The Plaid driven government’s Economic Renewal Programme will boost our smaller local businesses and help to sustain our town centres. That was the message today (Friday 16th July) from Plaid AM and Director of Policy Nerys Evans who was addressing a Plaid policy conference on the future of town centres.
The policy conference, which was held in Tenby, was an open forum for discussion on the future of town centres. In addition to Plaid Cymru politicians and activists, the conference included contributions from small businesses, the local community and other interested parties.
Plaid Cymru Assembly Member and Director of Policy, Nerys Evans said:
Plaid Cymru has long argued that small businesses are the lifeblood of the Welsh economy and that town centres are the heart of our communities. Since the start of the recession, as a part of the Welsh government, Plaid has worked hard to protect small businesses in Wales from the worst of the economic storm. Now that Wales is coming out of the economic crisis, Plaid leader and Economy Minister, Ieuan Wyn Jones has launched the Economic Renewal Programme which will see significant investment in infrastructure and a move away from the traditional grant culture for big business to a culture of investment . This will benefit all areas and all types and sizes of business.
“The new programme will enable small and medium sized Welsh businesses to compete on the global stage through investment in broadband, with a commitment of access to New Generation broadband for every business in Wales over the next 6 years. In addition to this, there will be an increased supply of business premises in areas of demand, a more responsive and efficient planning system, and the Welsh Government is to take a fresh look at regulations that impact on the private sector. Ieuan Wyn Jones will also be ensuring that there is a reduction in bureaucracy in public sector procurement, including a single national procurement website where businesses of all sizes can bid, creating a more level playing field for SMEs.
During the conference in Tenby, Nerys Evans AM also outlined how the unique requirements of the tourism sector had been catered for in the Economic Renewal process
“Under the economic renewal programme, investment funding for tourism will be moved from the former Single Investment Fund to be under the direct management of the tourism team, under the lead of the Tourism Minister, Plaid AM Alun Ffred Jones. There will be an increased emphasis on supporting tourism infrastructure and improving the environmental performance of the sector. Due to its distinct nature, tourism grants will now be co-ordinated by the Tourism department of the Welsh government. This is designed to be a far more effective approach and I’m confident that it will benefit the industry as a whole.”
