Llandudno offered a rather different political scene to the one that dominated the headlines in Liverpool. It was Plaid Cymru’s first major conference as the party of government and my first experience of a party conference. While attention has focused on Labour’s week in Liverpool, there was a quieter but revealing conversation taking place 60 miles west.
The message from Llandudno was clear, Plaid wants to create politics of place built around local influence and growth creation that is distinctly Welsh. For developers, planners and communicators, the test will be whether Plaid’s interest in local decision making translates into schemes that genuinely give communities greater influence and deliver tangible benefits.
Despite being newcomers to power, it was notable to hear senior party figures boldly challenge the Labour Government on two issues at the heart of the Prime Minister’s political agenda: place and devolution.
Community-led planning: putting place at the heart of growth
On the face of it, putting place and community at the heart of growth should chime with much of Labour’s own political programme. The distinction lies in how that growth is planned and who gets to shape it.
In a motion presented to the conference by Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning, Sian Gwenllian MS argued that Wales's current planning system is overly top-down, with Local Development Plans not always reflecting communities' real needs. She called for a review of Future Wales – The National Plan 2040, Planning Policy Wales and other planning frameworks, with the aim of creating a system that is more community-led, coherent and focused on local development.
Through housing targets and planning reforms, Labour has shown itself to see planning and development as key drivers of its wider economic growth ambitions. Plaid Cymru does not reject this, but instead argues that development should be shaped more directly by communities.
For developers, that distinction matters: it could mean a higher bar for demonstrating local benefit, greater community expectations and more political sensitivity around schemes. The opportunity is to engage with that agenda early or the risk is that localism becomes less about shaping better development and more about resisting it.
Importantly for the energy sector, the motion linked “the overlapping climate and housing crises”, arguing that strategic development needs to support “nation-building”. It called for strategic planning to better facilitate community-led housing and energy solutions, while giving residents greater power and influence over development.
That points towards a slightly different question being asked about growth in Wales. It is not simply how many homes need to be built or how much renewable energy needs to be generated, but who is investing and how those things contribute to the places in which they are delivered.
Challenging Labour’s devolution plans
As Prime Minister, Andy Burnham has positioned himself as a champion of a more devolved Britain, seeking to rewire the state and give greater powers to mayors and local government.
Speaking ahead of Rhun ap Iorwerth as part of the traditional ‘fraternal address’ from the SNP, Deputy First Minister of Scotland Jenny Gilruth MSP argued that if Labour truly wants to change how Britain is governed, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland need to be treated as nations rather than regions of England. This line of argument built upon the memorandum of understanding between Plaid Cymru, the SNP and Sinn Féin, signed in Cardiff in September, that sets out a shared commitment to work together to bring about independence from the UK.
Rhun ap Iorwerth's message at conference gave a pragmatic angle to this principle, arguing that the next Westminster election could see pro-independence MPs from Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland holding the cards if it produces a hung parliament. Plaid talk about themselves as firmly anti-Reform, against the politics of Nigel Farage, and are positioning themselves as holding the key needed to lock Reform out of a future government.
This could come at a price for the Prime Minister. As Rhun ap Iorwerth made clear in his speech, it matters little to the Welsh people whether the occupant of Downing Street “was an Evertonian, or an old Etonian”. It was a clever line, but also a pointed test of how far Burnham is prepared to go in transferring power away from Whitehall. Being seen to falter on that promise would not only risk electoral damage; it could strike at the heart of the political agenda on which his premiership is built.
The challenge put to the Prime Minister was clear: work with us now to secure a devolution settlement that respects the Welsh people and delivers on the progressive vision for the future that Plaid and Labour share.
As party politics in the UK fractures and changes, being on the ground to hear from, and engage with politicians beyond the traditional main parties is now increasingly important for those in the industry. Plaid’s conference was a reminder that insight can be found outside of the usual spotlights, and more organisations should consider being there first hand to hear it.
For more information on how our Strategic Communications team can provide political insights or support your project, please contact Brendan Lovatt.
13 October 2026
