Once again, the Welsh Government has shown us exactly where its priorities lie, and it’s not with ordinary families in Rhondda Cynon Taf. While parents are left scrambling to get their children to school, with kids walking miles in the rain or families paying out of pocket for public transport, ministers have announced more funding for “climate conversations.”
That’s right: no money to keep our school buses running, but plenty of money to fund endless talking shops about “climate change.”
Welsh Government Elections 7 May 2026
The Climate Conversations Fund 2025 invites councils, charities, and organisations to apply for grants to host meetings, workshops, and discussions on climate issues. Applicants are even given pre-written questions from government officials, and in return must file feedback reports so ministers can say they’ve “listened.”
Let’s be clear — this isn’t action. This is money being thrown at spin. Since 2022, the Fund has paid for more than 100 community events, with over 6,000 people “engaged.” Meanwhile, thousands of children in RCT are soaked through on their way to school because the council cut their buses, supposedly due to a lack of funds.
Parents report children arriving in class wet and cold, with books ruined and uniforms soaked. Traffic outside schools is worse than ever, adding to congestion and pollution, the very issues government claims to care about.
Yet the Welsh Government insists climate change is the “biggest challenge facing Wales.” Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies speaks of “wetter winters” and “hotter summers” while ignoring the immediate reality: children trudging to school in torrential rain, parents late for work, and families forced to choose between paying for buses or other essentials.
The hypocrisy is staggering. Ministers can always find money for fashionable projects and glossy conferences, but when it comes to the basics, safe, reliable school transport, suddenly, the coffers are empty.
This is not just bad policy; it’s an insult to working families across RCT. People are fed up with being told there’s no money for essential services, only to watch millions funnelled into pet projects that deliver little more than reports and headlines.
The question every resident should be asking is this: why is talking about climate change a bigger priority than our children’s education and safety?
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