Heledd Fychan MS interview

Will Barber-Taylor: Hello and welcome. I am your host, Will Barber-Taylor, and in this episode, I am delighted to be joined by Heledd Fychan, Plaid Cymru Member of the Senedd for South Wales Central.

Heledd Fychan: Thank you very much.

Will Barber-Taylor: Great to have you on. Now, the first question that I would like to ask is: before you became a Member of the Senedd, you successfully campaigned to keep the Mill Street Post Office open. How was this campaign, and how important is it for local areas to maintain their services?

Heledd Fychan: I think the campaign succeeded due to the strength of feeling towards it locally. Many people still need to be able to go into a post office and do not use online services. With more banks having closed, people also rely on the post office for banking services.

I live in the busy town centre of Pontypridd and represented it as a local councillor at the time. Seeing the service close overnight, and people being unable to go elsewhere because not everybody has a car and public transport links are not great, was very concerning. Travelling miles to the nearest post office was simply not an option for many. 

Seeing how this affected people’s lives, and being able to articulate that strength of feeling, showed why it was essential that a post office reopened in Pontypridd. It has since reopened and is in very high demand, because we have subsequently lost other banks from the town centre. It is a vital local service.

Will Barber-Taylor: Was this part of why you decided to become a Member of the Senedd? Was it that thing that made you want to represent your community at that level, or were there other things as well? 

Heledd Fychan: I had stood before unsuccessfully, partly because I am a member of Plaid Cymru. I believe Wales would be better as an independent country, able to make decisions that affect people in Wales here in Wales. I do not believe Westminster best serves Wales, and that has always been one driving force.

I became a local councillor in 2017, and it was quite a time to do so. In 2020, my community and nearby areas were devastated by flooding as a result of Storm Dennis, which strongly motivated me to stand in 2021. I saw the devastating impact of climate change, the continued risks to our communities, and what I perceived to be a lack of support for those at risk in our communities.

That was coupled with threats to local services, including the future of our local hospital, the Royal Glamorgan Hospital. There was a strong people-power campaign to save it, while other local services were being reduced. All of these issues motivated me to put my name forward to represent South Wales Central, because I felt people’s voices and experiences were not being heard by those making key decisions about services that I believe are vital to our communities.

Will Barber-Taylor: One issue that matters to people across Wales, and the UK more broadly, is justice. Justice is devolved in Scotland. Do you think it should also be devolved to Wales, and what changes would you want to see?

Heledd Fychan: Absolutely. Plaid Cymru believes in the full devolution of justice, not devolution for its own sake. Devolving policing and justice would allow us to invest more in areas such as police officer numbers. We have seen these services increasingly stretched, and we would like to see more officers on the beat in our communities.

We also believe the current system covering prisons, probation, and the courts is not working well. We want to see a fairer and more equal justice system. We do not believe the way prisoners are treated at present is effective, particularly given the number of veterans and people with mental health issues who end up in prison rather than receiving the support they need. With a distinct legal jurisdiction in Wales, we believe we could introduce more progressive policies that take a different approach from the current system.

Will Barber-Taylor: Do you think the public perception of justice can feel removed from people’s lives in Wales because it is not devolved?

Heledd Fychan:

 I think so. Justice is still framed as “England and Wales,” which makes a difference. Many Welsh prisoners are held outside Wales, which has a significant impact on their families and on rehabilitation. Being far from their communities, or being held in prisons without Welsh-language support for those from Welsh-speaking areas, can make reintegration and rehabilitation much more difficult.

As I mentioned earlier, so many people who end up in prison would benefit from greater support. We favour a more holistic approach to justice, rather than viewing everything purely through a criminal lens. That includes areas such as drug policy, where more progressive models exist, for example, in Portugal, which focuses on support rather than criminalisation. Justice should work hand in hand with more holistic approaches, rather than be seen as separate from other areas.

Will Barber-Taylor: Given that justice has been devolved in Scotland, why do you think it has not happened in Wales?

Heledd Fychan: The legal system is tied together as “England and Wales.” Ultimately, it is a question for Westminster and the UK parties as to why justice has not been devolved. Plaid Cymru has consistently campaigned for it. Responsibility lies with boththe  Conservative and Labour UK Governments that have been in power.

Will Barber-Taylor: You are also the Plaid Cymru spokesperson on international affairs. What would your preferred relationship with the EU be?

Heledd Fychan: I would have wanted us to remain in the EU. It was a very sad day for me when the vote went in favour of Brexit, although that vote must be respected.

One of our Members of Parliament, Liz Saville Roberts, who leads the Plaid Cymru group in Westminster, is attempting to introduce legislation that would make it illegal for politicians to lie. We feel strongly that promises made during the Brexit campaign, such as the additional funding promised to the NHS, were broken, and that people are understandably angry. 

Looking forward, we believe the UK should rejoin the single market to boost trade and opportunities. Leaving the single market and customs union has cost the UK billions in lost trade and tax revenue, and Wales, with its strong reliance on EU trade, has been particularly affected by trade barriers. We are seeing clear impacts on our ports in terms of exports and imports. Rejoining the single market would be a positive step forward.

Will Barber-Taylor: In terms of Wales’s relationship with other countries, and the visibility of the Welsh independence movement, how well-known do you think Plaid Cymru and the campaign for independence are internationally? Should more be done internationally to promote it?

Heledd Fychan: Wales will certainly gain greater international visibility through the upcoming World Cup, having qualified for the first time in 64 years. That is a massive opportunity for Wales on the national platform. We saw something similar during the Euros in 2016 when Wales performed well then. Sport has the amazing power to achieve goals.

I have been pushing for the Welsh Government to maximise international opportunities created by Wales competing as a nation in its own right in football. Wales is often overshadowed by being part of the UK, and even when we were part of the EU, Welsh ministers could not always participate independently and had to be represented through UK Government ministers. There remains a huge effort by the UK Government post-Brexit to market everything under the “Great Britain” banner, such as attempts to promote Welsh rugby under the Union Jack, which many people found disappointing.

There is still limited awareness internationally of Wales’s distinct culture, including the thriving nature of the Welsh language. Some countries with their own minority languages are more familiar with Wales, but others are not. It often surprises me how few people in England realise that Welsh is a living language used daily by many communities.

There is more work to do to promote Wales’s uniqueness and its global connections. Being a multilingual country, striving to be a Nation of Sanctuary, and leading in areas such as the Well-being of Future Generations Act, all provide opportunities to stand out internationally. That Act, in particular, has attracted global interest because it requires decision-making to consider the impact on future generations. If used well, the World Cup offers a chance to showcase Welsh culture and heritage on a global stage.

Will Barber-Taylor: We are coming to the end of the interview, and it has been great to speak to you. Before you became a Member of the Senedd, you were Head of Policy and Public Affairs at the National Museum of Wales. If you had to choose one item from the national collection for the world to recognise instantly, what would it be?

Heledd Fychan: That is a difficult question, especially with nearly five million objects in the collection. There are so many possibilities.

One item I would choose is the Welsh Not. It is a piece of wood that schoolchildren were forced to wear if they spoke Welsh in the classroom, and they were punished at the end of the day if they still had it. It powerfully represents Wales’s unique culture and history in how it differs from England, but also how it parallels experiences in other countries where imperialism sought to suppress native languages.

The fact that Welsh has survived despite those attempts reflects the struggles people have faced, and explains why the language remains such a divisive issue today. It may not sound as exciting as some of the other objects in the collection, but as a symbol ofthe  Welsh language, heritage, and resilience, it is incredibly powerful.

Will Barber-Taylor: That is an excellent choice and one that gives real insight into the challenges faced in Wales, particularly around the Welsh language. Thank you once again for joining the interview. If people want to learn more about you, your work in the Senedd, and about Plaid Cymru, where should they go?

Heledd Fychan: They can visit my website at heleddfychan.wales From what I understand, I am the only Heledd Fychan in the world, so a search should bring up plenty of information. I am also active on social media.

Plaid Cymru’s website outlines our policy areas in detail. We are a party for everyone who lives in Wales, regardless of where they come from, and we are always keen to hear from people who want to learn more.

Will Barber-Taylor: Excellent. Thank you once again for coming to the interview.

Heledd Fychan: Thank you for the invitation.

Note: This interview has been edited for grammar, clarity, and flow. The original recording is the final and definitive version.