Labour slips to fourth in rural Wales, poll reveals
© Adobe Stock Labour is in fourth place in rural Wales ahead of the next Senedd election, according to new polling commissioned by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA).
The findings come as CLA Cymru hosts its inaugural Rural Business Conference in Newport today (Thursday 5 March).
A Census-wide survey of more than 1,000 voters across Wales’s most rural seats – home to roughly one-third of the population – puts Labour on 13.5%, behind Plaid Cymru (22.3%), Reform UK (16.7%) and the Green Party (14.5%).
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Nearly one-in-three traditional Labour voters say they will not back the party at the next Senedd election, while fewer than half (47%) say they are “happy” with how they voted last time.
Among those ruling out Labour, 20% cite the party’s performance in Westminster as their main reason, level with concern over the cost of living. Farming and rural policy follows at 15%.
Trust on economic growth is fragmented. Plaid leads on 27%, with Reform on 19%, while Labour, the Conservatives and the Greens are grouped in the low teens.
Victoria Bond, director CLA Cymru, said: “Rural Wales is not being listened to. A third of the country lives outside the cities, yet too many feel shut out of the decisions that shape their lives.
“Families are being priced out of their own villages. Long-standing businesses are under strain. Planning rules block growth before it begins. It is getting harder to stay and harder to build a future,” she said.
“The countryside is not owned by any party. It is there to be won. Any party with a serious plan for rural Wales will find support. Those who treat it as a nice place for a walk will not.”
Cost of living (37%), jobs and opportunities, affordable housing (33%), planning delays, rural crime and broadband were cited as key concerns.
Ahead of May’s Senedd poll, the CLA is calling for a cross-government rural economic strategy.
Countryside Alliance sets out election demands
The Countryside Alliance has launched its Welsh election manifesto – Championing our countryside: Senedd Elections 2026 – setting out priorities for rural communities ahead of polling in May 2026.
The document (Opens in PDF) calls for a dedicated Countryside Champion, rural proofing of policy, stronger action on rural crime and long-term financial support for farmers, alongside a consistent approach to wildlife management and greater use of Welsh produce in public procurement.
Rachel Evans, director of Countryside Alliance Wales, said: “This manifesto comes at a time when rural faith in government is at an all-time low.
“Recent polling has shown that two in three voters believe that the government does not care about rural people, and neglects them.
“With the results of the upcoming elections far from certain, politicians would do well to listen to the voices of rural people, and show that they will legislate for them, and not against them.”