Vaughan Gething: Why is the Welsh Government continuing its policy of shelving goods?

Photo Title, Plans to reform the school year are among the Drakeford-era policies shelved by Vaughan Gething’s government

Author, Cemlyn Davies
Role, Political correspondent for BBC Wales News
1 minute ago

Since Vaughan Gething became First Minister of Wales in March, other controversial policies have been thrown into the long grass.

Major changes to agricultural subsidies, opposed by trade unions, have been postponed until 2026, the year of the next Senedd election.

Council tax reform is another important policy that ministers have decided to leave to the next Welsh Government to tackle.

Other rules have been changed.

Changes to the 20mph speed policy were promised, and the government changed its rules on the slaughter of pregnant cows that tested positive for tuberculosis.

Taken together, these decisions may create the impression that this is a government reluctant or afraid to make difficult or unpopular choices.

Given the constant pressure on Mr. Gething, this administration already has a lot going for it.

He faces a vote of no confidence in the Senedd on Wednesday after accepting controversial donations to his leadership campaign.

He also lacks a majority, and his position has been further weakened by Plaid Cymru’s decision to terminate its cooperation agreement with Welsh Labor.

However, it is worth noting that the decision to scrap council tax was one of the reasons Plaid gave for withdrawing from the deal.

The Welsh Government would argue that these decisions show they are listening and willing to engage appropriately before taking action.

Gething’s allies may also suggest they will show he is living up to his promise when he took office to focus “on what matters most in people’s everyday lives.”

“After more than a decade of austerity, we must focus on a set of key priorities if we are to deliver the positive, progressive change we want to see,” he said.

But whatever the reasons for this approach, the government’s decisions risk undermining the work of previous ministers under Gething’s predecessor, Mark Drakeford.

A penny for his thoughts, which he now observes from the Labor bench.