Part of 1. 1. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:36 pm on 5 July 2017.
Thank you for that answer, Cabinet Secretary. Following the submission last August of the growth vision for north Wales, I know, and you’ll be aware, that stakeholders in my region, and across the border, such as the North Wales Economic Ambition Board, the Mersey Dee Alliance, Cheshire and Warrington local enterprise partnership, and the north Wales business council have worked hard on collaborating and coming together to press ahead our plans for infrastructure development, the skills agenda and economic growth for the north Wales area. In addition, in order to complement this work, I was pleased to be able to establish the cross-party group for north Wales here in the Assembly, so we can actually work together more collectively in order to press ahead that agenda in the Assembly, to get the financial and the political will to take our ambitions forward for north Wales. I’m glad you said that we’re expecting progress very soon, because I think there’s been a bit of a fear, despite it being much mooted alongside the Northern Powerhouse, that things have gone a bit quiet of late. So, I will just ask: what political commitment remains to the north Wales growth deal from both the UK and the Welsh Governments, and has any financial commitment been forthcoming as of yet from the UK Government, as it has done previously for the deals in south Wales, in respect of Cardiff and Swansea bay?