Welsh Government's Warm Homes Nest Scheme Criticized

The UK Government has acknowledged that rail funding for Wales has been significantly lower than for England, as highlighted in a letter from Transport Minister Heidi Alexander. First Minister Eluned Morgan welcomed this admission as a potential step toward addressing long-standing underfunding, particularly in relation to the HS2 rail project, which has not brought additional funding to Wales despite its designation as an England and Wales project. While no specific financial commitments were made, discussions are ongoing for potential investments in new railway stations. Critics, including Plaid Cymru, argue that the letter does not adequately address past injustices regarding HS2 funding. In a related issue, concerns have been raised in the Senedd regarding insufficient funding for the Warm Homes Nest programme, which aims to tackle fuel poverty but is expected to take over a century to reach all affected households at the current funding levels. Both issues highlight ongoing debates about infrastructure investment and funding equity in Wales.