Lib Dems call for fair treatment for Wales on railway investment

The Liberal Democrats have tabled an amendment to the Westminster government's Railways Bill calling for the full devolution of rail powers to Wales, reports Nation Cymru.

Both the Lib Dems and Plaid Cymru argue that Wales is losing out on billions of pounds of railway investment because some projects based entirely in England, such as the Oxford to Cambridge reopening, are often classified as "England and Wales" schemes.

Nation Cymru quotes David Chadwick, the Welsh Lib Dems' Westminster spokesperson and MP for  said: 

"Wales has been treated as an afterthought when it comes to rail for far too long. While Scotland has the powers to plan, fund and deliver its own rail network, Wales is left with crumbs and warm words by both Labour and the Conservatives.

"This amendment is about fairness. It would give Wales the same control Scotland already has and stop us losing out on billions of pounds for rail projects that don’t even touch Welsh soil.

"If the Government is serious about treating Wales as an equal partner in the Union, it should back this amendment."

The other day I was wondering in a jaundiced sort of way when I'd last seen a news story about the Lib Dems in Wales that didn't concern farming, so I'm pleased to see them taking up this excellent cause.

It's the lack of taxes on land that's causing small farmers a problem

I used to believe that the most damaging intellectual errors were essentialism and reification. These days I'm inclined to think that alliteration trumps them both.

Over the holidays I saw two Liberal Democrat MPs calling for the total abolition of the "Family Farm Tax" or the "Unfair Family Farm Tax". And the Welsh Lib Dems have just called for that too.

Here's David Chadwick, the Lib Dem MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, quoted in the Abergavenny Chronicle:

"The Liberal Democrats were the first to call out and oppose the unfair family farm tax in last year's budget and we have been proud to stand alongside our Welsh farming communities to campaign against it ever since."

"This is about fairness and security, if we undermine Welsh farming, then we also undermine our ability to provide the country with the food we need to keep us secure in an uncertain world and to build a healthy nation.

"Despite this welcome change, many Welsh family farms will still find themselves crippled, with incomes barely at minimum wage levels. The Liberal Democrats still believe this unfair tax should be scrapped in full and will be submitting amendments in the new year to try to do so."

 David puts his finger on farmers' central complaint. It's that the value of farmland has lost all connection with the income that can be derived from it. This means that small farms fear they would have to sell land or buildings to pay inheritance tax, though even before the government's recent concessions, farmers had been granted significant exemptions.

But why has the value of farmland loss any connection with farm incomes? The answer is that the generous treatment of landholdings in recent decades has led to land being used as a tax shelter. So it's the absence of inheritance or other taxes on land that has caused the problem farmers most complain about.

Here's Bio-Waste Spreader in the new Private Eye:

Has the government really "climbed down" or "U-turned", as opposition parties claim? The tax was never intended to raise much revenue (about £500m per annum) but instead act as a deterrent to ultra-high net worth individuals (think James Dyson and Jeremy Clarkson) buying farmland because it was exempt from IHT [Inheritance Tax]. 

On farmland estates where the net worth of more than £2.5m, a 20 per cent IHT charge will continue to apply from April (the Treasury estimates that raising the tax threshold will only cost the government about £130m). So the ending of farmland's exemption from IHT will help deter super wealthy individuals from driving up prices to the point where real farmers can't afford to buy land. An initiative the Eye has consistently supported.

And, for what it's worth, it's one this blog supports too.

Threat to the future of the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal

There's worrying news of a threat to the future of a beautiful Welsh waterway:

Welsh Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe David Chadwick has challenged the Welsh Government, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Natural Resources Wales over plans to limit the water supply to the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal.

The Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal relies heavily on water abstractions from the River Usk, which runs alongside the canal for much of its length, providing over 80% of the water required.

The canal was originally exempt from rules governing abstraction from the Water Resources Act 1991, but in 2017 this exemption was removed. Now, Natural Resources Wales are looking to enforce limits on how much water may be abstracted from the Usk. ...

The Canal and River Trust now has to pay for the extra water they use to keep the canal alive, but do not have any new income to pay for it with the annual cost possibly in excess of £1m a year.

That was posted on the Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe Lib Dem's website a month ago, and there does not seem to have been any breakthrough in the talks between the authorities involved.

A couple of days ago Nation Cymru quoted Mark Evans from Glandŵr Cymru, the body that looks after canals in Wales:

"Our charity acted to safeguard the much-loved canal over the summer months, with additional water purchased from Welsh Water. This is whilst an affordable long-term solution is found - which will need the collective help of Welsh Water, the Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales.

"As an emergency measure we have diverted money away from planned maintenance and repairs across our canal network to secure a water supply this summer.  However, it isn’t sustainable for our charity to bear this cost alone."

Given that the canal is now more than two centuries old, you wonder whether its continued health is now as important as that of the River Usk. We don't begrudge protecting the Norfolk Broads because they are flooded medieval peat workings.

Anyway, I ought to declare an interest here. The picture above shows the canal at Llanfoist Wharf near Abergavenny, and I had a very happy week's holiday with a cousin of my mother's at Llanfoist when I was 14. That week is in part responsible for my love of the landscapes of the Welsh border.

The canal around Llanfoist and its tramways were the setting for Alexander Cordell's novel The Rape of the Fair Country - a sort of poor Welshman's version of How Green Was My Valley.

Welsh Lib Dems attack Labour over cuts to rail services in North and Mid Wales

The Liberal Democrats have attacked the Labour government in Cardiff over proposed cuts to services on the Cambrian and Heart of Wales railway lines.

Herald Wales reports that:

Under proposals by government-owned Transport for Wales, services on the Heart of Wales line will be cut from five trains a day to four. They are also removing the two late evening services to Llandovery and Llandrindod Wells.

On the Cambrian Line, TfW will cut four services between Machynlleth and Pwllheli (two in each direction).

Promises for an hourly service on the Cambrian Line between Aberystwyth and Shrewsbury ... have also been scaled back and will only be in place for four months of the year when they finally commence in summer 2026.

The paper quotes criticism of the cuts by two leading Welsh Lib Dems. Senedd Member Jane Dodds said:

"At a time where we should be encouraging rail usage and adding extra services, Labour is allowing Transport for Wales to make sweeping cuts to services in rural areas. It is an appalling state of affairs. 

"While services in South Wales are being increased, North and Mid Wales are facing cutbacks. Year after year we see the same story from Labour in Cardiff Bay. 

"I am appealing to the Labour First Minister Eluned Morgan, who represents Mid & West Wales in the Senedd, to intervene directly to stop these cuts."

And the Lib Dem MP for Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, added:

"These cuts from Labour are an absolute disgrace.

 "You have Labour on the one hand telling people they need to use their cars less, but on the other hand, they are cutting public transport options. The two things don’t go together. It’s a ridiculous situation that shows how poorly they understand rural communities.

"We need more reliable and more frequent rail services across Mid Wales, not less. Access to public transport is vital for increasing economic investment and employment, supporting our tourist industry and attracting highly skilled workers like GPs to work in our communities."

This is a good point to send you to a guest post by Eric Loveland Heath on singing the songs of the Cambrian Railway.