At First Minister’s Questions today, Leader of the Welsh Conservative Darren Millar MS challenged the First Minister on Labour’s continued failures across Wales’ transport network.
From sky-high subsidies to delayed and scrapped projects, the Labour Government’s mismanagement of transport is costing the taxpayer dearly, while delivering little in return.
- Transport for Wales (TfW) currently faces a £300 million deficit, propped up by Welsh Government funding. This follows a £125 million bailout the previous year, due to collapsing passenger numbers.
- Labour spent over £150 million on the M4 Relief Road before scrapping the project entirely, leaving taxpayers out of pocket and motorists still stuck in congestion around the Bryn Glas tunnels.
- The default 20mph speed limit, which cost £32 million to implement, has been overwhelmingly unpopular and is projected to hit the Welsh economy by up to £9 billion.
- Cardiff Airport, nationalised by Labour in 2013, has already cost taxpayers nearly £200 million, with another £205 million allocated over the next decade, starting with a £20 million instalment in April, despite dwindling passenger numbers.
Commenting, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar MS said:
“Labour’s record on transport is plain to see: A loss-making nationalised airport in Cardiff, a poorly performing nationalised rail operator and vital road projects scrapped.
“They cancelled the M4 relief road after wasting over £150 million and the few new roads they’ve delivered arrived years late and over budget. To top it off, their anti-motorist agenda led to the biggest petition in Welsh history sparked by their deeply unpopular 20mph speed limit.
“This Labour Government is holding Wales back. Whether it’s planes, trains, or automobiles, Labour is failing on them all.”
