Image Source: Welsh Conservatives
Health & Social Care
The Conservatives would declare a health emergency, and would increase spending on health and social care – in real terms – every year of the next Senedd term (until 2030).
To address staffing, they would create an NHS Reserve service of volunteers to help during periods of peak demand and would also refund tuition fees for doctors, dentists and nurses who work in the Welsh NHS for at least five years.
To improve standards and accountability, they would establish a single Health & Social Care Inspectorate and a dedicated NHS Ombudsman.
On public health, the Tories would promote healthy eating and would support the use of vapes as a stop-smoking tool.
They would also commission an independent judge-led inquiry into the Welsh Government’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
One core policy is that nobody should have an “unacceptable” wait for treatment by the end of the Senedd term (2030). This includes a commitment that 12-hour waits in A&E department chairs are treated as “never events”. To back this up, they would introduce hospital performance ratings.
There’s a general commitment to review hospital capacity and increase the number of beds in general hospitals. They would establish a “21st Century Hospitals Fund” to build new hospitals and modernise existing ones.
They back the idea of surgical and diagnostic hubs. More specific local health promises include maintaining stroke services at Bronglais Hospital and surgery at Withybush Hospital.
The Tories would build four new community hospitals with minor injury units (including a new Rhyl Hospital), and would reopen closed community hospital wards to provide extra “step down” beds.
On cancer, the Tories want to create a cancer and rare disease treatment fund to fund costly new treatments. The Conservatives also support a prostate cancer screening programme.
There’s a commitment to increase the proportion of the health budget spent on primary care.
The Tories want a guarantee that patients won’t have to wait longer than 7 days for a GP appointment. This would be backed by a pilot to charge fees/fines for missed GP appointments. They would also print the cost of prescriptions to encourage responsible use and cut waste.
Like other parties, they want a greater role for community pharmacies so they can diagnose and treat/prescribe for more common conditions. The Conservatives would also guarantee annual NHS dental checkups (they don’t say treatment) for everyone.
There’s a pledge to increase spending on mental health in real terms for each year of the next Senedd term. They would also increase capacity for children and young people’s mental health services (CAMHS) and establish a network of mental health crisis centres.
The Conservatives would increase the capital limit (the amount a person can keep in savings/assets/property) to £75,000 for those seeking residential care. An independent commission would be established to consider long-term options for social care funding.
In addition to bringing in a Young Carers Card, the Tories promise to introduce an Autism and Learning Disability Bill to improve rights and set a clear pathway to diagnosis.
Education & Childcare
The Conservatives would increase school funding each year of the next Senedd term and introduce a national School Funding Formula. They would also seek to protect free home-school transport (but don’t say how).
They support Blairite school reforms in England being brought into Wales, including specialist schools in the arts, sports and science, and allowing Academy schools to be set up.
To raise standards, they would reintroduce SATS tests to primary schools. They also support unannounced school inspections and would introduce a fund to help more able pupils.
They would seek to widen out-of-hours community access to school facilities and guarantee access to outdoor educational experiences.
There are several pledges relating to school discipline. The Tories support a mobile phone ban in schools, a ban on under-16s using social media, and would introduce automatic expulsions for carrying weapons.
On parental choice, the Conservatives would bring back the right of parents to withdraw children from religious and sex education lessons. They would also ensure parents have a choice of either English or Welsh-medium education in every local authority.
The Tories would abolish the Welsh Baccalaureate.
They would also ensure parity between vocational and academic subjects (though don’t say how) and would introduce first aid training to all schools.
The Conservatives promise to create 125,000 apprenticeships by 2030.
The Conservatives would pilot £1,000 tuition fee discounts for students studying science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects at university. They would also seek to establish a STEM-focused Defence Academy in Wales.
Elsewhere, they would work with universities to introduce 2-year undergraduate degrees.
The Conservatives would introduce an annual payment of up to £4,800 to nominated grandparents who look after their grandchildren.
Like other parties, they support extending the free childcare to children aged 9 months.
Economy & Transport
There are several proposals here.
The headline-grabbing ones are pledges to cut the basic rate of income tax by 1p (to 19%), to scrap the overnight visitor levy (aka “tourist tax”) and to scrap Land Transaction Tax (aka stamp duty) on main homes.
They would seek to scrap business rates for pubs, “small firms” and post offices, as well as pilot business rate-free periods for new high street businesses.
One other pledge is to pilot a 5% VAT rate for tourist accommodation (which is a problem, as VAT isn’t devolved).
The Tories would re-establish the Welsh Development Agency to attract foreign investment. They would draft sector-specific growth strategies for energy, healthcare, tourism, defence, aerospace, agriculture and financial services.
As well as supporting measures to modernise the Welsh steel industry, they support establishing a manufacturing innovation centre in north-east Wales.
On tourism, the Tories would cut the 182-day occupancy rule for tourist lets to 105 days, as well as grant Visit Wales operational independence from the Welsh Government.
One of their main transport policies is to reverse the default 20 mph speed limit in built-up areas.
Echoing Reform, the Conservatives oppose any form of road charging. They would also build the M4 Newport bypass, the third Menai Crossing and dual the A40.
As well as extending free bus travel to 16-24 year olds and veterans, the Conservatives aim to “build resilience in the bus network” (but don’t say how).
They back electrification of the North Wales Mainline, with UK Government support. They would also seek to privatise Cardiff Airport, whilst prioritising air route development to/from North America.
Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs
The Tories seek to abolish Natural Resources Wales and replace it with a new environmental regulator.
On waste and recycling, the Conservatives would introduce Wales-wide rules for household recycling to ensure consistency. They would also seek to increase penalties for fly-tipping, dog fouling, littering and graffiti.
They back a UK approach to deposit return for bottles (no glass).
On planning, they would penalise developers who fail to deliver developments that have received planning permission.
There’s a focus on flooding. They would establish a National Flood Agency to coordinate flood risk management, establish “Blue Belts” to prevent building on flood plains and invest (unspecified amounts) in flood defences.
The Conservatives would ban new “industrial-scale” solar and onshore wind farms. They back a “bury first” approach to high voltage cables.
Elsewhere, they support nuclear energy projects at Wylfa and Trawsfynydd.
The Conservatives want to scrap the Sustainable Farming Scheme and replace it with a new scheme focused on food security. They would also scrap the all-Wales Nitrate Vulnerable Zone.
As well as promising to increase spending on agriculture by £100 million over the next Senedd term, they would campaign against changes to inheritance tax relating to farms.
Much like other parties, the Tories would change public procurement rules to advantage Welsh food producers.
Communities, Housing & Local Government
The Conservatives would review the number of councils and councillors.
They would require a referendum on council tax increases of 5% or more. This is alongside a review of the local government funding formula and the introduction of three-year budget planning periods for councils.
They would place more duties on councils. These include a requirement that potholes be repaired within 48 hours of being reported, and setting targets to provide wheelchair-accessible housing.
The Tories want to extend free car parking in town centres, and also want to increase the say that town and community councils have in the planning process.
The Tories would build 40,000 new homes by 2030 and would expand Help to Buy to cover all first-time buyers. In addition, they would work with the UK Government to give young workers a £5,000 tax rebate for their first job to help them save for their first home.
They would bring back the Right to Buy council homes and would prioritise veterans for social housing. The work of Rent Smart Wales would be reviewed.
They would seek to end the use of hotels and caravans as emergency housing for homeless households with children.
Like other parties, they would ban new leasehold properties and introduce commonhold as a replacement. They would also seek to introduce a Fire Safety Fund to cover the cost of fire safety work.
Two of their big policy ideas are to scrap the “Nation of Sanctuary” programme and hold an inquiry into “grooming gangs”.
The Conservatives would bring in an Older People’s Rights Bill and extend the powers of the Older People’s Commissioner. This would be backed by ministers with designated responsibility covering older people and veterans. They have an aim for Wales to become a “no cold calling” nation.
Like most of the other parties, they support a Community Ownership Fund to help “save threatened assets”. They would also support banking hubs in areas which have lost bank branches.
They would also make it a legal requirement to have female-only toilets and changing rooms in all public buildings, female-only wards in hospitals and female-only sports.
Culture & Country
They support St. David’s Day being a bank holiday in Wales, subject to UK Government approval. Other current policies they support include retaining free entry to museums and supporting Wrexham’s bid for City of Culture in 2029.
The Conservatives would also establish a National Military Museum and Welsh Sport Hall of Fame. Elsewhere, they would protect playing fields from development and look to deliver an Olympic-sized swimming pool in north Wales.
The Conservatives support the Six Nations remaining free-to-air on television.
They have a section on religion. The Conservatives want to hold an annual Faith Communities Conference and would provide grants to places of worship to reduce running costs.
The Conservatives support the target of 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050. One policy they also back is increasing the number of newly-trained Welsh-speaking teachers.
They want to ensure the Welsh Language Commissioner is appointed by the Senedd, not the Welsh Government.
In principle, they support S4C’s operational independence and would also support increased Senedd involvement in holding Welsh language broadcasters to account.
One of their big pledges is to repeal Senedd reforms, reducing the Senedd back to 60 members (from 96). They also rule out any further devolved powers to Wales.
They promise backroom reforms as part of their broad plans to “cut waste”. These include abolishing the post of Future Generations Commissioner, capping the number of Welsh Government ministers to 12, cutting ministerial pay by 10%, reducing the size of the civil service, and freezing all government salaries above £100,000 per year.
They also want to end Welsh Government spending on non-devolved matters, such as international development and foreign policy (overseas offices).
Overall Ranking
Each area is marked out of 5, giving a total score out of 20.
Costings
Do they explain how much their policies would cost and where the money would come from?
0/5
They offer limited information on how much certain policies would cost. For example, they expect a £20 million annual saving from cutting the number of Senedd members back to 60. Like Reform, they make big spending commitments without saying how they would pay for them, just very vague “savings” and “efficiencies” which wouldn’t come anywhere close to covering the cost of their shopping list. Any party proposing meaningful changes to income tax without showing their workings gets an automatic 0.
Clarity
How easy is their manifesto to understand? Do they make it clear what they want to do?
3/5
The manifesto is well-presented and easy to read for the most part. They make it clear what they would like to do. They could’ve reduced the number of bullet points and explained policy ideas in more detail. There’s some repetition, particularly on tourism and “cutting waste”. Apart from stuff about faith communities, “separatists” and protecting the Union, they laid off the dog whistling to a large degree (a pleasant surprise).
Practicality
Do they explain how they would deliver their promises in any detail? Do they say how long they would take?
3/5
In some areas, it’s clear they know what they’re talking about (farming, the hospitality sector), suggesting they have a plan. In other areas, the pledges are vague or performative (i.e. declaring a health emergency, “cutting waste”). There are some timescales and expectations/targets. There’s no way they would deliver all of this in a single four-year Senedd term. It’s unlikely they would get the 2/3rds majority needed to undo the Senedd reforms either.
Devo-Compatibility
Does the Senedd have the power to deliver their manifesto promises?
4/5
The vast majority of their pledges are within the Senedd’s devolved powers. However, they made a big error in proposing changes to the effective VAT in the hospitality/tourism sector (which is non-devolved).
OVERALL SCORE
10/20
There’s a lot of overlap with Reform, though the Conservative plans are a little more fleshed out. Given the great deal of focus the Tories put on “cutting waste”, more than any other party, they needed to prove – in hard numbers – that their savings match their (many) new spending commitments. They didn’t provide any figures, completely undermining their case. Weak stuff.
TL;DR: What stands out?
The Conservatives' Big Five Pledges
- Reversing the 20 mph default speed limit in built-up areas.
- Scrapping the Sustainable Farming Scheme.
- Scrapping land transaction tax (stamp duty) on main homes.
- Scrapping the Nation of Sanctuary programme.
- Cutting the number of Senedd members back to 60.
Five Unique Policies
- The Tories deserve praise for being the only party backing a prostate cancer screening programme. Where are the rest of you?
- They’re the only party that wants to abolish the Future Generations Commissioner.
- Scrapping the Welsh Baccalaureate. This isn’t as bad an idea as it sounds.
- The payment to grandparents who take on childcare responsibilities.
- A review of local government/number of councils, which was last undertaken in 2013 (nothing came of it; good luck).
Five Quirks
- Of the manifestos published by parties expected to win seats, this is the most hostile towards devolution, though not to the extent of wanting to abolish the Senedd. Reform may be hiding their intentions there, though.
- There’s a good chance that the only reason they’ll have any MSs elected this year will be down to Senedd expansion and the new voting system. Turkeys meet Christmas.
- They want to cut the size of the “Welsh state”, but propose expanding it again with a stand-alone NHS Ombudsman alongside a new environmental regulator (neither of which is a bad idea in itself).
- Printing the cost of prescriptions. The Conservatives have been chomping at the bit to bring back prescription charges, but can’t push it yet. So this is a clever move to build public support for it.
- They seemed to place a high importance on faith/religion than the other parties.
Five Bullshit Alarms
- Scrapping the Sustainable Farming Scheme months after it came into force sounds like a waste of time and money. I thought the Tories wanted to cut waste?
- Like Reform, if they’re going to stop Welsh Government spending in non-devolved areas, are they going to withhold the Welsh Government’s police funding (which makes up about a quarter of all policing funding in Wales) or support for veterans (defence isn’t devolved)?
- How would they be able to set local councils on a three-year budget cycle?
- There was a reason Cardiff Airport was taken into public ownership in the first place. If they would prefer to see it close to passengers because they don’t think it’s commercially viable anymore, at least be honest about it.
- Again, like Reform, how much would the Newport bypass cost, and where will the money come from?
Common Ground
What key policy plans do Conservatives share with the other main parties?
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Labour
Health & Social Care
- More clinical services from community pharmacists.
- Both want to cut NHS waiting times.
- Both want to promote healthy eating (by different means).
- Support for investment in new hospitals (though Labour are more specific).
- Supports quick access to mental health services (though they differ on how).
Education & Childcare
- Backs the principle of opening more school facilities to local communities.
- In principle, both support extending free childcare to 9-month-olds.
Economy & Transport
- Measures to protect the steel industry.
Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs
- Both support harsher penalties for fly-tipping.
- Supports nuclear energy (at Wylfa).
- Backs more food being bought from Welsh suppliers.
Communities & Local Government
- Both support maintaining or extending Help to Buy.
- Both want to end the use of B&Bs as temporary housing for homeless households with children.
- Both support some form of community right to buy scheme (though they differ in the method).
Culture & Country
- Both back Wrexham's 2029 City of Culture bid and retaining free entry to museums.
- Both support the 1 million Welsh-speakers target.
Plaid Cymru
Health & Social Care
- Both support some form of inquiry into the Welsh Government's Covid-19 response.
- Increased bed capacity in hospitals.
- Surgical and diagnostic hubs.
- Faster access to mental health care.
Education & Childcare
- Both support a review/protection of home-school transport.
- Want to start free childcare from 9 months.
Economy & Transport
- Both want to cut business rates for certain types of business (though they differ on which ones).
- Both want to create a WDA-style economic development agency.
Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs
- Support for some kind of flood response agency/resilience forum.
- Both want a presumption in favour of burying high voltage cables.
- Both want to procure more food from Welsh producers.
Communities & Local Government
- Support for some kind of programme to address fire safety/unsafe cladding.
- They both want some form of community right to buy.
Culture & Country
- Both would maintain free entry to museums.
- Increase the number of Welsh-speaking teachers.
- The Six Nations should remain free-to-air.
Reform UK
Health & Social Care
- Placing a high priority on cancer care and providing extra diagnostic/surgical hubs.
- Reviewing hospital capacity, including the use of "step-down" beds.
- Increasing access to NHS dentistry.
- More clinical services from community pharmacists.
Education & Childcare
- Support for Academies/specialist state schools.
- Support for tougher measures on school discipline, such as a ban on mobile phones.
- Greater emphasis on technical/vocational training.
Economy & Transport
- Support for cutting income tax (albeit the Conservatives want to cut just the basic rate).
- Scrap the overnight stay levy and review business rates for the hospitality sector.
- Scrap the 20 mph speed limit in built-up areas.
- Build the M4 Newport bypass.
- Opposes road charging.
- Wants some sort of review of the future of Cardiff Airport.
Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs
- Wants to abolish Natural Resources Wales.
- Opposes new solar and wind schemes; backs nuclear.
- Wants to scrap/change the Sustainable Farming Scheme.
- Wants to scrap Nitrate Vulnerable Zones.
- They support the principle of burying new power lines.
Communities & Local Government
- Supports local referendums on council tax increases of 5%+
- Wants to prioritise veterans for social housing.
- Scrap the "Nation of Sanctuary".
- Hold an inquiry into "grooming gangs".
- Wants some sort of protection for single-sex spaces.
Culture & Country
- Want to end Welsh Government spending in non-devolved areas.
- Wants a reduction in the size of the Welsh civil service.
Liberal Democrats
Health & Social Care
- Measures to deal with “corridor care” (though the Lib Dems are more specific).
- Both want to modernise the hospital estate/have a hospital estates fund.
- Both support surgical hubs.
- Increasing access to NHS dentistry.
- Improvements to mental health services for young people.
Education & Childcare
- Increase school funding.
- Support measures to maintain Welsh and English-medium school choices (though they differ on how/why).
- Extending free childcare to start at 9 months.
Economy & Transport
- Support business rates reform and extended relief (though they differ on the exact format).
- Both support electrification of the North Wales mainline.
Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs
- Both want to increase spending on agriculture (though they differ on the amounts).
Communities & Local Government
- Both support some form of leasehold reform.
- Both support a form of Community Right to Buy.
Culture & Country
- Supports a St. David’s Day bank holiday.
Greens
Health & Social Care
- Support a clampdown on "corridor care"/chair care in A&Es.
- Generally supports maintaining or increasing the number of community hospital beds.
Education & Childcare
- Both support a mobile phone ban in schools
- In principle, both support extending free childcare to 9-month-olds.
Economy & Transport
- Both support extending free bus travel to young people (with differences in how).
- Oppose public funding/subsidies for Cardiff Airport.
Environment, Energy & Rural Affairs
- Backs more food being bought from Welsh suppliers.
Communities & Local Government
- In principle, both support leasehold reform.
- Both support some form of community right to buy scheme.
Culture & Country
- Both back a St. David's Day bank holiday.
- Both support measures to increase the number of Welsh-speaking teachers.
Senedd 2026
