Concluding this week’s Welsh Conservative Debate on the Welsh Economy, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood welcomed UK Government proposals to boost the Welsh economy and emphasised the need for a North Wales Growth Deal.
Mr Isherwood also spoke of the need for a third Menai crossing and to electrify the North Wales coast line.
He said:
“Thank you to Russell George AM for opening this debate by welcoming the economic boost to the Welsh economy being delivered by the UK Government’s abolition of the Severn crossing tolls, showing that Wales is open for business, and also for emphasising the need for North and Mid Wales Growth Deals, where people and businesses in North and Mid Wales not only look south to Government, but in terms of their economic and social lives, they look east for their cross-border movements, and also west to Ireland. We need to, as he said, cement North Wales as an intrinsic part of an exciting cross-border economic region linked up to the Northern Powerhouse.
He added: “Of course, there are no tolls on the Menai bridge, but we do need the third Menai crossing. It is nearly a decade since the Welsh Government last commissioned an independent report on options for that, which made recommendations. It’s a shame we’ve had to wait this long for groundhog day to arrive all over again, but I hope the Minister’s aspiration of having a decision to move forward by 2021 is reached for all concerned.
“There is also a need to electrify the Valleys lines and the North Wales coast line, something the Welsh Conservatives certainly strongly support. It would be wonderful if the Welsh Government could catch up with the Merseyside districts, the Liverpool districts, and actually announce that it’s going to support and invest on this side of the border so the Halton Curve proposals do not simply end at the border. Similarly, it would be nice if the Welsh Government could announce it was going to restore the two miles it removed from the Wrexham-Chester line.”
Mr Isherwood added: “the West Wales and the Valleys sub-region, including four North Wales Counties, has had the lowest value of goods and services produced per head of population, or GVA, across the 12 UK nations and regions for 19 years; covering the whole period of devolution. Unfortunately, the relative prosperity gap has widened, and even the most prosperous corner of North Wales in the north-east has seen the relative figure against the UK level fall from almost 100 per cent of UK GVA to just 84 per cent. It is critical that the next UK Government is seen as a positive partner with the Welsh Government and by the Welsh Government.
“The Cabinet Secretary said the Welsh Government is determined to spread prosperity across Wales - it’s just a shame that since 1998, we’ve remained the part of the UK with the lowest GVA.
“The reality is most things have been going backwards since devolution - not because of devolution but because of Welsh Government - but it’s interesting that the improvement in jobs and employment and inward investment has happened since Conservative Prime Ministers and Conservative-led Government took office in 2010.”
ENDS