Following publication by the North Wales Economic Ambition Board of “A Growth Vision for the Economy of North Wales”, and its submission to the UK and Welsh Governments, this motion is unashamedly about North Wales.
The Vision is supported by the leaders and chief executives of all six unitary authorities within the region, the North Wales Business Council, Bangor University, Glyndwr University, Coleg Cambria and Grwp Llandrillo – Menai (College).
North Wales is a united region with a strong sense of identity. The Vision gives clear direction for future planning.
It sets out shared aims and aspirations for “a confident, cohesive region with sustainable economic growth, capitalising on the success of high value economic sectors and its connection to the economies of the Northern Powerhouse and Ireland”.
Although we agree with Plaid Cymru’s amendment 1 about the importance of transport connections for the whole of Wales, it is not appropriate to this North Wales specific debate.
However, we will support Plaid Cymru’s amendment 2, which matches Welsh Conservative proposals for an integrated transport travel card for the whole of Wales, recognising that a North Wales specific scheme would be a matter for North Wales under the devolved powers it is seeking.
Our motion recognises the importance of transport connections within North Wales, and between North Wales and the north west of England and the Midlands, and believes that the proposals contained within the "Growth Vision for the Economy of North Wales" offers the basis for improving the economic performance of north Wales.
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.
The UK Government has also encouraged local partners to prioritise their proposals – which is precisely what this Growth Vision does, when it calls for the devolution of powers by the Welsh Government over employment, taxes, skills and transport, stating that this “would boost the economy, jobs and productivity, create at least 120,000 jobs, and boost the value of the local economy from £12.8 billion to £20 billion by 2035.
As the Vision states “The region is prepared and ready to accept new responsibilities and powers on key decisions that affect the region through a “Team North Wales” approach”.
Examples provided include:
- “integration of employment and skills programmes at the regional level, including Welsh Government’s skills initiatives … to tackle worklessness in a much more meaningful and effective way.
- Asset Backed Investment Fund, achieved if Local Authority and Welsh Government public body assets were pooled.
- Strategic land use planning – identifying the supply of land required for housing and economic growth more regionally and strategically, as well as identifying strategic sites.
- A regional transport authority to prioritise schemes from across the region
- A business support and trade team
- AND, with Business Rates devolved to Wales, new fiscal powers at the regional level – particularly Tax Increment Finance projects funded by additional Business Rates tax revenue gains from economic development activities.
Both North Wales and the UK Government therefore need to hear from the Welsh Government how it proposes to respond and take this forward.
It is therefore concerning that when I called for a Welsh Government response to the North Wales Growth Vision here last week, the Welsh Government Leader of the House stated instead that they awaited the UK Government’s response.
This is not good enough and we hope to hear better today.
Welsh Conservative policy outlined at the 2016 Welsh General Election would create a North Wales Powerhouse.
By working with local authorities, business groups and the voluntary sector, Welsh Conservatives would devolve key economic levers and deliver ‘true devolution’ to North Wales…….
With powers devolved to a regional North Wales Board delivering economic growth levers to North Wales and letting businesses and people take control.
These would include extra powers over business rates, planning and integrated transport via an independent body.
At a meeting in November 2012 attended by leaders and Chief Executives of Local Authorities and the Business Community in North Wales, and Chaired by then Secretary of State for Wales, David Jones, it was agreed that the North Wales Economic Ambition Board would build a business case for the electrification of the rail line from Holyhead to Crewe, and develop actions and strategies for transport in North Wales.
The "Growth Track 360" report was issued in May 2016 by the Mersey Dee Alliance, the Cheshire & Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership and the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, calling for substantial Rail Investment to enable growth in the cross border economy of the North Wales and Mersey Dee Region.
Prior to this, the Fast Track to Growth: North Wales and Northern Powerhouse document noted that:
- North Wales, the Mersey Dee Area and Cheshire (the M56/A55 corridor) form a regional economy worth £35bn.
- And there are 1,000,000 cross border commutes per month North Wales to/from North West England.
It added that however:
- That North Wales has the highest proportion of travel to work by car rates in the UK and Poor transport infrastructure is strangling economic growth.
- That although Tourism is worth £1.8bn to the North Wales economy, equivalent to 40,000 jobs, current rail services are a drag on the region’s competitiveness.
- And that Freight from Ireland arrives at Holyhead by HGV/Ro-Ro and makes its onward journey along congested roads.
GVA measures the value of the goods and services per head of population produced in an economy.
Economic development has been devolved to Wales and in
According to the latest published figures West Wales and the Valleys, including four North Wales counties, Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy and Denbighshire, has the lowest GVA of all UK sub regions, at 64% of the UK average.
Anglesey has the lowest GVA amongst all UK local areas, of just 53.5% of the UK average.
Even GVA per head in Wrexham and Flintshire, which stood at 99.3 per cent of the UK average in 1999, has now fallen to just 86 per cent of the UK average”.
It is in this context that the North Wales Economic Ambition Board states “the vision complements the developing strategy for the Northern Powerhouse, is fully integrated with the Strategy Growth Bid submission of the Cheshire and Warrington Local Enterprise Partnership, and has the Growth Track 360 plan for rail investment at its core. By building an investment strategy around this outward – looking vision we can succeed in capitalising on the opportunities within the North Wales region whilst adding value to a connected and cumulative set of regional plans for Northern England and the wider UK economy”.
Our motion calls on the Welsh Government to publish a plan to improve and upgrade the A55 trunk road.
In respect of the A55, the Growth Vision document calls for strategic projects including Aston Hill improvement, Flintshire Bridge alternative route, congestion issues at Halkyn and Abergele, the A483/A55 junction at Chester Business Park, Holyhead Port Access and Menai Crossing.
A third Menai crossing has been on the agenda for more than a decade. A consultation commissioned by the Welsh Government in 2007 came up with eight options to ease traffic backlog on the Britannia Bridge, yet no action has been taken since. So guess what – jump forward to August 2016 and they announce that ‘Consultants are to be hired later this year to look at routes for a proposed new crossing to Anglesey’.
North Wales cannot afford yet more apparent action as a smokescreen for doing nothing.
Our motion calls upon the Welsh Government to work with the UK Government and the North Wales Economic Ambition Board to deliver upgrades to the north Wales line.
Alongside electrification, the Growth Vision document calls for service frequency and speed improvements, Network capacity improvements, rolling stock improvements and improved stations at Deeside.
About 30% of the Welsh economy is in North East Wales alone and it cannot be acceptable that rail’s share for travel to work is just 1% in Flintshire and 0.9% in Wrexham, or that 1 in 5 applicants for work on the Deeside Industrial Park subsequently turn down interviews or job offers due to inaccessibility.
Following £10.7 million of UK Government investment, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority approved the Full Business Case and release of additional funding for the delivery of the Halton Curve Scheme in April offering new connections between Liverpool, Liverpool John Lennon Airport, Runcorn, Frodsham, Helsby and Chester, but connections with North Wales are only ‘in future’ because the Welsh Government is dragging its feet as usual.
Our Motion calls on the Welsh Government to publish a detailed business plan for the development of the North Wales Metro, where the Welsh Government’s proposals remain vague and disconnected from the collaborative approach sought in the Growth Vision.
As the Growth Vision document concludes “North Wales is well placed to receive a range of new responsibilities, and is confident that negotiated powers that will be devolved to the region will have a positive impact, boosting productivity levels and improving the employment prospects of our residents”.