Bangor Aberconwy General Election candidates answer our questions

We sent the same five questions to John Clark (Reform), Petra Haig (Green), Claire Hughes (Labour), Kathrine Jones (Socialist Labour Party), Steve Marshall (Climate Party), Robin Millar (Conservative), Rachael Roberts (Liberal Democrat) and Catrin Elen Wager (Plaid Cymru).

We gave all candidates a week to answer our questions and we have presented all the responses we received here for you, the voters, to consider before polling day on July 4.

Only the Conservative candidate and the Green candidate did not submit any response. 

The questions: 

Would you support retaining, abolishing or amending the 20mph default speed limit?

John Clark, Reform: We support abolishing the blanket 20mph speed limit across Wales. 

We would support councils reducing local speed limits where appropriate, for example outside schools, hospitals or at accident hotspots.

Claire Hughes, Labour: I think the approach that Ken Skates has taken is right. The overall goal of the 20mph default policy is to save lives and reduce casualties – not a single person I have spoken to since being selected as Labour's Parliamentary Candidate has disagreed with that. 

But there is a balance to be struck between road safety and making sure the speed limit on key routes and main roads is appropriate. So I support amending the 20mph default speed limit and, if elected on July 4th, will want to work with local authorities and residents to make sure we have the right speed limits on the right roads. 

Kathrine Jones, Socialist Labour Party: I understand why the 20mph speed limit was brought in, it was to protect people as at that speed if hit by a car more people would survive than at 30mph.

The Welsh government may be looking at some road changes so I would want to know their recommendations.

Steve Marshall, Climate Party: Retain and review - the data for the 20mph implementation is trending very positively on reduction in accidents and severity, a recent first quarter figure has quoted a £4m saving in emergency service resources.

Where I differ in position is around the way it was done. The local devolved decision-making for certain aspects created a disparity and discontent among those it impacted.

I would commit to a much clearer communication of the plan and the known objections but also link to the wider benefits and how the savings are then able to be used by those positively impacted. Not only the safety benefits but a reduction in toxins by over 8%, increasing air quality. 

Rachael Roberts, Liberal Democrat: We support 20mph speed limits in general due to the significant safety, societal, and economic benefits that 20mph zones have been shown to have.

But we also recognise how poorly it was implemented by the Senedd and local authorities. We are committed to empowering local authorities to review and resolve any issues with the current implementation to make our roads safer - and make sense!

Catrin Elen Wager, Plaid Cymru: While Plaid Cymru supports the principle of the introduction of the 20mph speed zone across roads in Wales in order to reduce the number of accidents and life-changing injuries, we believe that it was poorly implemented by the Labour Welsh Government. 

The changes were not well communicated and there are inconsistencies in the exemptions that have been applied. For example, Gwynedd, a wholly Plaid Cymru led authority, put in place 85 exemptions across the county. Gwynedd (Arfon in particular) had fewer signatures on the petition asking for 20mph to be rescinded than other areas of Wales, which suggests that while it may still need some adjustments, the approach there may have worked.

That’s why Plaid Cymru called for communities and councils to be supported in reviewing new limits, and seeking further exemptions if some new limits are deemed to be unreasonable in practice.  We support a review to ensure it is working successfully across Wales in reducing dangerous driving in urban areas. Lessons must be learned to ensure that the public understand the changes being made and involved in local decision-making. 

How would you help make it possible for young people to realistically become a homeowner in the local community?

John Clark, Reform: We will help young people to become homeowners by increasing their disposable income, decreasing the costs of mortgage repayments and providing economic stability.

We will do this by raising the tax threshold to £20,000. This will help every worker who earns over £12,570. Workers earning over £20,000 will save almost £1,500 per year on their tax bill.  We will also save households over £500 per year by lowering fuel duty by 20p per litre, removing VAT on energy bills and scrapping environmental levys. 

We do not support the idea that Britain unilaterally should achieve ‘Net-Zero’ carbon emissions by 2050. Under Reform UK fuel and energy costs will all be immediately reduced. This will lower inflation, which will give the Bank of England flexibility to lower interest back to reasonable rates, which means lower mortgage payments for young first-time buyers.

Our low tax policies for businesses and workers, are designed to create economic growth. A healthy and vibrant economy will give young workers employment stability and confidence in their income.

Claire Hughes, Labour: Day after day I speak to people on the doorstep who tell me their adult children are still living with them because although they're working full time, the dream of home ownership is completely out of reach. 

Wage growth over the past 14 years of a Conservative government in Westminster has been abysmal. At the same time, house prices here have soared. That's why my absolute focus will be on making work pay and attracting high-skilled, secure jobs to our area. 

This isn't a vague ambition. A Labour government will need to hit the ground running. We will introduce legislation in Parliament within 100 days of entering government to boost wages and make work more secure. We'll introduce a genuine Living Wage, ban exploitative zero-hours contracts and end fire and rehire. 

Labour will also create GB Energy - a clean energy developer funded by a proper windfall tax on energy giants. This will create 650,000 jobs around the UK by 2030 and I will fight tooth and nail to ensure young people in our area benefit. North Wales should be a global leader in the green energy revolution and I am committed to realising this potential.

Kathrine Jones, Socialist Labour Party: The most important thing is social housing, because young people need a secure home from which to plan their future. We need to end homelessness of young or older people. 

I understand the issue of homelessness, I worked in hostels for nine years and saw the multiple problems that cause it. The main problem is that housing is too expensive and there is not enough supply. It’s good the Welsh Government stopped the sale of council and housing association stock in 2019. 

There are many new social housing projects in this area and I would take a keen interest in them. More social housing helps lower house prices of for young people as supply meets demand.

Steve Marshall, Climate Party: The Climate Party's focus on a high-tempo drive to Net Zero 2030 will create the economic conditions for investment in both Wales and the wider UK. This will create opportunities for sustainability-focused jobs, enduring careers and wider Net Zero incentives focused on keeping the costs of home ownership lower and more consistently affordable. 

I would be strongly looking to attract a range of high-value investments here to North Wales in the form of tidal and potential green hydrogen options acting as a catalyst for the economic conditions to drive this accessibility. 

There is also a need to take a deeper dive into multiple home ownership to ensure that is not preventing early access to the market and take a detailed review of the local empty property registers. I would ensure pragmatic levers were being used to encourage meaningful occupancy, home and business-focused.

I'd champion forums to support the awareness of what home ownership costs and entails. These are not well-known and not always the right decision for everyone. 

Rachael Roberts, Liberal Democrat: Developments must have appropriate infrastructure, services and amenities. We will build 380,000 homes across the UK - homes that are warmer and cheaper to heat with a 10-year emergency upgrade programme, starting with free insulation and heat pumps for those on low incomes, and ensure that all new homes are zero-carbon.

We will be boosting the supply of social housing, to help ensure that people do not get left behind in the housing market due to high prices and lower wages. We also will support social renters, providing better protection such as time limits for repairs with tenant panels to give renters a voice in landlord governance.

We will work with the Senedd and provide the resources that we need to tackle the funding crisis that local authorities are facing, including providing multi-year settlements.

Catrin Elen Wager, Plaid Cymru: Plaid Cymru believes that everybody has the right to safe and affordable home in their community, and this should be the purpose of the housing system. 

However, the Tory mismanagement of the economy has seen an increase in mortgage rates while house prices continue to rise, making housing unaffordable. In Wales, the Welsh Labour Government have been far to slow taking action. 

Plaid Cymru believes that everybody has the right to a safe and affordable home in their community and this should be the purpose of the housing system. We will introduce a Right to Adequate Housing which will underpin this.
Plaid Cymru want to change the planning system so that we build more of the houses that are needed in our communities, including for young people. We also want to build more social housing so that there are more options available.

To do this we will access a mixture of public and private funding streams and working with communities to provide the correct mix of housing across Wales.

What would be your first significant local change on day one as an elected MP?

John Clark, Reform: One of the most significant changes Reform UK would immediately make is to raise the corporation tax threshold to £100,000.

Currently, a company that enjoys £100,000 in profit is liable for £22,750 corporation tax. Under Reform UK's proposals, a company earning £100,000 in profit will be liable for zero corporation tax.

As Welsh companies typically enjoy less profit than the national average, our new corporation tax threshold will benefit Welsh businesses as much or more than anywhere else.

Businesses in Wales will keep more of their money, which means they can be more competitive, whilst still maintaining a profit. That means businesses will be able to invest more – employ more people, train staff, improve production and explore new profit centres. As businesses become more successful they will grow, which, over time, will lead to more tax revenue.

Welsh business has been declining for far too long as a result of being overtaxed and underappreciated. Reform UK will make work pay and revitalise Welsh business and industry.

Claire Hughes, Labour: Bangor Aberconwy is a new and diverse constituency, taking in the University city of Bangor, seaside towns like Conwy and Llandudno as well as our rural communities across the Conwy Valley, parts of rural Denbighshire and back around the A5. 

People and businesses across the whole of Bangor Aberconwy deserve an approachable, accessible, responsive MP who is committed to listening and standing up for them on the issues that matter. 

It is really important to me to ensure that every community feels included and able to help shape a brighter future for our area - where young people feel hopeful and our potential is fully realised. A future where our Welsh language, culture and devolution agreement is respected. 

I want to build on the work that the Welsh Government is already doing to revitalise our local economies, supporting vibrant communities and local people to develop skills for the future. For me, this means taking a partnership approach and getting out there as quickly as possible to meet with community groups, farmers, unions, businesses, education providers, third-sector organisations and all levels of Government and making sure people know how and where they can reach me.

Kathrine Jones, Socialist Labour Party: If I was elected as a Socialist Labour Party MP I would acknowledge that it would be because a huge number of people in this area want and demand real change and accountability. 

I think to proceed in a manner which acknowledges that is the most significant change I could make on the first day.

Steve Marshall, Climate Party: Leading those we serve, keep in touch, relevant and aware. 

I would create a cross-government and regional collaboration group, I would make sure that those in positions of leadership and responsibility are in touch with those they serve and maintain a real-time focus on the impact decisions and policies are having. Making sure the lived experience of politics is clearly understood and represented honestly in Westminster. 

Rachael Roberts, Liberal Democrat: Tackling the cost of living crisis is of the highest priority to me. In one day, I would begin the process of implementing our windfall tax on the profits of the oil and gas companies.

Of course, on day one, I would also be taking the time to thank my wonderful team, the local communities across Bangor Aberconwy and reaching out to all of the local authorities so that we can straight away get connected and begin working together to better the lives of people in Bangor Aberconwy.

Catrin Elen Wager, Plaid Cymru: I think it’s important to be honest and say that no one will be able to change things overnight when elected as an MP.  But my first steps will be to ensure that I am accessible to all residents in the new constituency of Bangor Aberconwy.

I have spent the past year knocking on doors speaking to people about their concerns, and I want to keep that conversation going should I be elected – it’s so important that an MP listens and acts on what is important to the people they represent.

I’ve had so many important concerns raised with me already and I’m deeply moved by some of the experiences people have shared with me.  If I could wave a magic wand and change things overnight, I would want to grant local access to essential health services, and tackle child poverty.  Unfortunately, these aren’t things I can change quickly, but they are things I will not give up on if elected MP for Bangor Aberconwy.

What would you do to tackle the amount of sewage being released into local waterways?

John Clark, Reform: In times of heavy rain, our drainage system cannot cope, so untreated sewage is routinely discharged into our waterways by design. This is not a new problem that can be solved with repairs.

Investment is required for an upgraded drainage system, with the capacity, to keep drainage water separate from sewage, in any weather. 

By scrapping net-zero objectives and subsidies, Reform UK will make huge savings for public finances, enabling infrastructure upgrade projects. We will prioritise investing in infrastructure over ideologically driven nonsense. For efficiency, we will merge the National Infrastructure Commission and the Infrastructure Bank to create a single government infrastructure funding stream.

In addition to upgrading our drainage system, we need more rigorous monitoring of unnecessary dumping of sewage into our rivers during times when there is no excessive rain. If water companies contaminate our waterways unnecessarily, they should be legally prosecuted with executives held accountable for malfeasance.

Claire Hughes, Labour: We all have a shared interest in improving our river health across Wales and it is vital we continue to take a collaborative approach with Government, regulators and all relevant sectors working together. 

In Wales, three times as many rivers achieve a ‘good’ ecological status than in England and 98% of designated bathing waters meet stringent environmental standards. But we know there’s much more to be done. Our rivers are under immense pressure from a range of challenges. 

The Welsh Labour Government is leading the charge, through £40m of funding to drive improvements and pioneering the River Pollution Summits to bring sectors together to tackle all sources of pollution. The Better River Quality Taskforce, nutrient management boards and River Summits, which are chaired by the First Minister bring all stakeholders together to tackle all sources of pollution.

Locally, we need a collaborative approach including community groups, farming unions, residents, regulators and Government. As your Labour MP, I would convene a Water Quality Roundtable to meet and facilitate the sharing of information and do whatever necessary to hold stakeholders to account.

Kathrine Jones, Socialist Labour Party: I would want to know where sewage is being released in waterways in this area and why.

Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water is a not-for-profit essential service so any fault in environmental standards shouldn’t be about cost-cutting for shareholder profits. If there is a problem with maintenance or infrastructure then we need to know.

Steve Marshall, Climate Party: I would lead a steering group to set a clear line that this is a never event. 

Working with pan-industry and local authorities to inform the legislation, technology and control measures to prevent this going forward. This would inform the right balance of solutions to create the outcome. 

Rachael Roberts, Liberal Democrat: I’m a massive nature lover - so I am on a mission to make the water companies work for us and our shared environment, not just their own profits.

We will mandate all water companies to publish accessible real-time data on any sewage they dump and introduce a Sewage Tax on water company profits, applying an additional 16% tax on their profits. We will also be setting legally binding targets to prevent sewage dumping into bathing waters and highly sensitive nature sites by 2030. 

I believe that with strong legislation, and with the help of nature-based solutions, we can solve the ongoing issue of sewage dumping.

Catrin Elen Wager, Plaid Cymru: The way in which the water industry has failed is an absolute disgrace. Control of water in Wales by our Senedd would allow us to set higher environmental standards on water quality and lower prices where possible. 

The current scandal should not be allowed to be repeated. In order to achieve this, we would fully align the control of water with Wales’s territorial borders and request powers over the licensing of sewage in Wales to clean up our beaches and rivers.

A recent study has shown almost 2,000 children's centres have closed down in the UK since 2010. What vital early years support would you offer to families who need it and how would you fund it?

John Clark, Reform: The government should conduct a review of the children’s centre programme to confirm its importance and purpose, to help prioritise resources.

Children’s centres should focus on their original purpose, which is to promote child and family development primarily for the 0-5 age group. Children’s centres should be linked to local nurseries or primary schools. Children centres should not be used to provide social and preventative care to a wider age group.

Providing excellent children's centres must be a priority in Wales, it is impossible to overstate their value as support for parents and to help young people's early development. 

In Wales, the funding of children's centres is a devolved issue. Despite Welsh Government budgets constantly increasing over the last 10 years, there always seems to be less money for front-line services like children's centres. We must ask hard questions, is the Welsh Government spending our money efficiently?
Also, we should consider means-testing free admission to children's centres and for the provision of school meals.

We cannot allow dogma to hamper the delivery of crucial services to our children from disadvantaged circumstances. Many well-off parents in Wales can easily afford to pay for their children's care and school meals.

Claire Hughes, Labour: The Welsh Labour Government is committed to supporting children – and their families – throughout their first 1,000 days to give them the best start in life.

We have spent 14 years seeking to mitigate the worst impacts of the Conservatives’ failure to tackle intolerable levels of poverty in Welsh society. But two Labour governments working together will be able to do so much more to tackle poverty and support families across Wales and Britain.

We know that high-quality early education and childcare is vital to giving children the best start in life and helping them fulfil their potential. It also supports parents back into work. The Welsh Labour Government is supporting children and families by continuing to expand childcare for two-year-olds through the Flying Start programme – including in Welsh-language settings – and by providing 30 hours of funded childcare a week for up to 48 weeks a year for eligible parents of three and four-year-olds through our Childcare Offer.

The Childcare Offer is also available to parents in training and education, and to foster carers and kinship carers. Supporting children in the early part of their life also means giving parents the flexibility they need to care for their children. Labour will review the parental leave system within our first year in UK government to consider the contribution of parental leave in a growing economy.

Kathrine Jones, Socialist Labour Party: The closure of nearly 2000 children’s centres since 2010 shows the failure of Conservative Governments and their harsh austerity policy. 

Military expenditure is over £57 billion a year, in that time over £21 billion was spent on the Trident submarines and nuclear weapons. Plans are being made for Trident replacement, we estimate at a cost of £205 billion. 

This money should be spent on the NHS, social housing and all the welfare we need, that includes children’s centres. People are questioning money being poured into these endless wars at the expense of our health and welfare. We need to look at fairer funding for Wales beyond the Barnet Formula.

The Welsh government have said they want a needs-based system with a consistent fiscal framework. That is a something we need to work on in the Westminster Parliament.

Steve Marshall, Climate Party: I would utilise a coalition approach across the range of local authorities and service providers to ensure a more clear and compelling early years programme. From my lived experience, the current system can be very confusing and not well explained. 

Wales has a huge natural environment advantage in supporting early development yet very few programmes that bring this to life for its community in an accessible and family-focused way, particularly focused initially on 0-3 yrs. 
A funding review is needed to simplify funding streams and enable a clearer layered approach for fund outcomes. 

Rachael Roberts, Liberal Democrat: Financially speaking, parenthood is becoming harder and harder for people of my generation, and younger. We will double the statutory maternity and shared parental pay to £350 a week and introduce an extra use-it-or-lose-it month for fathers and partners, who will be paid 90% of their earnings. We would make all parental pay and leave day-one rights and extend them to self-employed parents.

We would invest in our schools and teachers to support the new Curriculum for Wales and restore free school meals during the school holidays, giving Welsh Government the resources to extend them to all primary school children the public finances allow.

We plan to fund this, and more, by making taxes fairer. To do this, we will invest £1 billion a year into HMRC, providing jobs to tackle tax avoidance and narrow the £36 billion annual tax Narrow the £36 billion annual tax gap, increasing the Digital Services Tax on social media firms and other tech giants from 2% to 6%, as well as a proper windfall tax on oil and gas super-profits.

The Liberal Democrats will also be appointing a Cabinet Minister for Children and Young People. It is a needed to position if we are going to prioritise the needs of families and young children.

Catrin Elen Wager, Plaid Cymru: For more than a decade, Conservative cuts through austerity have reduced public services. Obviously, children’s services are devolved, but we have seen similar cuts from Labour in Cardiff because Wales lacks the fair funding that would give us the public services we deserve.

Plaid’s vision is for a national and free early years education and childcare service, Meithrin Cymru, providing high quality provision for children aged 12 months until they are eligible for full time education. 

Plaid Cymru have already secured free school meals for all primary age children as part of the co-operation agreement with Welsh Labour in the Senedd.  We want to see this rolled out to secondary school pupils as well, to ensure that every child in Wales receives a nutritious, healthy meal at lunchtime and to help families with the cost of living crisis.  

We also want to help 330,000 Welsh families to deal with the cost of living crisis by increasing Child Benefit by £20 per week. This will take 60,000 children out of poverty in Wales.  I would campaign tirelessly to scrap the two child cap on benefits, which would   improve the financial situation of over 1 million children, something which should be a priority, but shamefully isn’t for either the Tories or Labour.  

Giving our children the best start in life is a priority for Plaid Cymru, and to finance it we are demanding fair funding from Westminster.  This includes securing the £4bn owed to Wales from HS2, demanding a fair funding system for Wales, based around our needs, and ensuring Wales benefits from our fantastic natural resources by devolving the Crown Estate (and any profits that come from it) to Wales.