Anglesey General Election candidates answer our questions

We sent the same five questions covering 20pmh speed limits, home ownership, their initial priorities, sewage in our waterways and support for young families to Virginia Crosbie (Conservative), Leena Farhat (Liberal Democrat), Emmett Jenner (Reform), Llinos Medi (Plaid Cymru), Martin Schwaller (Green), Sir Grumpus L Shorticus (Monster Raving Loony Party), Ieuan Williams (Labour) and Sam Wood (Libertarian Party).

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.

If candidates did not answer a specific question we have included that for openness. Only the Green candidate and Libertarian Party candidate did not submit any response. 

EDIT: Libertarian candidate Sam Wood's comments have now been added to the article.

The questions: 

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

Virginia Crosbie, Conservative: I would launch an island wide consultation on this policy so Ynys Môn can have its say, because it wasn’t given one by Welsh Labour. There is widespread opposition to this and so far, exceptions have not been made by the council even though it can. 

That would also be part of my consultation: where is it actually a good idea to have 20mph? My own view is this is harming Wales’s economy and making life unnecessarily difficult for people.

Leena Farhat, Liberal Democrat: Wales has a long history of cross-party support for 20mph speed limits in built-up areas, with backing from communities. 

This stems from the understanding that such limits can improve safety for motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians alike. 

It's important to acknowledge that local authorities retain the power to exempt specific roads from the 20mph limit and introduce part-time restrictions where they see fit. To ensure optimal impact, we need a swift review by local authorities across Wales is recommended. 

This review should assess the effects of not applying exemptions on main roads and key routes, considering factors like public transport and resident needs. This comprehensive approach will allow for case-by-case exemptions based on gathered data and public consultation.

Emmett Jenner, Reform: I will go with the electorate on this one. Hundreds of thousands of people with postcodes in Wales signed a petition expressing their utter dismay that such a policy could have been enacted. 

Thirty miles per hour has been the default urban speed limit for more than 100 years. The expense of changing it to 20mph cannot be justified. I propose that the default limit is changed back to 30mph. However, I do not support the immediate expenditure which would be necessary to undo all the infrastructure changes to signs and road markings. 

Instead we should aim for a gradual roll-back as renovations are required so that we avoid paying twice for this disastrous policy. When we resurface roads we can make an assessment on a case-by-case basis and if there is some special reason to make it 20mph we do that, if not we revert to 30mph. 

Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru: Firstly, it's important to remember that the 20mph speed limit is a devolved issue and for that reason I wouldn't, as an MP, have any influence over its abolition or retention. It's important that MPs respect the fact we have a democratically elected Senedd in Cardiff.

As a policy I think it's a sensible policy which has been implemented poorly by the Welsh Labour Government. It's difficult to argue against lower speed limits outside our schools, homes and busy streets, however there are places where the 20mph speed limit has been introduced which seem to be at odds with the initial reasoning for the implementation.

This is why Plaid Cymru tabled a Senedd amendment last year asking the Welsh Government to review the effect of new limits and to empower local authorities to make further exemptions.

Sir Grumpus L Shorticus, Monster Raving Loony Party: Absolute reversal, by introducing a 'Time Zone for Wales'. Reduce the hour from 60 minutes to 40, thus fully reversing the effects of the 20mph limit without the cost of replacing all the signs (we would also create a whole new industry in manufacturing Welsh timepieces).

Ieuan Williams, Labour: The policy was rushed out and local councils and our elected representatives should have worked more with local communities before implementation. 

If elected as an MP I would work with the Senedd, local councils and communities to amend the exemptions via the Welsh Government review and retain the default in built up areas as necessary. 

Road safety is too important to be used as a political football, we need political leadership and I would facilitate on behalf of residents and resist the current blame game. 

Sam Wood, Libertarian Party: Abolish, the government should have conducted much wider consultation before wasting tens of millions of pounds of our stolen taxpayer money which has annoyed the people and made our lives less efficient.

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

Virginia Crosbie, Conservative: Housing and planning are devolved at Welsh Government and council level. Sadly, too many planning applications on the Island are granted for holiday homes rather than primary residences and I want that looked at as a matter of urgency. 

We need the right homes in the right places and supply is a problem. The Conservative manifesto plans to resurrect the Help to Buy scheme which would provide first time buyers with an equity loan up to 20% towards the cost of a new home. The party is also providing two-year tax break for landlords to sell to existing tenants 

Ultimately young people need jobs so they can afford to buy a home on Ynys Môn. Jobs and investment have been a priority for me as an MP. We have a Conservative commitment for large-scale nuclear at Wylfa and Freeport is going to happen. 

But it’s not just big-ticket items. We need local training and education and local businesses involved in the investment so the island benefits. That’s why I started a ‘Local Jobs for Local People’ campaign. So far, over 30 businesses have signed up.

Sam Wood, Libertarian Party: Systemic change, take an axe to net immigration numbers, this will supress future demand for property. Take a sledgehammer to cumbersome homebuilding regulations, and reform the planning system, particularly some areas of greenbelt which restrict newbuilds. Both of these things will increase supply.

Also, de-regulating the investment industry, many people invest in property as the investment industry is inaccessible to many consumers due to government regulation. People using homes as investments places more pressure on the demand side, which increases prices. 

Note that we cannot supress home prices we can only reduce further price increases so unfortunately if you're looking for homes to be more affordable in terms of what the multiple of yearly average salary is to average home price, no government can help with this. The problem government has caused, and this is a huge one, circa 50 years ago home prices were 3 - 4 times the yearly average salary, today its about 10 - 11 times the average salary. No government can fix this, the problem is too big, and it was big daddy government that did this to us. My advice to people would be work more and cut down on non-essential purchases. Vote for the Libertarian party and we will cut your taxes far more than any other party so that you can save more money more quickly to get on that housing ladder.

Leena Farhat, Liberal Democrat: Housing needs are a massive issue for young people, I know this through my own lived experience here in North Wales. 

While I work on the island, it was too expensive for me to live here, a story so many of us have and I have watched friends I grew up with move away due to the housing crisis. If elected, the Welsh Liberal Democrats would build the homes we need, with 380,000 homes across the UK, including boosting the supply of social housing. 

We would provide long-term help with the cost of living by cutting energy bills through an emergency Home Energy Upgrade programme, tackle rising food prices through a National Food Strategy and get mortgage rates under control through careful economic management.

Finally we would abolishing residential leaseholds and cap ground rents to a nominal fee, so that everyone has control over their property. Housing is key to our development as a society.

Emmett Jenner, Reform: Home ownership for young people is not an issue for Anglesey alone. Lack of affordability is the differential between earnings and property prices. 

The simplest way to make home ownership for young people a realistic proposition is to get wages up to their modern equivalent values of 30 years ago. Roughly speaking if wages had kept pace with inflation they should be double what they are today. 

Some of this can be done with significant changes to the income tax thresholds to bring those in line with inflation. 

It can also be done incrementally with a plan to catch up with regular above inflation pay rises.  Many have not seen significant changes to their income since before 2008.  Whatever the reasons wages have been so badly hit we must all work together to resolve to bring a bit more fairness for younger people especially. 

Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru: As Leader of Anglesey County Council I am proud of our record in trying to help more first time homeowners onto the property ladder. We introduced a grant for first time buyers as well as introducing a shared equity scheme, both funded through monies raised from the Second Home Council Tax Premium. 

As well as first time buyers we have used the premium to bring former council houses back into our housing stock and brought empty houses back into use ensuring that more people can call somewhere home. 

It’s also about creating a thriving economy on the island with well paid jobs so that our young people can make the decision to stay in their community. Plaid Cymru is committed to supporting the Welsh construction industry by creating centres of excellence in new construction and retrofitting, securing and improving Welsh local supply chains and labour so the profits from the Welsh housebuilding industry are kept in Wales.

Sir Grumpus L Shorticus, Monster Raving Loony Party: Build plenty of shared ownership housing and increase wages significantly.

Ieuan Williams, Labour: We need to build more appropriate homes for young people and families across the island for rent and sales. We also need to reform cumbersome planning and rebuild environmentally friendly communities. 

Building more homes for our older population will release properties for younger people and, after a recent period of job losses, we need to secure quality jobs. It may be a devolved issue to the Senedd and local authority, but we need an MP to champion the housing needs of our young people and I would be that champion.

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

Virginia Crosbie, Conservative: Being an MP is not like that. There’s not a policy magic wand to wave and it would be wrong for me to say otherwise. Change takes time, tenacity and full commitment to making lives on Ynys Môn better. 

That’s been my focus for the last four and half years, it's been successful and it won’t change. So, what will be significant on day one is that the island has voted for me to continue to ensure this island’s decades of neglect under the other parties does not return.

Leena Farhat, Liberal Democrat: I would look to sit down with our businesses on the island as well as businesses who are keen to come here to perfect an offer as to why they should choose Ynys Môn. 

I would love to prioritize renewable energy companies in this process. I would love to Host a Public Forum, to allow me to directly engage with my constituents, understand their concerns, and set a collaborative tone for my tenure. 

Speaking to people across the island it is clear that they want to have a say in shaping our futures here but they have been let down by their MPs so far. I want to restore that trust.

Emmett Jenner, Reform: Having Reform UK representation in Westminister will be a dramatic change in itself as it opens the door for our party to do what our name suggests. 

We need reform urgently across the entire estate of Government policy.  On day one I would begin work getting jobs back to Anglesey with somewhere in the region of 2,000 jobs having been lost here in the last four or five years.  A fresh approach is required for encouraging businesses to establish themselves on Ynys Mon to bring back jobs.

Sam Wood, Libertarian Party: Commit to the people that every single penny that I earn from my parliamentary salary, I will not keep for myself and it will be put towards charitable causes.

Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru: For me, it’s about making sure that Ynys Môn’s best interests are represented in Westminster, rather than having a Westminster voice on Ynys Môn and so that is the change that I offer. 

Having served as Council Leader since 2017 and seen the impact for myself, I would fight tirelessly for the fair funding that we’re owed so that we can truly invest in our public services after fourteen years of Conservative austerity and cuts have gutted our communities.

Sir Grumpus L Shorticus, Monster Raving Loony Party: The look of total disbelief and shock on my face.

Ieuan Williams, Labour: I would set up a more flexible and accessible constituency office and base. I would hold more regular meetings and advice surgeries across our island and put communities first. 

I have worked for a local island MP and could hit the ground running. In Parliament I would push for energy reform and support legislation to lower energy bills which is still adding to the cost of living crisis of local residents. I will also contact counterparts in the Senedd and council and commit to working with others cross party for the good of the island.

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

Virginia Crosbie, Conservative: This is a devolved issue on the Island and one that is frequently raised in my postbag. I have written to Dŵr Cymru many times since 2021 because it is failing.

What is needed in Wales is for Welsh Labour to take the robust action that has been taken in England to tackle water pollution. The Environment Act 2021 I voted for applies only in England and holds water companies to account for the pollution it is responsible for with huge fines. 

Monitoring of water in England has increased from 6% in 2010 to 100% now. In England the problem is known and being dealt with. There is no such equivalent in Wales - no legally binding targets or independent oversight to hold Dŵr Cymru to account. This must change. 

In July 2023, Natural Resources Wales downgraded the performance of Dŵr Cymru to two stars. There are increased sewage pollution incidents and Dŵr Cymru prices are the second highest in England and Wales. It’s a mess.

Leena Farhat, Liberal Democrat: The Welsh Liberal Democrats are the party who time and time again have stood up against sewage scandals. We will hold big companies to account by giving them a duty to protect the environment, including banning water companies from dumping raw sewage into rivers, lakes and coastal areas. 

We will tackle the national scandal of sewage polluted rivers, waterways and beaches, and making water companies work for people. We will give local environmental groups a place on water companies’ boards. We will also introduce a single social tariff for water bills to help eliminate water poverty within the next Parliament. 

We will implement Schedule Three of the Flood and Water Management Act to require sustainable drainage systems in new developments. We will mandate all water companies to publish accessible real-time data on any sewage they dump. In addition e will introduce a Sewage Tax on water company profits and better fund Natural Resources Wales so that they can properly enforce rules against sewage outflows. 

We will also replace Ofwat with a tough new regulator with new powers to prevent sewage dumps.

Emmett Jenner, Reform: This is purely an infrastructure problem. Some of the other parties propose to levy fines and punish those who are responsible for managing our sewer and drainage systems and that is clearly a misunderstanding of the issue. 

For that to be the solution we would require some evidence that the intent of the water companies is malicious. If this were the case it would make sense to attempt to coerce them into better standards of behaviour. The proposition that water companies are chock full of megalomaniac drainage engineers hell bent on polluting our water and beaches who need taking down a peg is absurd.  

No, instead what we must do is ensure that water companies have the funds required to undertake the necessary improvements to our drainage capacity so our systems are not routinely overwhelmed. Quite simply our chambers where we hold, process and transfer wastewater aren't large enough.  

Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru: At a time when water bills are rising, and the public have genuine concerns about sewage in our rivers and on our beaches, today’s debate could not be more important, I would lobby for the transfer of powers so that Wales has full control over its water resources to address the problem. 

The mechanism to trigger this transfer of power already exists – the Welsh Government need only put in a formal request, but since their request to delay this over five years ago, they’ve provided no further clarification as to when this will happen, if at all. 

It is our constitutional right, and so I would work with Plaid Cymru Senedd Members to bear pressure on Welsh Government on this.

Sam Wood, Libertarian Party: Nothing. We could do something, but the water industry is already heavily regulated by government. The main cause of overflow seems to be from periods of consistent heavy rain and sewage needs to be dumped. If we were to regulate the industry even further, making their waste pools larger for example, this would make bills even higher for consumers, as is normally the case when government gets it's porky fingers involved in an industry. So we can make bills higher, which will place extra strain on the poorest among us, which I don't think is acceptable right now given the colossal damage the government has caused with inflation etc. So one side, we have higher bills for the poor and the other side we have a bit of a sewage in the waterways, my decision is to do nothing and help the poor by not increasing their bills. Also, top tip! Don't go swimming in the waterways when they dump the sewage.

Sir Grumpus L Shorticus, Monster Raving Loony Party: Transport it to Westminster in a fleet of tankers.

Ieuan Williams, Labour: I will press for new regulations to stop the water industry abusing the current discharge rules and make companies put customers and the environment ahead of shareholders and reinvest profits into infrastructure. Labour has a clear plan on this.

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?

Virginia Crosbie, Conservative: This is another devolved issue where little is being done. In England eligible parents of children between nine months and two years old will be able to access 15 hours of free early education and childcare per week and that the number of free hours will increase to 30 hours per week from Sept 2025. 

This is a huge expansion of childcare that will stimulate the sector and save parents £6,900 each. I would like to see this scheme in Wales and it is urgently needed.

Leena Farhat, Liberal Democrat: Every child deserves the best start in life, regardless of background. Affordable and flexible childcare and early education are crucial building blocks for our economy. 

They bridge the achievement gap and empower parents. This flexibility allows parents, particularly mothers, to manage work and family life, and affordable childcare options are essential to narrowing the gender pay gap. 

But support goes beyond daycare. We're reforming parental leave to give families real choices in those critical early months. This means increased financial security with a bump in Statutory Maternity and Shared Parental Pay to £350 a week. We're also introducing a dedicated "use-it-or-lose-it" month for fathers and partners, paid at 90% of earnings (capped for high earners). 

Furthermore, we're extending parental leave rights from day one and making them available to self-employed parents. This comprehensive approach includes an enhanced Child Benefit for one-year-olds, a "Toddler Top-Up," to provide additional support. We understand the importance of a strong start in life. That's why we're committed to supporting all children.

Emmett Jenner, Reform: Did not provide a response to this question

Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru: Plaid Cymru is committed to a national, free Welsh-medium early years education and childcare service, and so we would continue to build towards it. 

In order to deliver on our progressive policies, we are fighting for economic fairness for Wales. We would look at taxation measures such as increased windfall taxes, ending investment loopholes, charge Capital Gains Tax at the same rate as Income Tax and support a wealth tax such as an annual 1% tax on wealth above £10m. 

All of the above could contribute billions to invest in public services fit for the future it is only right that those with the broadest shoulders carry the highest tax burden.

Sir Grumpus L Shorticus, Monster Raving Loony Party: I need to consult, but I would want a cross-party consensus.

Ieuan Williams, Labour: The last Labour government had a successful Sure Start policy that was funded through a growing economy.

This should be re-introduced with devolved administrations getting extra funding to provide pre-school children services. As a young parent I know how important this is to parents on our island.

Sam Wood, Libertarian Party: I want people to rely on each other, not on government. To help re-build the bonds in society that have been faltering due to decades long actions by government we the people must start relying on each other once again. We face significant threats in the west, threats that undermine social cohesion, and the biggest threat of all is a big powerful government that try's to involve itself in our lives more and more.

To improve society, if an individual needs help, turn to your friends, your loved ones, your family, but good heavens do not turn to government.