North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has highlighted his understanding that the Wrexham Gateway Project is secure but has raised concerns with the Cabinet Secretary for Economy that other projects in North Wales could be scrapped by the new UK Government.
Speaking in today’s meeting of the Welsh Parliament, Mr Isherwood asked the Cabinet Secretary, Rebecca Evans MS, what action she is taking to help ensure funding for these projects is safeguarded.
Mr Isherwood had also raised the matter in last week’s Business Statement.
Speaking today, he said:
“It's my understanding from Wrexham Council of good news that the Wrexham Gateway Project should be secure, partly because of Welsh Government funding, partly because of the Shared Prosperity Funding (from the former UK Government), which Wrexham did receive - almost £23 million out of over £126 million received in North Wales - and because this is a priority project for the North Wales Growth Deal and the Ambition Board. Hopefully, you can confirm that your understanding is also that this project is secure.
“But there is concern that the £20 million Town Fund allocation to Wrexham could be scrapped by the new UK Government, alongside that for Merthyr Tydfil, Cwmbran and Barry, and the £20 million announced by the previous UK Government for Rhyl, under it's ‘Long-Term Plan for Towns’, and the £160 million announced for the North-east Wales Investment Zone.
So, I wonder if you can confirm what representations you're making to colleagues in the UK Government to secure those projects, which mean so much to the organisations, businesses, Councils and others involved with them in the region of North Wales.”
In her response, the Cabinet Secretary said:
“In terms of the Town Fund, I think that we all recognise that the funding that was announced by the UK Government is part of the black hole which is there at the moment, because there was never any real money attached to that.”
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood added:
“In blaming once again the fiscal ‘black hole' Labour claims to have discovered after the UK General Election on July 4th, about which the UK Treasury has refused to provide key details, she failed to mention either that when Labour left Office in 2010, the UK deficit stood at 10.3% of GDP, but when Conservatives left Office in July 2024, the UK deficit stood at 4.4% of GDP, despite having had to borrow Billions to support people and the economy through the Pandemic and the global cost of living crisis, or that a chunk of the claimed ‘black hole’ is down to political decisions taken by the new Labour UK Government since 4th July.”
