Plaid Cymru conference: Leanne Wood's pledge to cut energy bills
Plaid Cymru conference: Leanne Wood's pledge to cut energy bills
(35 minutes later)
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has announced plans to set up a body to drive down energy bills for everyone in Wales.
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has announced plans to set up a new body to drive down energy bills in Wales.
Energy Wales would buy gas and electricity at wholesale prices and sell direct to consumers and firms, she told the Aberystwyth conference.
She told her party's annual conference that Energy Wales would buy gas and electricity at wholesale prices and sell directly to homes and businesses.
Surpluses would be spit between protecting customers and expanding energy efficiency measures.
She said surpluses would be spit between protecting customers and expanding energy efficiency.
Ms Wood said the firm would work as an arms-length company like Welsh Water.
Ms Wood said it would work as an arms-length firm in a similar way to Welsh Water.
"When Labour's energy price freeze begins to thaw and prices begin to spike again, Plaid Cymru would have enabled the building of our cheaper, permanent, people-powered Welsh alternative," she said.
"When Labour's energy price freeze begins to thaw and prices begin to spike again, Plaid Cymru would have enabled the building of our cheaper, permanent, people-powered Welsh alternative," she told delegates in Aberystwyth.
Radical proposals
In her second annual conference speech since being elected party leader, Ms Wood said Plaid would recruit 1,000 extra doctors if it won the assembly election in 2016.
In her second annual conference speech since being elected party leader, she said Plaid would recruit 1,000 extra doctors if it won the assembly election in 2016.
This would be financed by a sugary drink levy of up to 20p per litre, she said, something that would also help the "crisis of obesity and diabetes that it killing us as a nation".
This would be financed by a sugary drink levy of up to 20p per litre, she said.
She also announced radical proposals to reintroduce rent controls for the 190,000 households renting in Wales over the next assembly term.
Ms Wood also announced an "alternative way forward" on hospital reorganisation plans.
Labour has accused her of blocking a controversial shake-up of some specialist services without suggesting alternatives.
More doctors
Welsh Labour ministers have insisted closing some hospitals and moving some core services from smaller to larger hospitals are essential to make the NHS safe and sustainable.
Some of the most controversial have been in south Wales, with opposition to proposals to move key specialist care from Llantrisant's Royal Glamorgan hospital as part of changes at five health boards.
Ms Wood said Plaid was committed to delivering a better Welsh NHS with 1,000 extra doctors.
"We will provide more doctors so these services can stay open and stay safe," she said.
"If a thousand extra doctors sounds over-ambitious consider this.
"If a thousand extra doctors sounds over-ambitious consider this.
"With them, Wales would only be brought up to the UK average - so we must have those extra doctors."
"With them, Wales would only be brought up to the UK average - so we must have those extra doctors."
She told party members this would help provide a more efficient NHS, as would plans to better integrate hospitals and social care "to get patients out of hospital and back into their own home".
She told party members this would help provide a more efficient NHS, as would plans to better integrate hospitals and social care "to get patients out of hospital and back into their own home".
The Plaid leader said funding to begin this integration had already been won as part of a package of measures the party had this week announced with the Liberal Democrats and Welsh ministers in a deal on the Welsh budget.
The Plaid leader said funding to begin this integration had already been won as part of a package of measures the party had this week announced with the Liberal Democrats and Welsh ministers in a deal on the Welsh budget.
Ms Wood said there was a "crisis of obesity and diabetes that was killing us as a nation."
In a further announcement reflecting concerns over the rising costs of living, also unveiled radical proposals to reintroduce rent controls for the 190,000 households renting in Wales, over the next assembly term.
She also unveiled radical proposals to reintroduce rent controls for the 190,000 households renting in Wales, over the next assembly term.
"The party of Wales wants to see living wages for Welsh workers, but we also have to see living rents that do not eat up a family's entire disposable income.
Plaid has said previously Wales can learn from how Norway, Germany and Denmark have offered modern hospital care without centralisation.
"Because people have a right to a decent home at an affordable price."
Disappointing performance
Ms Wood said Plaid Cymru would strengthen planning guidance so local authorities had to consider the impact on the Welsh language of new housing developments and her party would legislate to make councils control second homes in designated areas "to end the housing crisis here in rural Wales".
The party has argued planning the NHS workforce more effectively and better recruitment practices would help reduce some of the strains on the health service.
The Labour Welsh government came in for harsh criticism as she described politics in Cardiff Bay as a "national embarrassment".
Ms Wood said Plaid Cymru was the only party addressing people's big concerns at the 2016 assembly election and that "Wales is better than this".
"A first minister refusing to answer direct questions, the farce of ministers holding up placards against their own policies - it makes us a laughing stock."
Ms Wood started her speech by saying Plaid would build on recent momentum.
Ms Wood had started her speech by saying Plaid would build on recent momentum.
She said this would "carry us forward over the finishing line" to win the assembly election in 2016.
She said this would "carry us forward over the finishing line" to win the assembly election in 2016.
"It isn't a sprint but a marathon and I'm firing the starting pistol here today."
"It isn't a sprint but a marathon and I'm firing the starting pistol here today."
She said she was committed to Plaid being the next government of Wales "so we can build Wales up, turn around the economic situation, stand on our own two feet."
She ended her address by appealing to Welsh voters to give Plaid Cymru the chance to prove what Wales could achieve with the right leadership.
Plaid Cymru also points to the budget deal it signed with the Liberal Democrats and Welsh ministers earlier in the week which put more money into treating patients in the community as a way of both improving services and keeping more patients out of hospital.
"It is my ambition, over the two terms of a Plaid Cymru-led government, to take this country from where we are now, near the bottom of every performance league table in Europe you care to mention, to the top ten in income per capita, in literacy and in maths," she said.
Business rates
All party members who attend the two-day conference will be able to vote on the motions debated. Until now that was reserved for delegates representing various sections of the party.
The change is part of internal reforms brought in following Plaid Cymru's disappointing performance at the 2011 assembly election.
Ms Wood promoted plans to cut business rates for smaller firms on the opening day of the two-day Aberystwyth event.
Firms would qualify for reduced business rates if their rateable values was below £15,000, rather than £12,000 under the current regime.
A rateable value below £10,000 would mean paying no business rates, rather than the £6,000 ceiling at present.
Ms Wood has also defended her party's election performances since devolution.
With the SNP in government in Scotland, she was asked on BBC Radio Wales why the Scottish nationalists had moved so much further on than Plaid.
"I think it reflects the different settlement that Wales has had compared to Scotland," said Ms Wood.
"Scotland is so much further ahead in terms of the devolution settlement and Wales is in a different place.
"Our settlement is much weaker as is our economic situation and that's why I've said since I've become the leader of Plaid Cymru that the economy and job creation should be our number one priority.
"I would argue that Scotland has got a government that puts Scotland first and Scottish communities first at every opportunity and Wales needs a government now that will do that and I would argue that a Plaid Cymru government after 2016 is what the country needs now."
SNP MP Pete Wishart urged Plaid activists to join in with the campaign.
To enthusiastic applause, he told the conference: "We will win, because independence is the aspiration...that puts the future of Scotland in the hands of the people who live and work in Scotland."
