Dawn Bowden MS, Welsh Labour’s Member of the Senedd for Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney, has welcomed the progress the Welsh Labour Government has made in delivering on many of its key pledges to the people of Wales in last year’s Senedd election.

Since May 2021, the Welsh Labour Government has hit the ground running in delivering on its manifesto promises to people in Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney.

Welsh Labour’s 6 key pledges form as part of the plan to help us recover from the pandemic and build a stronger, fairer, greener Wales.

Significant progress has been made so far in delivering those pledges. This includes:

• Recovery after Covid – putting in place the biggest ever catch-up-programme for our schools and NHS, with £1bn invested in the NHS.
• A Young Person’s Guarantee – giving every young person under the age of 25 a guaranteed offer of a job or a place in education, training or help to start their own business, ensuring there is no lost generation in Wales following the pandemic. The Young Person’s Guarantee was officially launched in November 2021.
• A Fair Deal for Care – giving our amazing care staff who helped us through the pandemic a fair deal at work with the guarantee of the Real Living Wage, from April 2022.
• A Greener Country – taking action for future generations and making Wales a greener country by creating a National Forest for Wales to run the length and breadth of Wales. The Infrastructure Investment Strategy supports the creation of a National Forest, and improves access to landscapes and outdoor recreation through investment in designated landscapes and the development of the Wales Coast Path, National Trails and Public Rights of Way network. In total more than £153m will be spent to support Wales’s nature and environment.
• Safer Communities – helping to keep our communities safe by putting 100 more Police Community Support Officers on our streets, funding 600 in total across Wales – most of whom are already on the beat.
• New Jobs for Wales – creating thousands of new jobs in a low carbon house building revolution, including building 20,000 new low carbon social homes for rent. The first new homes have already been built.

Despite the challenges from the Coronavirus pandemic over the last year, the Welsh Labour Government has worked hard to successfully implement the key commitments as part of our ambitious manifesto.

Welcoming the progress, Dawn Bowden MS said:

“During the Senedd election I promised to move Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney forward. One year on, we have already witnessed great progress, just one year on. As the hard work continues, I am determined that no one will be left behind and no one will be held back.

“The election results were clear – you put your faith in Mark Drakeford and Welsh Labour to continue leading the response to the pandemic and to lead Wales out of it too.  Our manifesto and key pledges set out how we’d help our learners catch up, help people into new jobs, restore capacity in the NHS and help our industries and businesses prepare for the opportunities that lie ahead.

“As a united Welsh Labour team, we are determined to build a stronger, fairer, greener, and ever more successful Wales. The progress we have made in delivering our six key pledges is already making a difference in our communities. I’m looking forward to doing my bit to carry on the hard work on behalf of the people of Merthyr Tydfil & Rhymney, who it has been a great honour and privilege to serve over the last six years.