8. Plaid Cymru Debate: Air Pollution

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:07 pm on 5 February 2020.

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Photo of Neil McEvoy Neil McEvoy Independent 5:07, 5 February 2020

Nobody can disagree with this motion, but the issue is that Labour Government policies are causing—and I say, present tense, are causing—air pollution. If we look at local development plans right across Wales, just take one, the Cardiff local development plan, for an example. That plan, passed by the council, nothing done about it here in this Senedd, is putting 10,000 extra cars on one single carriageway—one single road—Llantrisant Road in Cardiff West. There will be 10,000 extra cars every single day if that full development plan goes ahead.

Now, LDPs are Government policy. There has been no change. Unfortunately, when Plaid Cymru were in Government, they were responsible for signing off the most ridiculous—the most ridiculous—population figures, allowing the roll-out of LDPs right across Wales. So, both parties, neither of them have a clean pair of hands there.

This seems—[Interruption.] No, sorry. This seems to be a typical motion from the Labour-Plaid cartel in Welsh politics, because what we are talking about here—and it is a cartel. It is a cartel. Labour has run this country for the last 20 years, sometimes with the help—[Interruption.] It would not surprise me at all if the aim, next time around, would be to run it with you guys in coalition.

The main thing here is that we need Government policies that do not cause air pollution—that do not cause air pollution. If one of the AMs from Cardiff want to contribute, I'll give way through the Chair, if she allows, and maybe explain to the people of this country why they've not opposed the local development plans that have gone through in the most outrageous manner.

Ninety per cent of the people in this city did not want the Cardiff local development plan, but it went through. So, before we stand here and talk about air pollution and isn't it awful—of course it is—we really need to address the policies. Local development plans causing huge pollution should be dealt with, and they should be dealt with as a matter of emergency. You say there's a climate emergency—do something about it. Diolch yn fawr.