“Common Ground” in Cardiff: Plaid Cymru and the Green Party announce new electoral alliance

• Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have announced the formation of a new electoral alliance for Cardiff.
•  “The challenges facing our capital city are urgent and require new ways of thinking” says leader of Wales Green Party
• Joint manifesto will feature protecting and enhancing green spaces, fairer housing, tackling the climate crisis, and giving real democratic power to communities.

Plaid Cymru and the Green Party have today announced the formation of a new electoral alliance for next year’s council elections in Cardiff.

In what is a ground-breaking development for elections in Cardiff, campaigners have announced that the alliance will work together as a single united party across the city’s wards heading towards election day.

Protecting and enhancing public green spaces, fairer housing, tackling the climate crisis, and giving real democratic power to communities will feature in a joint manifesto, to be launched later in the year.

The initiative has emerged from common concerns  amongst party members and campaigners in the capital city, calling for a more progressive and inclusive approach to local decision-making. The alliance embraces independent grassroots activists from outside of Plaid Cymru and the Green Party, who share common ground with the parties on vital campaign issues in the city.

Work is now underway to set up joint slates of candidates across the city in order to provide a positive electoral alternative to the incumbent city administration.

Anthony Slaughter, Wales Green Party leader, said

“Working together with others to bring this exciting alliance together ahead of next year’s Cardiff Council elections has been inspiring. At a time of Climate and Environmental Emergency and growing inequality, ‘Business as Usual’ politics is failing our communities at every level of government. 

Warm words and vague ambitions from elected representatives are no longer enough as Cardiff suffers from an increasing loss of invaluable public green spaces, inappropriate over development and planning decisions all so often skewed against the needs of the communities impacted. 

Wales Green Party believes that power and decision making should always be devolved to the most appropriate local level, and we believe that this alliance on areas of common ground will give Cardiff voters an opportunity to vote for real change and genuine community representation.

The challenges facing our capital city are urgent and require new ways of thinking. This working together, cooperative ‘grown up’  politics is the change that is needed.”

Rhys ab Owen MS, who has taken part in discussions to form the alliance, commented:

“Plaid Cymru in Cardiff is proud to be part of this announcement of a new political alliance in our capital city. This new electoral alternative can be the change that Cardiff needs, offering communities a fresh political voice by standing under a single joint name on the ballot paper.

 This is about recognising common ground between our parties and campaigners, and working together to do politics in a new and more co-operative way, recognising the need for a new political force that will protect and nurture everything that is good about Cardiff, and which will meet the challenge of the climate crisis and the reckless and faceless over-development we’re seeing in parts of the city.

We are actively reaching out to those from outside of politics who might share our values and can make a difference.”

Those wishing to join the campaign are invited to get in touch at post@commonground.cymru.