Well, I have to say first of all, with regard to my own town, which I know very well, there are at least three different groups of traders who don’t agree with each other, and that is one of the weaknesses the town faces. Secondly, she mentions empty premises. The biggest problem with empty premises in Bridgend is the intransigence of landlords—landlords who will not rent, or are only offering rent at ridiculous rates. I have heard examples of businesses who have said to me they are only being offered leases of 10 years with rents of up to £25,000 a year. That’s ridiculous. Some of the landlords in Bridgend need to get real and understand that the way of things 40 years ago is no longer right.

She asked me why we would not adopt Conservative policy. Quite simply, this: there are over 70,000 businesses in Wales, more than 70 per cent of them receive support, and over half of all eligible businesses pay no rates at all. In England, only a third pay no rates at all. So, actually, the scheme in Wales is significantly more generous than the penny-pinching scheme implemented by the Conservatives in England.