Wrexham's Member of Parliament urges First Minister hopefuls to ditch the Welsh Government’s 20mph policy
Sarah Atherton MP has written to both candidates hoping to become Wales’ next First Minister to call on them to repeal the Welsh Government’s 20mph policy.
This Saturday (16th March), either Vaughan Gething or Jeremy Miles will be elected as Welsh Labour leader.
However, the winner will not become First Minister until their predecessor, Mark Drakeford, has resigned, after which point, there will be a vote in the Senedd before a formal appointment by the King.
In her letter to both candidates, which can be viewed below, Wrexham’s Member of Parliament commented on the cost of implementing the policy, estimated to be within the region of £32 million, in addition to the cost to the Welsh economy, which is forecasted to be around £4.5 billion.
Ms Atherton has been a vocal opponent of the new default speed limit since the policy’s conception. Prior to publicly urging Mr Gething and Mr Miles to perform a u-turn, Ms Atherton, who has been surveying residents on their views regarding the policy, has also led an anti-20mph rally in Wrexham.
Wrexham’s MP has also met with the Chief Executive at Wrexham Council to advocate for exemptions to be proportionately applied to roads with a reduced speed limit. However, the local authority is refusing to take any further action until a new First Minister is in office.
Although Ms Atherton has maintained that a 20mph speed limit is appropriate around areas such as schools and hospitals, she has argued that the record-breaking petition calling on the Welsh Government to rescind the 20mph policy – which has attracted almost 470,000 signatures – cannot be ignored by Ministers in Cardiff Bay.
Sarah Atherton MP commented:
“This weekend will provide a new opportunity for Welsh Labour to accept ownership of its mistakes and commit to undoing the damage that has been done as a result of its blanket 20mph policy.
“While both leadership candidates supported and voted in favour of the 20mph policy, the Welsh Government cannot continue covering its ears and ignoring the collective voice of the people of Wales, hoping that the noise will disappear.
“No longer can my constituents afford a Welsh Labour Government which prioritises a ruinously expensive and unpopular 20mph policy at the expense of elderly patients languishing in the back of ambulances; our roads left in a state of disrepair and our schools oversubscribed.
“Whoever the next First Minister is, the people of Wales deserve a leader who puts their priorities ahead of vanity projects, and that includes the 20mph default speed limit.”