Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 4:11 pm on 5 July 2016.
Thank you, acting Presiding Officer. I particularly agreed with your emphasis on economic inactivity because this, unfortunately, is one of the main drivers for our relatively low GVA and, indeed, our falling GVA in the last 20 years or so under Governments of both parties in terms of who’s been in power in Westminster. Economic inactivity is not the same as unemployment. Obviously, they often do overlap but they’re not the same things. We’ve had a real problem with people just leaving the labour market completely in our poorer areas and I think we need to focus on this. Secondly, an awful lot of public services that are consumed in deprived areas are done to people and don’t fully involve people, even in terms of employment. I think we need to look at how much of local delivery involves local people. Finally, I think citizens in these areas need to be able to reshape some of their public policies. Obviously, the core that needs to be delivered is unlikely to change in any part of the UK, but there may be particular needs and preferences and we should listen to them. They may not be the same as ours; they may make different decisions.