Lee Waters: Missed you last week.
Lee Waters: Well, I think the fact that the report has been accepted in full suggests that I was convinced by the analysis and the evidence I heard by the committee, and, to be fair, I don't think anything the Minister said at the time—Julie James—when she gave evidence to us, is different from what the Government is saying now. I'm more than happy to admit when I have changed my mind or changed my...
Lee Waters: Diolch yn fawr. Thank you to everybody who's taken part for the constructive nature of the contributions, and a particular thanks to the committee for the considered and diligent work they undertook on their inquiry and for their report. I know there was some particularly noteworthy contributions to the work of the committee from people who are no longer members of the committee, so I think...
Lee Waters: I would.
Lee Waters: Yes, indeed. In terms of providing all support necessary, we really want this to succeed. The UK Government want this to succeed. Members here want it to succeed. The local authorities want it to succeed. In some ways, it's not been necessarily set up to succeed in the structures that we've put in place, in the insistence of the five-case business model, which the local authorities have...
Lee Waters: Thank you for those questions. I'll try to answer them in turn. I think, in many ways, the Member's comments compound the problem we've been seeing, in that there's been a very different perception of the way the city deal is being run depending on which part of the M4 you're coming from. So, the Member's repeating many of the things I've heard said from the city deal end, which is a...
Lee Waters: Thank you for those questions. A number of them, I think, are best directed towards the city region. This, after all, is a local project. This is not a project the Welsh Government has sponsored. This is a project that's come from the region, and the Welsh Government and the UK Government, jointly, are funding this, and they've put in place a series of assurances that the money is going to be...
Lee Waters: Thank you. The report provides a solid foundation upon which the Welsh and UK Governments, and the regional partners, can move forward quickly with the delivery of the city deal. We will work closely with the leaders of each local authority to consider how the recommendations can be implemented.
Lee Waters: Well, by taking the approach that I just mentioned of taking a thematic approach and looking at how we can scale up existing best practice, and also focusing on the foundational economy as part of the Valleys taskforce, I hope we can spread the benefits beyond just the hubs, but right up into all tips of the Valleys and across the broadest breadth of the Valleys. So, for example, through the...
Lee Waters: The work of the taskforce will be measured using a range of key indicators, such as employment data and those relating to impacts on health and well-being. Evaluation of key commitments taken forward by the taskforce and their impact on people across the Valleys will also contribute to evaluation.
Lee Waters: Thank you. I have been careful to avoid terms like 'transformation' and 'step change' in relation to the foundational economy. I think the foundational economy will help. It will make things better. It'll keep money—existing money—within those communities and stop it leaking out. And it'll allow us to harness the power of public spending in particular to improve the fabric of those...
Lee Waters: Yes. The foundational economy has an important role to play in our wider approach to economic development.
Lee Waters: Thank you for the question. You've raised a really important issue. It is not restricted just to mid Wales—this is as much an issue in Llanelli as it is Montgomeryshire. This is one of the reasons why the Welsh Government is working with the Scottish Government and the Royal Society of Arts on the development of a community bank, because we recognise the importance that banking facilities...
Lee Waters: The investment we have made and continue to make in digital infrastructure means that residents across mid Wales will be able to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by a digital society.
Lee Waters: Yes, the Minister for Finance and I are working closely together on this. There's a review being carried out of the National Procurement Service and as we look to reshape that, we want to make sure that the principles of the foundational economy are embedded in what comes next, and we're talking to the public services boards about how they can pilot some different approaches, building on the...
Lee Waters: Thank you. I must acknowledge the role the Member has played in championing the concept of the foundational economy. I think it's important as well that he's focusing on this aspect of it, which is not an aspect that is often discussed, but I think there is great potential. So, there are three different pillars to our work on the foundational economy. One is the experimental fund that we've...
Lee Waters: Yes. A focus on the foundational economy will support our wider aims for inclusive growth, contribute to place-based economic development and help promote grounded and responsible firms.
Lee Waters: Well, a number of points there. We have briefed Members: we issued a very full written statement on Friday, we published both reports and, as I said, the briefing has been put in place and I'm answering questions this afternoon on it. If any Member would like further information, I am more than happy to meet with them to brief them on what we're doing. I think openness is really important on...
Lee Waters: Certainly, Alun Cairns and I have already met with the leaders of the local authorities on Friday. I had a further meeting on Monday with the Welsh MPs and a meeting this morning with Welsh Assembly Members to let them know what we intend to do next. Our first priority is to get some momentum back into this project, so we're working closely with the city deal to try and get two of the...
Lee Waters: Gosh, what an opportunity. There is further opportunity later with the urgent question on this very same subject to address those topics, so perhaps I'll give you a brief summary and we can explore it a little further. This is a jointly commissioned report by the UK and the Welsh Government, and Alun Cairns and I see eye to eye on this matter, at least. There is criticism of all the actors in...
