Welsh Liberal Democrats unveil Senedd election manifesto

Welsh Liberal Democrats unveil Senedd election manifesto49 minutes agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleDavid DeansWales political reporterBBCJane Dodds launched the manifesto at an event in CardiffThe Welsh Liberal Democrats have launched their manifesto for next month's Senedd election.Leader Jane Dodds promised to protect the NHS by investing £300m in social care, extra help for childcare, and to ensure that "not a penny" is spent on moves towards Wales leaving the United Kingdom.The party is hoping to improve on 2021's result, when Dodds was returned as the only Welsh Liberal Democrat with a Senedd seat.Voters across Wales go to the polls to elect 96, up from 60, new Senedd members on 7 May.Despite only having one member of the Senedd, Jane Dodds has been involved in budget negotiations with the Welsh government in the past and says she would be willing to do so again.The politician secured a greyhound racing ban, more money for childcare and discount bus travel in 2025's round of budget talks. However the Welsh Liberal Democrat leader has warned that in return for her support no cash should be spent on moving towards Welsh independence.That would potentially rule a deal out with Plaid Cymru, which is vying to win the election with Reform and has pledged to establish a national committee to begin preparing the case for independence, costing £500,000.The Welsh Lib Dems have promised a universal childcare package of 30 hours a week, covering 48 weeks of the year, for all children from nine months to four years old.Dodds' party has vowed to clear up Wales' rivers and seas, with extra funding for Natural Resources Wales and a ban on bonuses for water company bosses until sewage discharges end.The party has had a fight on its hands to stay on the Welsh political stage over the last decade, having fallen to a single MS in 2016. Dodds, a former MP, was elected to the Senedd for the first time in 2021 but remained the parliament'...