The Assembly Member for Wrexham, Lesley Griffiths has challenged the UK Coalition Government match plans to give borrowing powers to Scotland – for Wales.
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg has confirmed that the Scottish Government will be given early access to capital borrowing powers to help fund capital projects, in a move which will see borrowing powers in place as early as next year.
However, no such plans are on the books to allow the Welsh Government or Northern Irish Assembly to do the same.
This has led many to question why Scotland appears to be getting preferential treatment.
Lesley Griffiths said:
“To provide Scotland with the ability to borrow to improve roads, and hospitals, but not Wales, is to cede economic advantage to Scotland.
“Wales must be given a level playing field as we fight our way out of recession. Wales already receives less funding per head than Northern Ireland or Scotland, and so the ability to raise money to invest is needed all the more in Wales.
“If it’s good enough for Scotland, it’s good enough for Wales. We fought long and hard to gain the same law making abilities as Scotland, now once again plans are afoot to relegate Wales to a second tier of devolution.
“It was only last week that the Queen praised the record of the Welsh Assembly as an elected body. The people of Wales expect no less than to be treated as an equal within the devolved nations by the UK Government. “
Lesley Griffiths remarks follow comments by First Minister Carwyn Jones, who said the case for borrowing power was ‘unassailable’. The Holtham Report, recently Commissioned by the Welsh Assembly Government, has also found that the Welsh funding mechanism should be reviewed, partly through the addition of borrowing powers.
