Welsh Conservative Shadow Secretary and Assembly Member for North Wales, Mark Isherwood, has today called for the Welsh Government to devolve powers to North Wales.
Leading the Welsh Conservative Debate on the North Wales Growth Vision, Mr Isherwood urged the Welsh Government to make this a reality through increased investment and empowerment in North Wales.
He said:
“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.
“North Wales is a united region with a strong sense of identity. 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 the North Wales Economic Ambition Board’s ‘Growth Vision for the Economy of North Wales’ 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”.
He added: “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. 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 turned down interviews or job offers do to inaccessibility.
“Following £10.4 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 rail 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”.