North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has called on Labour Welsh Government Ministers to do all they can to protect the millions of pounds of planned investment in North Wales following well placed speculation that it could be scrapped by the UK Government.
There are growing fears that the region may miss out on investment secured under the former Conservative UK Government.
In yesterday’s Business Statement, Mr Isherwood raised the concerns when calling for a Statement on support for the North Wales economy and urged Ministers to do all they can to ensure the funding is not pulled.
Speaking in the Senedd Chamber, Mr Isherwood said:
“The leader of Wrexham Council has said it would be truly disappointing if the £20 million Town Fund allocated to Wrexham is scrapped by the Labour UK Government, which was part of a long-term investment plan for towns overlooked and taken for granted, including four in Wales.
“He added that, on top of that, there are rumours that the North Wales Investment Zone of £160 million could be pulled. If that would happen, that would be a disaster for Wrexham and Flintshire because that was supposed to bring in around £1 billion-worth of investment within the two counties. This follows statements during the summer casting doubt over the billion-pound plan to electrify the North Wales rail line, and plans to build a large nuclear power station at Wylfa in Anglesey - announcements by UK Government Ministers.
“We therefore need to know what action, if any, the Welsh Government is taking to fight for these schemes - schemes, although Conservative Government schemes, which secured largely cross-party support in the region—or is North Wales going to have to wait several years to bid for the next round of schemes before further delay occurs once again?
“I call for a Statement accordingly because the region doesn’t wish and cannot afford to lose out on potentially hundreds of millions and billions of pounds of investment it was already planning to invest.”
In her response, the Trefnydd, Jane Hutt MS, blamed the previous UK Government and “black hole that you have left us”.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Isherwood said:
“North Wales deserves better than the same old ‘blame everything on the Conservative UK Government’ rhetoric.
“In referring to the ‘black hole that you have left us’, she seems unaware that the UK Treasury has refused to provide key details of the £22bn fiscal “black hole” that chancellor Rachel Reeves claims to have discovered, or that when Labour left Office in 2010, the UK deficit stood at 10.3% of GDP, but when Conservatives left Office in 2024, the UK deficit stood at 4.4% of GDP.
“In referring to “the previous Conservative Government’s very narrow and very insular, and without Welsh Government engagement, decisions about this funding”, she seems unaware that that the approach to identifying Investment Zone areas in Wales was co-developed by the UK Conservative Government and the Labour Welsh Government”.
“In stating “you had this very pork-barrel, where-there-happened-to-be-a-Conservative-MP scheme”, she also seems strangely unaware that Merthyr Tydfil, Cwmbran and Barry were each also to receive £20 million town funds, or that a second Investment Zone in Wales was located across Cardiff and Newport.”
