Hoping to gain its first-ever representation in the Senedd, the Wales Green Party is facing its most important Welsh election to date.

Its manifesto for the 2026 Senedd election was released on April 7th at their launch event in Port Talbot.

The Greens have chosen to highlight seven key priorities at the start of their manifesto. These are: housing; health; transport; childcare; water; nature and climate; and scrapping council tax.

Scrap council tax

Described as “unfair” and one of the biggest bills for most Welsh households, the Wales Green Party proposes scrapping council tax and replacing it with a land value tax.

They say this will cut the average bill while wealthier property owners will pay more.

However, how the money lost from scrapping council tax will be regained is not specified within the manifesto nor is whether the land value tax would make up the shortfall.

The party also pledges to replace business rates with a land value-based system meaning small businesses would pay less while large corporations such as supermarkets contribute more.

It also proposes a vacant land tax to ensure unused land with planning permission will be put to productive use.

If they form the next Welsh Government, the Greens say they will press the UK Government for a polluter pays tax to target the largest contributors to environmental damage.

Housing

Promising to “get rid of a system that exploits people”, the Green Party proposes major changes to the housing industry in Wales throughout its manifesto.

It pledges to introduce a one-year rent freeze including between tenancies. This will then be followed by rent controls, enabling Welsh ministers to approve local authority ‘rent pressure zones’ where rent caps apply.

Rent increases will only be permitted where landlords have delivered genuine improvements to the home, such as changes to improve energy efficiency.

Landlords who breach these rent caps would face financial penalties under a Green Senedd.

The party also wants create an independent housing ombudsman to resolve disputes and challenge unfair charges.

Similarly to Welsh Labour, the Wales Green Party also pledges to end homelessness. Unlike Welsh Labour, it lists how this will be achieved.

The Green Party also wants to invest in early homelessness prevention; strengthen coordination between housing, health, and social support services; advocate for the removal of the freeze on local housing allowance; and ensure refuge accommodation for survivors of domestic abuse and violence provides clear pathways to secure long-term housing.

While no date is given to achieve this pledge, the Greens say they will embed the right to adequate housing in Welsh law, requiring future governments to develop long-term strategies to prevent homelessness.

Health

The party promises to make “bold, long-term reforms” to deliver change for the NHS.

It says there must be an end to corridor care immediately by declaring any incidents of corridor care as an emergency.

The party suggests increasing funding for GP and dental services, reforming funding formulas to reflect community need, and to set national GP access targets. It also aims to expand NHS dentistry.

Describing a “mental health pandemic” in Wales, the Greens pledge to put prevention, early help, and equality at the centre of Welsh mental health policy.

They support the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy 2025-2035 but emphasise that it must be matched by “real delivery, investment, and accountability”.

Transport

The manifesto promises transport that “doesn’t depend on what you earn”, pledging to create more routes, better links, and increase reliability.

It plans to introduce a £1 single fare for adults aged 22 to 59 to ensure that everyday travel is affordable. 

The manifesto also lays out proposed changes to train services across Wales, including supporting services that run earlier in the morning, later at night, and more frequently on weekends, particularly in underserved and rural areas.

The party aims to double the proportion of journeys made by walking, wheeling, cycling, and public transport by 2030, pledging to create a healthier, greener Wales.

To achieve this, at least 10% of the transport budget will be spent on active travel.

Childcare

The Greens’ early years policies will ensure “every child in Wales has a safe, nurturing and stable start in life, and that parents, carers and early years professionals are supported to provide the loving environments that young children need to flourish.”

They pledge to introduce universal childcare for children aged nine months to four years without requiring parents to work a minimum number of hours to be eligible.

The party aims to establish a universal block of 20 hours of funded childcare, alongside additional funded hours offered on a sliding scale of fees based on income. 

Over time, it will expand the universal block for two- to four-year-olds from 20 hours to 30 hours per week, giving parents greater support and flexibility.

Water

The Wales Green manifesto places significant emphasis on the importance of water regulation, pledging to push for stronger regulation of water companies.

A Green government would seek the powers from the UK Government to place Dwr Cymru/Welsh Water into special measures, moving towards “genuine public ownership”.

The party says governance reforms will ensure “greater public accountability” and representation for both workers and environmental interests.

Monitoring of environmental harm alongside pollution incidents is also a key element of the party’s water policy, holding companies to account over long-term damage.

Nature and Climate

The final key priority put forward by the Wales Green Party is nature and climate, with the party promising “clear, legally enforceable goals” to protect wildlife and support climate and nature recovery.

Calling climate change the “defining challenge of our time”, the party says Wales must act “urgently” to cut emissions, reduce energy demand, and transition to renewable energy.

The manifesto sets out a commitment to have 100% of Wales’ electricity demand met by renewable energy by 2035.

It proposes an acceleration of the decarbonisation of the public sector estate, with hopes to explore “innovative” solutions such as mine-water heating networks using former coal mines to deliver affordable low carbon heat to nearby homes.

Notably, however, the Wales Green Party opposes nuclear power, including small modular reactors.

Costings

With the manifesto appearing largely uncosted, the Wales Green Party has faced much criticism over how it would fund its policies.

David Phillips, head of devolved and local government finance at the Institute for Fiscal Studies, said: “The Green Party’s Welsh manifesto offers a vision of a bigger state doing more for its citizens."

“But it lacks any plan for how to pay for that bigger state. In reality, the new entitlements pledged by the Green Party would require substantial increases in taxes or cuts to other services."

“The party has left this part of its vision unspoken. This manifesto may work as an opening gambit for potential negotiations with other parties. But it is clearly not a complete, costed plan for government.”

Candidates
Bangor Conwy Môn: Tomos Barlow, Linda Rogers, Nick Bounds, Francis Cookson, Vanessa Hall, David Bunker
Gwynedd Maldwyn: Nathan Jarvis, Nicole Wait, Sue MacFarlane, Sian Thomas, Curtis Wilford, Ed Mason

You can read the Wales Green Party manifesto here in both English and Welsh.