North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the First Minister to ensure that his Government works to benefit North Wales by taking full advantage of the ‘growth deal for North Wales’ offered by the UK Government, which would accelerate the development of transport infrastructure across North Wales and cross-border transport projects.
In the Assembly Chamber this week, Mr Isherwood asked the First Minister to respond to the offer. He said:
“The North Wales Economic Ambition Board was established to maximise the opportunities presented by several large-scale projects in the north Wales pipeline, Wylfa Newydd being the largest. The North Wales Economic Ambition Board, including all six county councils, the North Wales Business Council and the third sector, has welcomed the UK Government offer of a North Wales Growth Deal and additional funding, but that requires delivery in partnership with the Welsh Government. How has, or will, your Welsh Government respond to that offer?
The First Minister’s response dodged reference to the specific North Wales Growth Deal and additional funding being offered by the UK Government.
Mr Isherwood added: “The UK Government announced in its March 2016 Budget that it was ‘opening the door’ to a growth deal for North Wales and that it would be looking for the next Welsh Government to devolve powers down and invest in the region as part of any future deal.
“This is what North Wales needs and wants, where, as the North Wales and Mersey Dee Alliance Rail Improvement Task Force said in February, ‘North Wales is seeking to reverse a position of relative economic decline and stagnation relative to UK Growth’.
“With the Welsh General Election now behind him, we must hope that Carwyn Jones does not jeopardise this opportunity and put North Wales back at the bottom of the priority list.”