Part of 1. 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 1:48 pm on 7 February 2017.
Diolch, Lywydd. When it comes to differences in income between its regions and nations, the UK is one of the most unequal states in Europe, and Wales suffers from this imbalance as well. To address this imbalance, our market towns and post-industrial towns need good-quality public sector jobs. HMRC, DWP and the jobcentre are moving jobs from towns that suffer from low wages, like Porthmadog, Llanelli, and Porth in the Rhondda, and jobs are being moved to more centralised sites. It’s not just UK Government departments doing this; there’s a consultation on moving ambulance service jobs from Carmarthenshire to Bridgend. Do you recognise this centralisation agenda, and are you concerned about jobs and services being moved out of communities to a smaller number of locations?