Ministers urged to act over school violence ‘epidemic’
Senedd members demanded urgent action to address an “epidemic” of violence after a 14-year-old became the first person convicted of attempted murder in a Welsh school. Natasha Asghar led a debate in the aftermath of the schoolgirl being sentenced…
‘Nobody taking responsibility’ for paying care workers the real living wage
Care home providers urged the Welsh Government to follow through on a key commitment to ensure care workers are paid the real living wage. Giving evidence in the Senedd, Care Forum Wales, which represents more than 450 care homes,…
Petition launched calling for inquiry into ‘botched’ government-backed insulation scheme
Petitioners are calling for a public inquiry into a government-backed insulation scheme that left people thousands of pounds out of pocket in “one of the biggest scandals of devolution”. The botched Arbed/CESP energy efficiency scheme, which aimed to cut…
Plaid MS criticises lack of “recognition of the crisis” over deterioration of Welsh-speaking communities
A Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd has criticised the lack of “recognition of the crisis” on behalf of the Welsh Government regarding moving forward with plans to prevent the further deterioration of Welsh-speaking communities and promote their recovery. During…
Inaccurate lists of vulnerable people led to delays in storm response, committee hears
Inaccurate lists of vulnerable people led to delays in responding to storms, with staff sent to non-existent homes and a customer who had died years earlier, a committee heard. Giving evidence to an inquiry on storms Bert and Darragh,…
Row over £2bn reserves amid ‘skyrocketing’ council tax bills
The Conservatives called on councils to utilise “usable” reserves of more than £2bn, with taxpayers in Wales facing an average bill increase of 7.3% next year. Laura Anne Jones warned council tax has “skyrocketed”, rising by 200% or £1,400…
Welsh Parliament votes to end tax relief for private schools in Wales
The Welsh Parliament voted to scrap charitable business rates relief for private schools. From April, private schools in Wales will no longer be eligible for charitable relief but an exception will be introduced for independent special schools. Of…
Senedd rejects calls for independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation
Senedd members rejected calls for a Wales-wide independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation by so-called grooming gangs, supporting plans for an audit instead. The Conservatives’ Altaf Hussain backed a campaign led by Emily Vaughn, not her real name, a…
Calls for 60,000 new social homes amid housing crisis
A committee called for Wales to build an estimated extra 60,000 social homes to begin to catch up to comparable countries across Europe. Labour’s John Griffiths, who chairs the Senedd’s housing committee, said increasing the supply of social housing…
Senedd sets out next steps in multi-million-pound search for offices in Cardiff Bay
The Senedd has set out the next steps in its multi-million-pound search for offices in Cardiff Bay, with a final decision expected by the end of this year. Elin Jones, the Senedd’s speaker or Llywydd, outlined three options: staying…