Commenting on the First Minister’s call for Leaders to discuss use of an additional £38.9 million – generated as a consequence of the UK Government’s decision to freeze Council Tax in England, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Assembly, Andrew RT Davies AM, said:
“I welcome this call and the Welsh Conservatives’ door is fully open to this offer of dialogue.
“It is crucially important that this money stays both in people’s pockets and business bank accounts. We need households to be spending money in their local economies and businesses to be in a position to consider development and employment.
“Further business rates relief is a vital part of that support and must be an integral point of discussion.
“The First Minister is right to say that careful choices are needed and his immediate refusal to freeze council tax in Wales – as in England – appears to fly in the face of that claim.
“Welsh Conservatives have a number of innovative ideas to stimulate growth within the Welsh economy and I look forward to discussions on the use of this money in the very near future.”