Coalmining has defined the south Wales valleys for centuries, with towns and villages built on pride, community and hard work by generation after generation. However, it was Westminster, not Wales that profited from the hollowing of our hills, with wealth being siphoned to Westminster, rather than invested in our communities.
Our valleys suffered a devastating blow when Margaret Thatcher closed the pits without investment in creating future industries, stripping our people of opportunity and leaving them to live in fear beneath the looming dangers of abandoned coal tips. These black scars are the physical remains of decades of exploitation.
Last week, I led a debate in Parliament on coal tip safety in Wales and called on the UK Government to act decisively on this matter. Westminster took the wealth from our valleys, and it must now fully fund efforts to make them safe.
The Aberfan disaster of 1966 remains to be a raw reminder of the dangers that coal tips pose to our communities. This led to the tragic and unnecessary death of 116 children and 28 adults – a disaster that could have been prevented had the warnings been listened to and the correct regulation followed.
We do not even need to look as far back as 1966. Only five years ago, there was a major landslide above Tylorstown in Rhondda Fach and yet another in Cwmtillery in November 2024 where the slipping of slurry and debris forced the evacuation of homes. Extreme weather from climate change and persistent periods of heavy rainfall will only worsen these risks. This clearly is not a matter of if, but when, another disaster strikes our communities.
Plaid Cymru has long warned that the safety of our coal tips demands urgent action, yet Westminster continues to drag its feet on fully funding the remediation work. The Welsh Government has estimated the cost of making Wales’s coal tips safe at around £600 million but the UK Government has pledged less than a third of that, committing to just £118 million over three years. Despite the claim of a “partnership in power” between Labour in Westminster and Cardiff Bay, there is a clear disparity here between what is needed and what is delivered. And why? Simply because the Welsh Labour Government didn’t even ask for the full amount. Instead of standing up for our communities, they went cap in hand to their London bosses and accepted whatever crumbs they were offered.
But while Labour aren’t doing enough, others have completely failed to read the room. Nigel Farage’s vision for Wales is to reopen the mines, forcing people back underground, slaving away in the dark for hours on end, breathing in toxic dust and developing pneumoconiosis. This is all so private companies can once again profit from Welsh suffering. Farage’s fantasy reveals his utter contempt for the people of Wales. This was highlighted when not a single Reform UK MP turned up to my debate on coal tip safety. This tells us everything about their priorities – eager to extract wealth from Wales, whatever the human cost.
However, the recent Caerphilly by-election showed that people are seeing through Reform UK’s hollow rhetoric. Farage has only one goal – to get himself into Downing Street – and the people of Wales are realising that we are being used as a stepping-stone for his personal gain.
That is why the people of Caerphilly chose Plaid Cymru. They rejected empty rhetoric and instead put their trust in our vision of hope and ambition for our communities. What we have seen under both Labour and Tory Governments is not as good as it gets for our valleys, or for Wales. Plaid Cymru’s team of local champions will always stand up and demand better for our communities.
On the issue of coal tip safety, the Disused Mine and Quarry Tips (Wales) Act 2025 was an important piece of legislation in the Senedd to protect our communities, and this was supported by my Plaid Cymru colleagues. Delyth Jewell, the Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales East tabled an amendment to this Bill which would have compelled the UK Government to pay more towards clearing the tips, on account of their historic liability. Disappointingly, this was voted down by both Labour and Conservative MSs which has let the UK Government off the hook for its responsibility once again.
We must remember that coal tips are a legacy that predates devolution. They are a historic injustice for which Westminster still bears responsibility. The cost of making these tips safe must not fall on the people of Wales. For the sake of justice and safety, it’s time for this to change.
Aberfan should have been the moment we confronted the deadly legacy of coal tips once and for all, but the job remains unfinished. The slips in Tylorstown and Cwmtillery have given us further stark warnings but next time, the outcome could be far worse. The UK Government must listen to Plaid Cymru’s calls and fully fund the £600 million that is needed to make coal tips safe in Wales.
The valleys have already paid more than their share, in labour, in livelihoods, and in loss. Ensuring their safety should never have to be justified or met with reluctance.
Warnings of another Aberfan must come with action – the safety of our communities is Westminster’s duty
