After persistent questioning from the Welsh Conservatives during First Minister’s Questions this week it has emerged that the Labour / Plaid government has received £10million from the UK Government under a Barnett consequential which was specifically to pay off back dated rates for port businesses, however, Labour & Plaid have decided that this money will not be used to pay off the back dated rates and have left the businesses to try and find the money themselves.
Angela Burns Carmarthenshire’s Assembly Member commented, “We are very aware that local businesses provide employment and futures for our communities and that we need them to help drive our economy forward. It must be galling for these businesses to learn that the Welsh Assembly Government has absolutely no intention to support them even when they have been given the monies under a special dispensation outside of the normal Barnett Funding agreement and the First Minister’s initial denial, during questions, that the £10million was a consequential especially for ports rates was shoddy.”
“Here we have an extra £10 Million for Wales, to help support the many businesses which operate within our Ports but, the Labour/Plaid government, are simply dumping it into the big pot of mismanagement. They have admitted that this will penalise businesses. This is an extraordinary admission and taken in tandem with their lack of support for so many local companies over the recent massive hikes in business rates, I have to ask what on earth they are playing at. If our local companies don’t flourish then the Welsh economy won’t flourish, and if the economy doesn’t flourish then neither will Wales.”
