Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:47 pm on 18 October 2017.
I welcome the opportunity to have this debate today and to be able to contribute, as I’m proud to serve the community that shaped me and, since being elected just over a year ago, I’ve been clear that I’m not only here to be that strong voice and stand up for my constituents in Delyn, but also for north Wales and the north-east Wales area as a whole. Like many others from the area, I’m all too well aware of what I tend to call the devolution disconnect in the area that I come from, not least because, from my constituency, it’s actually quicker to get to Cardiff—quicker to get to London, sorry, by train, from Flint, than it is to get to Cardiff. There’s a whole range of things we can do to tackle that, and that’s one of the reasons I’m looking forward to the Senedd@ coming to Delyn next month and using that to actually engage more people with what the Assembly does and how it impacts on their lives.
But also it is about ensuring that we bring greater economic benefits from devolution to the region, and I’m pleased to see some such investment in the pipeline, including the development bank that was launched today, which will be based in Wrexham. I’m also supportive of the plans to have a national football museum in Wrexham, but I’d ask, perhaps, if there’s any clarity from Plaid Cymru on whether that will be part of the national museum or a stand-alone museum. From my own personal perspective too, I’d also be keen to know whether the museum would feature those Welsh greats, such as Neville Southall, the late Gary Speed, who also played for the No. 1 team for north Walians to support, Everton. I should point out this is the only time I ever support the team in blue.
Over the summer—