Mark Isherwood
Concerned by the latest wealth figures, which show Wales is still bottom of the UK in terms of value of goods and services produced, North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called on the Welsh Government to take action to give business and industry the boost it needs.
He is alarmed that after almost a decade and a half of Labour-led Welsh Government and billions in extra EU funding, Wales remains at the bottom of the UK economic league table and has challenged the Minister for Economy and Transport, Edwina Hart, over the latest figures.
Speaking in the Assembly Chamber, he said:
“Given that the Welsh Government is responsible for economic development in Wales, I am sure that you agree with me that we should be ambitious in our economic forecasts for Wales. How do you think this will be affected therefore by the latest Gross Value Added wealth creation statistics, out last month, that showed that Wales, yet again, is bottom among the 12 UK nations and regions in terms of the value of goods and services produced? Figures out last week also show that, although the number of working-age people not in work in Wales has fallen by 81,000 since the last UK General Election, at 546,000 it is still double the UK average.”
In her reply the Minister insisted the Welsh Government have made the right decisions in terms of how it invests in business, not only in terms of finance but also training.
Mr Isherwood added:
“We’ve been hearing the same thing from this Minister and her predecessors for years, but until they acknowledge the problems and its causes and until businesses are truly embraced and listened to, the solutions required will not be delivered.
“After 15 years of successive Labour Welsh Governments, Wales is the poorest part of the UK, while Wales’ share of UK inward investment has fallen from 15% in the 1980s and 1990s to just 4% now, from top to bottom destination amongst the 11 nations and regions of mainland Britain. Even before the 2008 crash, one in three working age people in Wales were not in work, double the UK average. In Flintshire and Wrexham, GDP per head fell from 106% to 92% of the EU average in the decade after 2002 and the region encompassing the other 4 North Wales counties remains one of only three UK regions still qualifying for full EU convergence assistance. Wales can not go on like this.”
