Dwyfor Meirionnydd MS, Mabon ap Gwynfor, has accused the Welsh Labour Government of paying no heed to the safety concerns of local people by scrapping the Llanbedr bypass scheme.

Mr ap Gwynfor was responding to yesterday's statement by Deputy Minister for Climate Change, Lee Waters on the Welsh Government’s Roads Review and National Transport Delivery Plan.

Mr ap Gwynfor slammed the Welsh government for proffering ‘warm words but no action’ when it came to investing in much needed transport infrastructure along coastal communities in Meirionnydd, accusing the government of axing bus services and removing the vital emergency bus fund instead of improving public transport in rural areas.

Mr ap Gwynfor also repeated his call for the Deputy Minister for Climate Change to meet with Llanbedr residents to discuss alternative options to help mitigate congestion and safety challenges in the village.

Speaking in the Senedd, Mr ap Gwynfor said: "The announcement regarding the decision to stop the Llanbedr bypass was made in the autumn of 2021. It was the wrong decision and it came as a very bitter pill after decades of promises.

"So, while we accept that everything must be done to tackle climate change, not only should this action allow for a just transition, but it should also be commensurate with the likely impact on the communities affected.

"In Llanbedr's case, we're not looking at a road that will add further vehicles to the road network, but rather, we're looking at a plan to improve the safety of the local residents and strengthen the local economy.

"In fact, the Deputy Minister talked, in his presentation, about the most vulnerable people who suffer because of a lack of public transport. He talked about improvements in public transport and increasing active travel.

"Yet, in the year and a half since the Llanbedr announcement was made, we've seen no investment into any of these things in Llanbedr or even the Meirionnydd coast.

"In fact, last week, the Government intended to cut the bus emergency scheme, making routes along the Meirionnydd coast unviable for most bus providers.

"In another part of my constituency, we've seen the vital T19 service cut as well without any help from Government. So, it seems like a lot of warm words but no action at all as far as the Meirionnydd experience is concerned.

"So, can the Deputy Minister tell me what investment is the Government putting into Llanbedr and the Meirionnydd coast, so that the people living in those communities have easy access to all that they need to live a life of dignity and free of the deadly dangers that they currently face?"

He added: "Also, the Llanbedr report recommended building an amended version of the original proposal, with a slower speed limit. This would be welcomed by the community, but we've had no movement on this as yet.

So, will the Deputy Minister commit to this alternative here today and have a meeting with me and the stakeholders to move this plan forward?"

Lee Waters MS said he had already agreed to meet Mr ap Gwynfor and a Llanbedr delegation and was "gobsmacked" by claims regarding a lack of action. Hear what else he had to say in the video above.