Welsh election 2021: Key points from the Welsh Lib Dem manifesto
This Senedd election for the Welsh Liberal Democrats is about survival.
By David DeansBBC Wales political reporter The last five years has seen the party's representation in Westminster and the Welsh Parliament massively reduced, leaving them with no MPs and only one Senedd member. Kirsty Williams, herself a former Welsh party leader and a Welsh education minister, is standing down from front-line politics this year. The question this May is whether the party can turn its fortunes around, or not. Their manifesto is a full programme for government, showing the party still has ministerial ambitions. It is unlikely they could win a majority, but it is the kind of shopping list one or a few Lib Dems could trade bits of with another party in exchange for their vote in the Senedd chamber. WALES ALERTS: Get extra updates on BBC election coverage Health and social care The focus of the manifesto is on "recovery" - for the economy, from climate change and in people's mental health and social care. On the latter, the party pledges to: WALES ELECTION: THE BASICS What's happening? On 6 May, people will vote to elect 60 Members of the Senedd (MSs). The party that can command the support of a majority of MSs will form the Welsh government. Find out more here. What powers does the Senedd have? MSs pass laws on aspects of life in Wales such as health, education and transport - and have some tax powers. Who can vote? Anyone who lives in Wales, is registered to vote and aged 16 or over on 6 May is eligible. You can register to vote online. Education The party makes a lot of Kirsty Williams' position as education minister in the current Welsh government, saying it would continue her work "to give our children the best start in life and support adults to engage in learning and skills development through a right to lifelong learning". It pledges to: The Lib Dems say they would introduce universal free part-time childcare from nine months to school age, expand provision of before and after school care and introduce universal part-time holiday care for 5-13 year olds. And the manifesto promises an "immediate moratorium" on private for-profit contracts in specific areas of the care system, including children's residential care and learning disability secure units. Economy The Welsh Liberal Democrats said the economy "must support secure, well-paid work and good public services". The party pledges: It is not devolved, but the Lib Dems say they would work towards re-joining the European Single Market and Customs Union, as part of the scheduled renegotiation with the EU in 2025, or earlier should the opportunity arise. Climate change The party has a whole section dedicated to the environment - at its heart is a pledge to spend £1bn a year "to fight the climate emergency, create new jobs and stability for supply chains and businesses, and to invest in new technology". The manifesto pledges: Housing and transport The Welsh Liberal Democrats manifesto said it would offer free bus travel for young people up to the age of 25, by the year 2025. The manifesto promises to end homelessness through house building, funding for services and a law "to ensure nobody goes without the help they need to escape homelessness". Other pledges include: Welsh language, media, the constitution and rights The party says it would pass a "Welsh Language Education for All Act", normalising the Welsh language in education including for life-long learning and in post-16 education. It says it would establish an ongoing central fund to support news journalism, and would campaign for the devolution of powers over S4C. Other pledges include: