Westminster must pay in full to make coal tips safe or risk safety of Welsh communities
Legislation alone is “not enough” to make coal tips safe – Delyth Jewell MS
Plaid Cymru have called again on Westminster to pay the full £600m estimated cost of remediating coal tips over the next decade to protect communities and prevent future disasters.
The Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill published today (9th December 2024) has been described as an “important step” towards addressing safety risks of coal tips – but Plaid Cymru have said money is also needed from Westminster.
The UK Government failed to commit to fully fund the remediation of coal tips in the Autumn Budget, and announced just £25m, despite this issue pre-dating devolution.
Following the major landslide above Tylorstown in Rhondda Fach in 2020 and the recent landslide of a coal tip in Cwmtillery, Plaid Cymru have said that long-term funding is needed to prevent the risk of future landslips amid increasingly extreme weather and tip instability.
Plaid Cymru spokesperson for Climate Change, Delyth Jewell MS said:
“The Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Bill is an important step towards addressing the urgent safety risks posed by Wales’ disused coal tips.
“But legislation alone is not enough. With hundreds of high-risk tips and thousands more across the country, we cannot underestimate the urgency of the need to secure the full £600m from Westminster to remediate coal tips in Wales and prevent future disasters. Given the increasingly extreme weather we are experiencing, there is a heightened risk of landslides and tip instability. The £25m requested so far by the Welsh Government for coal tip clearance isn't going to get us very far.
“Coal tips serve as a daily reminder of the legacy of coal mining and our exploited past. Yet Westminster has consistently failed to take responsibility for this historical injustice.
“Plaid Cymru is clear: people across Wales deserve to feel safe in their homes. The UK Government must pay in full to make every coal tip in Wales safe – anything less would be a betrayal of the communities that powered the industrial revolution.”