WELSH nationalists have demanded a rural development strategy for Wales to tackle rural poverty and drive rural growth.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth and Senedd member Cefin Campbell set out plans to tackle poverty and promote rural development at the Royal Welsh Show today. 

Research from the Bevan Foundation shows that rural communities have been the worst impacted by the current cost-of-living crisis, facing a triple squeeze from high costs, low incomes and poor access to services.

Plaid’s rural strategy includes establishing a rural poverty commissioner to set targets to tackle poverty, improving community transport, increase affordable housing, energy efficiency schemes, expanding broadband availability and expand business support.

Mr Campbell said: “We are calling for interventions to target rural poverty reduction across a range of policy areas.

“We know that our rural communities are in trouble — suffering from the combined impact of Brexit and Covid-19, and the legacies of Tory austerity and the Welsh government’s failure to deliver a real strategy for reducing poverty.”

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “This strategy, developed and stress-tested through working with stakeholders, is an expression of Plaid Cymru’s belief in and ambition for rural Wales, and of our role as a champion for our rural communities.

“This strategy offers a new pathway to sustainable development in those communities: a new deal for self-employed rural workers, a new package of business supports for rural businesses, and new thinking on community energy, digital and the co-operative economy.

“This is the kind of vision for rural Wales that Plaid Cymru is committed to delivering, while others are distracted by internal party squabbles.”