In an interview which was typically lacking in detail Richard Tice said ‘back office’ jobs needed to be cut in Wales to save money and his party would scrap Welsh Labour’s 20mph policy
Richard Tice didn’t give any great detail on his plans but he said Reform would cut waiting times by removing “bureaucracy”(Image: Getty Images)
The deputy leader of Reform UK, Richard Tice, has pledged to cut NHS “back office” jobs in Wales should the party gain power in next May’s Senedd elections.
In an interview with the BBC, Mr Tice didn’t give any great detail on his plans – which has been a hallmark of the party’s rhetoric in Wales so far – but he said Reform would cut waiting times by removing “bureaucracy”. He clarified it was not a Reform policy to cut nursing and doctor roles.
Speaking ahead of the party’s conference in Birmingham this weekend he told the BBC Reform would prioritise cutting down “wasteful spending”. For the biggest stories in Wales first, sign up to our daily newsletter
He said: “I think we’ll cut out the nonsense and start to identify some of the vast amounts of wasteful spending across the whole of all the areas where Labour over the last 25 years have actually reduced the quality of public services.
“The NHS is not short of money. It’s the way that it is being mismanaged, the way it wastes money.”
He added: “It’s about managing it better. More people on the front line, wonderful nurses and doctors, less people in the back office creating paperwork and bureaucracy.
“We will commit to be absolutely determined to drive waiting lists down, improve productivity, improve healthcare for everybody across Wales.”
Waiting times in Welsh hospitals have risen recently while ambulance handover delays fell substantially. You can read more on that here.
Mr Tice also criticised Labour’s policy on 20mph speed limits in most built up areas in Wales, saying Reform would reverse it.
But that will cost a lot of money to implement. The Welsh Government has already spent millions of pounds alongside local authorities in changing back to 30mph in some areas.
Given next May’s elections in Wales will be determined by a proportional representation system and will see a lot more members in the Senedd, it’s highly unlikely Reform will be able to gain a majority. So far all parties in Wales other than the Welsh Conservatives have ruled out a coalition with Reform.
Reform has one MS in the Senedd after Laura Anne Jones defected from the Tories this summer.