Taxpayers in Wales will be forced to spend £600,000 to support tavellers living on sites with their energy costs.
The Welsh Government’s winter fuel payment for the Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) community is part of the wider “Anti-racist Wales Action Plan”.
For digital inclusivity, the Welsh Government plan to give travellers free Sim cards, improve access to electricity and “deliver face-to-face essential digital skills and digital champions training”.
The action plan, which hopes to change the “beliefs and behaviour of the white majority”, has been criticised as a waste of money and not the priority of the Welsh people.
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As the winter months approach, millions of households across the nation face another painful rise in energy costs just as temperatures begin to fall.
Cai Parry-Jones, MS for Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf, questioned how much funding the Welsh Government is providing to support travellers living on sites with their energy costs.
The Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy in Wales, Adam Price, confirmed: “The Welsh Government is providing £600,000 in 2026/27 to support Gypsies and Travellers living on sites with their energy costs.”
The Welsh Government specifically introduced its targeted Winter Fuel Support Programme for GRT communities in the 2024/25 financial year.
The package was initially a £500,000 package but has seen a 20 per cent increase, starting this winter.
The move has previously provoked fury as many poor pensioners struggle to cope with energy costs.
The Welsh Government argues travellers living on council-run sites across the UK are especially vulnerable to high energy prices, as many do not have a domestic electricity supply and are instead supplied by councils.
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A Reform UK Wales spokesman said: “People across Wales are struggling with energy bills, they will be appalled that Plaid Cymru is choosing to use their taxes to subsidise gypsies and travellers.
“They have their priorities all wrong, and this scheme should be scrapped as soon as possible.”
GB News has reached out to Mr Price and the Welsh Government for comment.
Plaid Cymru, the ruling party in Wales, has also been approached.
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