western main line to Swansea and the Valleys Line More than 40m on improving the Wrexham to Chester rail line Investment in major improvements to the A55 across North Wales The critical dualling of the Heads of Valleys road Investment in active travel plans and completed the Wales Coastal Path ensuring safe and healthy travel for all Investment of 14 million in our public libraries, making them fit for the 21st Century World-class events, including the 2017 UEFA Champions League Final and brought a record number of tourists to Wales On championing our membership of the EU, which supports 200,000 jobs in Wales On our stance against abuses of Human Rights, at home and abroad Work with Commissioners to improve equality and fairness Yet we intend going much further during the next five years. 2
Older People Welsh Labour is proud of our record in supporting older people in Wales with good quality, responsive public services and in enabling older people to lead independent lives. Our ground-breaking Social Services and Well-Being Act introduced a right for people to access information, advice, and assistance about services. In the next term we will continue focussing on the effective implementation of the Act. Our Intermediate Care Fund has enabled many older people to live full and active lives in enhanced extra care facilities. We will retain this fund. We are investing in health facilities closer to home so that we can keep as many older people as possible out of hospital. Loneliness and isolation also present a major challenge and are an increasing cause of mental illness. We will develop a strategy to tackle this, learning from schemes such as Men s Sheds and Live Music Now, to ensure that people aren t isolated for long periods of time. We have also strengthened the independent voice of older people through the work of the Older People s Commissioner who we will continue to support as a source of information and advocacy. We have become the first country to adopt a Declaration of the Rights of Older People and we will not tolerate elder abuse in any of our public services. We place a high premium on the safety of our older people, and we will continue to act against scams and support action against cold calling. We will continue to encourage people to take up the financial support they are entitled to. In order to help people keep active and to boost wellbeing in our communities, we will protect free bus passes for older people, people with disabilities and their carers. We will also retain our popular free swimming scheme. 3
We will: More than double the capital limit that people can keep when entering residential care Bring all public sector and civic society leaders together to develop a cross- government action plan for a Wales which supports its older population Investigate the benefits of establishing a national carers respite scheme in Wales Resist attempts by the UK Government to transfer Attendance Allowance to the Welsh Government and instead seek to protect it at the current rate Support reablement services to help older people maintain their independence Develop a national strategy for tackling isolation and loneliness, learning from schemes such as Men s Sheds and Live Music Now Maintain Free bus passes and Free swimming Expand our digital literacy programmes to help more elderly people use the internet safely Support the growth of befriending schemes Crack down on cold calling and scams in partnership with local government and Police and Crime Commissioners Increase opportunities for people to be active through a pilot Social Prescription Help advice services ensure that elderly people are claiming all they are entitled to Broadband/Mobile connectivity In spite of the logistical challenges, we are on track to enable 96% of properties in Wales to connect to superfast broadband by 2017, something few other nations on the planet will be able to match. Similarly, Wales cannot be left behind on mobile connectivity, which is vital for small businesses, particularly in our rural areas. Our digital inclusion programmes have increased people s ability to access services and information, reducing digital exclusion from 34% in 2011 to the current 19%. In the next term we will: Offer fast, reliable broadband connectivity to every property in Wales Demand that at least 95 per cent of mobile phone customers can receive a 4G service by the end of 2017 Consult on offering a business rates discount for new masts in rural areas that face the greatest problems Address digital exclusion by setting a target of helping 95% of people gain at least the basic digital skills needed for the 21st century 4
Roads and Rail connectivity We will build on our investment in transport infrastructure to enable people to travel safely and easily around our nation. We want to work with partners across the border on strategic rail and road routes, particularly in North Wales, where the Northern Powerhouse and the Mersey Dee Alliance are key to future economic growth. Valleys communities are being transformed by our investment and regeneration. Alongside that investment we know the South Wales Metro will open further opportunities that we will build upon to renew, strengthen and diversify the economy of the valleys. We will: Deliver a new, not-for-profit, rail franchise from 2018 to improve the frequency and quality of train travel Deliver a more effective network of bus services once powers have been devolved Deliver seamless ticketing arrangements and improved marketing as part of the new travel arrangements for Wales Press for the devolution of Air Passenger Duty, with a view to developing our airports Challenge the UK Government to either devolve or scrap the tolls on the Severn Bridge Press for the timely delivery of electrification of the South Wales mainline Roll out electrification of the Valleys lines Demand that the UK Government delivers on the electrification of the North Wales main line to enable faster travel to strategic air links in the North West of England. Create a South Wales Metro Advance the development of a North Wales Metro system Deliver an M4 relief road, improvements to the A55, the A40 in West Wales and other trunk roads 5
Community Assets We want our communities to be vibrant. We know that local pubs, libraries and arts facilities for example are important in bringing communities together, and once lost may mean that people are cut off from social interaction. We have invested heavily as a government in our communities, through programmes such as Vibrant and Viable Places and the Community Facilities Programme. We have invested 14 million in transforming over a hundred community libraries. We want to do more. Our developing work on Community Assets is designed to ensure that communities have the opportunity to retain and run crucial facilities when these are under threat. We have consulted widely on the best framework for protecting community assets and received strong backing for the development of a genuine made-in-wales approach, reflecting Welsh needs and aspirations. Taking over ownership of land or buildings or responsibility for services can create a stimulus for communities to work together and enhance the viability and efficiency of local facilities where no other option exists. During the next Assembly term, we will: Invest more than 1 million each year in the continued transformation of our libraries and local museums Work with communities to protect local facilities that bring people together, including pubs, libraries, museums, arts centres and leisure centres Introduce measures to prevent unnecessary closures and to help communities take ownership of community assets where appropriate We will explore methods of protecting the last pubs surviving in our communities We will place a particular focus on supporting community crowdfunding projects as a means of promoting Wales as a destination, encouraging digital literacy and growing the digital economy Continue investment in modernising local sports facilities 6
Culture, Sport and Major Events We will: Build on our record of hosting major events and determine the possibility of hosting an All-Wales Commonwealth Games in 2026, which sees events taking place in the North and the South, and celebrates a journey to becoming a more united, connected, confident and active Wales Celebrate success including the Rugby World Cup, the European Football Championships, and many other sporting events in order to drive up participation, encourage physical activity and healthy lifestyles Continue to work with the National Eisteddfod, as one of the premier cultural events in Europe, on modernisation and marketing Seek to increase investment in the arts by introducing a challenge fund and by offering access to the new Wales Wellbeing Bond for groups and organisations that tackle poverty through harnessing the power of culture We will seek to offer three-year funding settlements, in order to give a greater degree of security and certainty to national sponsored bodies, such as Arts Council Wales and Sport Wales with the caveat that our spending power is dependent on what the UK Government offers Wales Create Historic Wales, bringing together many of the commercial functions of the Welsh Historic Environment Service, Cadw, and the National Museum of Wales Create a Challenge Fund, initially for arts and sports organisations, to match fund their projects and to fuse creativity and digital exploitation Create the A55 Culture Corridor, promoting the tourism value of our world-class castles, mountains, coast, towns and countryside, and turning it in to one of the major cultural routes in Europe 7
Welsh Language We are a proudly bilingual nation. We have introduced new Welsh Language Standards to protect the future of the language, and we will ensure its future as a vibrant, living part of our communities across Wales. In the next term we will: Continue to invest in encouraging more people to use and speak Welsh in their everyday lives Work towards one million people speaking the Welsh language by 2050 Amend the Welsh Language Measure so that business and others can invest in promoting the use of the Welsh language Establish a Language Usage Fund Work with the Urdd to help progress our agenda on digital skills Fairness Fairness is a core Labour value and it has been at the heart of our work in Government. We were the first government to bring in specific equality duties in order for public bodies to better perform their public sector equality duty. We are proud of our relationship with our trade union partners and believe that all working people deserve a fair deal. They should also be able to be safe at work and we will maintain a zero tolerance approach to violence in the workplace. We are a nation that welcomes diversity and we will not walk away from our responsibilities in helping those facing oppression. We believe everyone should reach their potential and have opportunities. 8
We will: Continue to engage with affiliate Trade Unions and the Wales TUC to ensure the views of the unions are heard in designing the future of public services delivery in Wales Comprehensively implement the two-tier code Repeal sections of the UK Government s regressive Trades Union legislation in devolved areas Take further action on the living wage, limit the use of zero hours contracts and other rogue and bad practices Seek wherever possible to ensure that government contracts for goods and services are awarded locally. This will help to create employment and training hubs in areas of high economic deprivation, and in doing so, deliver better jobs, closer to home Implement our Hate Crime Delivery Plan which supports victims and encourages a multi-agency response Continue to work closely with local authorities and other partners to develop an effective approach to resettlement of Syrian refugees Maintain the valuable work of the Communities Faith Forum Build on the pioneering work of the reference groups on tackling radicalisation and reducing Islamophobia, engaging with a broad range of Muslim communities across Wales Oppose attempts by the UK Tory Government to repeal the Human Rights Act Continue our work with all protected groups to counter discrimination and ensure opportunities for all Continue to promote Wales as a Fair Trade nation Local Government Over the last 5 years, we have protected councils in Wales from the worst of the UK government s cuts. As a result, in England council budgets were cut by 10% in cash terms, whereas in Wales, they went up by 2.5%. Our Council Tax Reduction Scheme enables councils to provide all eligible applicants with their full entitlement to support, (despite the shortfall in funding transferred from the UK Government). Council tax is still on average 156 less than in England. Unlike the UK government, we will properly fund Social Care and not force local authorities to raise council tax to pay for it. We will: Create stronger and larger local authorities, as well as stronger town and community councils, and in turn devolve powers from Cardiff Bay Reform Local Government funding to make councils more sustainable and self-sufficient using the findings of the independent commission on local government finance and Welsh Government s Finance Futures Panel Work with local government to review council tax to make it fairer, so that people with low and moderately valued properties pay less than they do now Change the relationship between Welsh Government, WLGA and Local Government, slash numbers of performance indicators we collect, cut guidance and reform external audit and inspection Work with local government to widen the adoption of the Living Wage and limit the use of Zero Hour Contracts as far as possible 9
Democracy Unity and connectedness are also dependent on having effective, efficient and truly democratic structures. We believe in partnership with local government across Wales. At its best local government can help empower local communities, tackle poverty and improve their wellbeing. Our Diversity in Democracy project is encouraging a broader range of candidates to stand in future elections The powers available to both the National Assembly for Wales and Welsh Government will change yet again during the next Assembly term with the UK Government s promised Wales Bill. Welsh Labour believes that the time has come for a clear, stable and sustainable devolution settlement in Wales and it is for that reason that we published the Government and Laws in Wales illustrative draft Bill, designed to begin a conversation as to how this is possible. In presenting Wales to the world and in learning about ourselves, it is essential that we have thriving media. The democratic deficit is growing and the availability of non-news broadcast programmes made in Wales, for Wales, is shrinking, which means that fair funding for the sector is crucial. During the next Assembly term, we will: Work to ensure that membership of our democratic bodies better reflect the whole of society Take further action to improve equal representation on elected bodies and public sector boards Support votes at 16, take action to maximise voter registration and explore how digital technology can enhance voter participation Demand a clear, stable and sustainable devolution settlement for the National Assembly of Wales Press for fair funding of public service broadcasting through the medium of Welsh and English 10
TOGETHER FOR WALES For more information about our Welsh Labour Manifesto and our plans for a Prosperous and Secure Healthy and Active Ambitious and Learning United and Connected Wales, go to: WWW.TOGETHERFOR.WALES 7744_16 Reproduced from electronic media, promoted by David Hagendyk, General Secretary, Welsh Labour, on behalf of Welsh Labour Party, both at 1 Cathedral Rd, Cardiff CF11 9HA. 11