2. Business Statement and Announcement

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:15 pm on 10 July 2018.

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Photo of Mohammad Asghar Mohammad Asghar Conservative 2:15, 10 July 2018

Cabinet Secretary, may I ask for a statement from the Welsh Government on the Centre for Cities's report that says that the struggling city centres should end their dependency on retail by replacing shops with offices and housing? According to this report, offices in successful city centres like Bristol and Manchester made up two thirds of the commercial space available, and retail made 18 per cent of that. In Newport city centre, 54 per cent of commercial space was in retail, and 28 per cent of the shops are vacant. Also, the number of people living in Cardiff city centre, an increase of 88 per cent between 2002 and 2015. In Swansea city centre, 63 per cent over the same period. In Newport, an increase of only 20 per cent, Minister.

Could we have a statement from the Welsh Government on the findings of this report, and on how we can breathe life back into cities and towns such as Newport, please?