BACK TO TOP

Recommendations for the New Welsh Government

The legacy of coal remains written into our land and the lives of communities still living beside abandoned mines and unrestored sites, perhaps nowhere more than the South Wales valleys. Wales can choose to lead the world in how it addresses this legacy. The new Welsh Senedd (parliament) has the chance to make Wales a global leader in post‑coal transformation. To do that, we are calling for all parties and Members of the Sendd to work together on a shared vision of restoration, innovation, and justice for the former coalfield communities of South Wales.  We made manifesto recommendations for a shared vision to all Senedd parties ahead of the 2026 election.

During their party conference, Plaid Cymru announced plans for their first hundred days of Government, should they win the Welsh election. Having now formed the Government, we hope to work with them, and other Members of the Senedd, to achieve some of those priorities. Here we have outlined three opportunities which will help them to do that.

POLICY NEWS

We don’t need to set fire to our future to keep warm this winter

We sometimes hear from people that they are worried coal may be a necessary evil to keep us warm this winter. But the worst effects of this energy crisis was, and to some extent is, avoidable. Low-hanging fruit include home insulation, community-owned renewable energy generation, and an effective windfall tax…

“Scotland … has drawn a line, the era of coal is over”

The Scottish government has stated that the “era of coal is over”. Lorna Slater, Co-leader of the Scottish Greens, announced the preferred position against coal mining, for all types of coal. This is essentially a ban on coal mining in Scotland, similar to the one on fracking.

Coal extraction – call for evidence

oth Wales and Scotland has a long legacy of suffering the localised impacts of environmental blight and hazardous conditions of coal mining, with nearby communities rarely seeing a significant share of the economic benefits. Wales is still littered with unrestored or poorly restored coal mines. It was reported that only this year are…

Energy capacity market consultation response

We are concerned that the 2024 coal phase-out date is being used by the UK Government to deflect criticism for its support of using coal up until that date, when what we need is the most rapid phase-out of coal that is possible as the UK careers further from its climate targets…

CONNECT WITH US

Share now: