Joe Rossiter

'Rural Wales is in bad shape. Low incomes and a lack of economic opportunity endure.'

@calvjones.bsky.social reflects on the current state of rural Wales and calls for action that may help envision a better rural future ⤵️

lnkd.in/em6PGwJr

#thewelshagenda

Join us online tomorrow morning as we launch our latest IWA report with Oxfam Cymru.

We’ll be setting out steps the next Welsh Government can take to improve the wellbeing of people, planet and places.

Sign up at: www.iwa.wales/events/a-flo...

Also fairly abundantly clear that successive UK Government’s have had little interest in reforming the current system.

Plenary 25/06/2025 - Welsh Parliament The Welsh Parliament is the democratically elected body that represents the interests of Wales and its people.

Cross-party consensus on the inadequacy of Wales’ funding formula from UK gov in the Senedd yesterday.

Question is identifying what ‘fair funding’ is and how it’s managed effectively. Expect more on this in the next few months ahead.

record.senedd.wales/Plenary/15150

New frontier for UK offshore wind with leading developers set to deliver new generation of floating windfarms The Crown Estate is an independent commercial business, created by Act of Parliament. We invest in and manage some of the UK’s most important assets, aiming to create significant value beyond financia...

Our Co-Director @joekrossiter.bsky.social on today's announcement on floating offshore wind projects in the Celtic Sea.

'It's great to see progress made on floating offshore wind today, bringing significant economic opportunity for communities in Wales.'

www.thecrownestate.co.uk/news/new-fro...

Good question - I just asked!

Little info provided on detail (or timetable). But change seemingly based on a new MoU based on a ‘principle of respect’ for devolved govts and their mandates.

So none the wiser…

At @conunitucl.bsky.social conference, Nick Thomas-Symonds says UK Government will look at strengthening the Sewell Convention in this parliament.

Much needed. Recent years have shown its practical weakness in protecting devolution.

Wales needs funding review, says First Minister Eluned Morgan First minister says she doesn't want to

‘Decisions on allocation of spending should be apolitical and represent a technical way to derive Wales' fair share of funding.’

‘This should not be about the secretary of state for Wales having to fight for fair funding.’

Quote on spending review in:
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

LONG READ: Devolution and Constitutional Reform: towards a stable and efficient democratic parliamentary structure - Institute of Welsh Affairs Mick Antoniw MS argues that a constitutional reform and further devolution for Wales are urgently needed to settle the longer term democratic framework for the UK.

This long read on constitutional reform from @mickantoniw.bsky.social is well worth a read.

Pleased the @iwa-wales.bsky.social continue to platform in-depth policy pieces such as this on issues fundamental to Wales’ future.

www.iwa.wales/agenda/2025/...

Politics Wales - 15/06/2025 Joining Teleri Glyn Jones are First Minister Eluned Morgan MS, Heledd Fychan MS, Darren Millar MS, Cathy Owens and Joe Rossiter.

I joined BBC Politics Wales yesterday to discuss the spending review.

You can catch up👇

www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

The IWA’s view on the spending review and what it means for Wales 👇

Radio Wales Breakfast - With Dot Davies and James Williams - BBC Sounds Everything you need to know as you wake up.

Pleased to speak to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast this morning about the spending review and rail investment.

Lots more analysis of the spending review coming from @iwa-wales.bsky.social.

www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...

I’ve written this piece analysing the @thecccuk.bsky.social’s report advising Welsh Government on Wales’ fourth carbon budget 👇

Points to significant changes needed ahead for some contentious issues around land use, agriculture and much more.

A screenshot of the start of a printed article, Building Hiraeth, by Richard Martin, published in The Welsh Agenda

Great article by @mimosacymru.bsky.social in @iwa-wales.bsky.social The Welsh Agenda

It's very thoughtful about the need to develop a Welsh media landscape for the digital age, and the lessons learned from the Hiraeth podcast

Da iawn, Richard

Sut mae polau piniwn yn medru dylanwadu ar ymddygiad pleidleiswyr? Mae arolygon barn yn cynnig cipolwg digon difyr o’r newidiadau yn naliadau gwleidyddol y cyhoedd, ond yn ôl Joe Rossiter, Cyd-gyfarwyddwr y Sefydliad Materion Cymreig, maen nhw’n medru bod yn arf wlei...

Contributed to this @golwg.360.cymru piece on the role of polling in Welsh politics.

golwg.360.cymru/newyddion/21...

Conservatives pledge cut tax in Wales if they win Senedd election The Tory's Senedd leader pledges to take 1p off income tax if he becomes first minister in 2026.

First tax policy put forward for the Senedd 2026 campaign. Conservatives propose to take 1p off income tax (and Reform seemingly to follow).

Shrinking Welsh Government’s strained budget will come at a cost - more scrutiny needed on what ‘efficiency savings’ means.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Pretty seismic poll this👇

‘Croesawu’ cynlluniau economaidd Plaid Cymru, ond cwestiynau am gyllido o hyd Mae’r Sefydliad Materion Cymreig (IWA) wedi croesawu strategaeth economaidd ddiweddaraf Plaid Cymru, gafodd ei chyhoeddi ddydd Llun (Ebrill 28). Ond mae rhybudd gan y felin drafod fod rhagdybiaethau o...

@iwa-wales.bsky.social analysis featured in this @golwg.360.cymru piece on Plaid Cymru’s economic plan launched earlier this week 👇

golwg.360.cymru/newyddion/21...

Expert presenters, insights and practical guidance on campaigning are only some of the benefits our trainees value the most in our training courses.

Make your advocacy more impactful by joining our training courses on devolution and influencing 👉 ow.ly/4YY850V5oUP

Written Statement: Economic Inactivity Trailblazer in Wales | GOV.WALES Jack Sargeant MS, Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership

Seems sensible - providing we learn from and subsequently implement interventions which prove effective.

www.gov.wales/written-stat...

Wales: A Work in Progress - Event recording: Social Security Spotlight, with Mairi Spowage Institute of Welsh Affairs · Episode

Main question would be how would you pay for it? Scottish experience has been that the cost of their Child Payment has increased over time.

Also has to be found out of existing Welsh Government budget, so cuts elsewhere.

You can listen back to that event here👇
open.spotify.com/episode/3QiK...

Payments for poor children in Wales promised by Plaid Cymru - BBC News Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth says payments needed to alleviate "stain" of child poverty.

Bit late to this, but interesting to see @plaidcymru.bsky.social announce a child payment policy proposal ahead of 26 elections.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

It was something we @iwa-wales.bsky.social discussed with Prof.Mairi Spowage at an event last year.

I’ve written a guest article for @acadsocsciences.bsky.social on what good growth means in a Welsh context.

I argue for using (limited) devolved levers to focus on an outcome oriented mission to improve long-term wellbeing as the focus of our economic strategy.

@iwa-wales.bsky.social

'Will Welsh Labour's new candidates embrace radical change or status quo?' - LabourList Chris Carter argues that the 2026 election has the potential to define Welsh politics for a generation.

Interesting piece examining the soul searching underway for Welsh Labour ahead of 2026, with views from hopeful candidates.

labourlist.org/2025/04/labo...

Pleased to join @livingstreets.bsky.social event today on the case for investment in walking.

The long-term socio-economic value of active travel investment is now beyond clear - delivering cleaner, greener, healthier, thriving communities.

Research at: www.livingstreets.org.uk/policy-repor...

Spring Statement 2025 – some implications for Wales Showcasing current research, comments and analysis on the law, politics, history, culture, government and political economy of Wales from the Wales Governance Centre.

🚨 NEWYDD 🚨: Ymateb Dadansoddiad Cyllid Cymru i Ddatganiad Gwanwyn y Canghellor - beth fydd ei effaith yng Nghymru? 💷 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

🚨 OUT NOW 🚨: Wales Fiscal Analysis's reaction to the Chancellor's Spring Statement - what will be its impact in Wales? 💷 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

>> blogs.cardiff.ac.uk/thinking-wal...

Really interesting project from Cardiff Uni’s Centre for the Creative Economy.

Mapping Wales’ creative economy, where it’s located, its turnover, a sectoral breakdown, number of companies and number of employees.

Well worth a look - could do with similar for other sectors!

creativeatlas.cymru

Ahead of Senedd elections in 2026, we’ll be working on articulating what devolved government can do to increase wellbeing in Wales.

This means recognising what is and isn’t within devolved capability and resource to achieve, whilst being ambitious with the policy levers and budget we do have!

Fiscal Firepower: Effective Policy-Making in Wales - Institute of Welsh Affairs Our new report, Fiscal Firepower, assesses the Welsh Government Fiscal Framework’s impact on policy making with a focus on borrowing powers

Devolved Government also have few of the policy levers or resources to meaningfully create the conditions for growth on their own.

A topic written about by @harrythompson.bsky.social in IWA Fiscal Firepower report.

Taking a growth lens is pretty disempowering, then.

www.iwa.wales/our-work/wor...

So Welsh Government no longer have ONS GDP data for Wales (since 2022) because of ‘concerns about data quality’ (as per economic and fiscal report accompanying WG budget).

This while ‘green jobs and growth’ are one of the priorities of the Welsh Government?

www.gov.wales/sites/defaul...