Jane Dodds promises to get better deal for Wales

Jane Dodds believes Wales needs greater control of its finances

Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Jane Dodds has promised to get a better deal with Westminster for Wales if her party takes power in the Senedd.

Speaking at the party's conference in Bournemouth on Saturday, she said that for Wales' economy to thrive it needed to have the best-skilled workforce in the world.

This required, Dodds believed, taking greater control of Wales' finances.

"We must secure a better deal from Westminster," she said.

Dodds is hoping to replace Labour as the biggest party in May, but recent polling suggests Plaid Cymru and Reform are better placed to do this.

She branded it "ridiculous" the Welsh Crown Estate had not been devolved, and that HS2 had been dubbed a Wales and England project when it runs only in England.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats would help Wales forge a green revolution that would create thousands of jobs, Dodds said.

"It is vital we harness our tidal lagoons and coastal winds," she said.

"We would invest heavily in offshore wind around the coast of Wales and tidal lagoon projects, from Swansea to Colwyn Bay."

She added that health and social care would be at the heart of a Welsh Liberal Democrat manifesto.

And that the party's "fully costed" plans would address child poverty and educational attainment.

Dodds said she wanted the next Welsh government to fund 5,000 extra social care beds to ease pressure on the NHS.

"Over the next few months, we'll be speaking to people across Wales about our plans to protect the environment, tackle the housing crisis, and invest in public transport," she added.