Mark Drakeford's popularity sees huge drop after 20mph policy rollout
The popularity of Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has rapidly dropped since his 20mph limit policy was rolled out, a new poll has found
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The popularity of Wales' First Minister Mark Drakeford has rapidly dropped since his 20mph limit policy was rolled out, a new poll has found.
According to the latest polling, the new speed limit has proved unpopular with most people in Wales.
This month saw Drakeford's net approval rating plummet to 15 per cent, down 11 points from his previous rating in August.
The poll by Redfield & Wilton Strategies, found that 30 per cent of voters approve of his overall job performance as First Minister of Wales however 45 percent disagree.
WATCH NOW: Welsh locals share their thoughts on 20mph policy
Among other party leaders in the Senedd, Conservatives leader Andrew RT Davies has a net approval rating of -9 percent, while Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, holds a net approval rating of -1 per cent.
Responding to the Welsh Affairs Committee, he clarified that the petition will be responded to using standard procedures, as is the case with other petitions.
The First Minister has consistently backed the speed limit changes, saying they would save lives and reduce the number of accidents across Wales.
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The petition has more than 462,000 signatures, becoming the most popular petition on the Senedd website of all time.
Responding to the “concerns”, the First Minister said: “There are some individual voices in some services that have expressed concern.
“The services themselves have not and of course we work very closely with them.
"The rules are no different in a 20 mile an hour road than they are in a 30 or 40 or 50 or 60 mile road.
The move has been welcomed by road safety campaigners, with the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents suggesting that pedestrians are 40 per cent less likely to die when hit by a car travelling at 20mphPA“Emergency services are able to travel above the speed limit where there is a case for them to do so. None of that has changed.
“And I think a number of these concerns are concerns in advance of the facts, when it comes to operating the system on the ground, I don't think that those fears will materialise.”
The next Senedd election is set to take place in 2026.