After a long period of debates, hustings, televised discussions and community conversations, Wales now has a new Government. As a community‑led movement and social enterprise working at the heart of communities across north-west Wales, we want to take this moment to congratulate Plaid Cymru on their success.
But as people across the country recognise, the real work begins now. For DEG and GwyrddNi, it is essential that the new Government not only stands by its manifesto commitments, but goes further, ensuring that communities in Wales are properly supported to lead the transition to a fairer, greener and more resilient future
At DEG, we are known for our deep, long‑standing connections with communities across north-west Wales, supporting people to generate renewable energy, use energy more efficiently, and ensure that the benefits of that work stay local. As the host organisation for the GwyrddNi movement, we see every day how powerful community‑led climate action can be when it is properly supported.
We are therefore encouraged to see elements of this vital work reflected in the manifesto commitments set out by Plaid Cymru as the incoming Government, including:
- Support for community energy and local ownership: recognising the role communities can play in shaping a fairer energy system.
- A more ambitious Net Zero target of 2040: signalling intent to accelerate Wales’s transition.
- A proposed Wales Wealth Fund: with the potential to reinvest renewable energy profits back into communities.
- Backing for community right to buy: strengthening local control over land and assets.
- Emphasis on local procurement and Welsh‑owned businesses: keeping value circulating within our communities.
- Alignment with the Well‑being of Future Generations Act: ensuring climate action supports long‑term social, cultural and economic wellbeing.
These are meaningful steps in the right direction for the kind of work we see every day across rural north‑west Wales. Work that shows how climate action can strengthen communities, reduce vulnerability and build local resilience.
While these commitments mark a welcome shift in the right direction, both our own experience and the clear calls from across the community‑energy and climate sector in Wales show that further measures are still needed for community‑led climate action to truly flourish:
- A Community Energy Act: to embed local ownership in law and give communities the long‑term certainty they need to invest and lead.
- Clarity on mechanisms such as the Natural Resources Levy: ensuring that revenue‑raising tools genuinely benefit the communities hosting renewable generation
We note that the new administration has opted not to appoint dedicated ministers for climate, environment and wildlife, instead incorporating these areas into an already substantial rural brief. Together with our partners across Wales, we will continue to champion the delivery of manifesto promises and emphasise how a dedicated minister for the environment would strengthen the Government’s ability to realise its commitments.
As long‑standing advocates for communities across north‑west Wales, we welcome the opportunity to work with the new Government to support the delivery of these commitments. DEG’s work, and the wider GwyrddNi movement, has always centred on multisolving: ensuring that economic resilience, community wellbeing, environmental stewardship and cultural vitality reinforce one another. We will continue to press for policies that make this integrated approach easier, clearer and more achievable for rural communities, and we stand ready to work with Ministers, officials and partners to turn these ambitions into tangible benefits for the people of north‑west Wales.