Presiding Officer, I am grateful to you for the opportunity to update Members about the progress that the Valleys taskforce has made since the 'Our Valleys, Our Future' action plan was published last July. I would like to start by placing on record my own personal thanks for the taskforce members’ work and support over the last 12 months, including my colleagues, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy and Infrastructure, the Leader of the House and Chief Whip, the Minister for Housing and Regeneration, and the Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning.

The Valleys taskforce was set up to create lasting change in the south Wales Valleys: an area that has immense opportunities, but also more than its fair share of challenges. I’m pleased to report today that the taskforce has planted the seeds of that change. At the heart of both the action plan and the delivery plan that accompanies it and which we published last November, there are three key priorities: good-quality jobs and the skills to do them, better public services, and my local community. There are more than 60 individual actions across each of the priorities, which have been developed following extensive engagement with people living and working in the south Wales Valleys. We believe that these actions will deliver real and lasting change for Valleys communities.

The taskforce is today publishing a first-year progress report, detailing the breadth of the work over the last 12 months and, Presiding Officer, I would like, with your consent, to share some of that progress with you today. A year ago, the taskforce set the challenging target of closing the employment gap between the south Wales Valleys and the rest of Wales. This means helping an extra 7,000 people into fair work and creating thousands of new, fair, secure and sustainable jobs in the Valleys. Over the last 12 months, more than 1,000 economically inactive people living in Valleys taskforce areas have started work through Welsh Government-led employment programmes. Nearly 1,000 people and small businesses have been helped through advice and business support. And more than 100 new enterprises have been created within the Valleys taskforce area.

The seven strategic hubs were originally conceived as areas where public money and resources would be focused to create opportunities for the private sector to invest and create new jobs. Over the last 12 months, we have made good progress in the development of these hubs. Local authorities in each of the hub areas have led the development of the plans, which are unique to their local area. Each area has been developing a blueprint for future investment, and we are identifying key projects to support long-term transformation. The early work on the hubs is highlighting the benefit that a joined-up approach to this type of investment can bring. We have seen this already with the Taff Vale project, which will provide the new headquarters for Transport for Wales, and help to revitalise Pontypridd’s high street. The Tech Valleys strategic plan has been published, providing strategic direction for investments and programme activity for Ebbw Vale, alongside a £25 million commitment between 2018 and 2021.

Presiding Officer, we are all aware in this Chamber of the metro and the welcome announcement made by my Cabinet colleague Ken Skates about the new rail franchise and the plans for a world-leading rail testing complex for the top of the Dulais valley. The metro is now becoming a reality, but as we have made clear all along, we need to ensure that it delivers far more than transport benefits alone. That will require the active support of a range of organisations, and we are already working across the region to deliver for Valleys communities.

Last week, the First Minister announced that he has appointed Linda Dickens, emeritus professor of industrial relations at the University of Warwick, as chair of our fair work commission. On behalf of the taskforce, I would also like to extend my own thanks to Professor Dickens for agreeing to support us on this journey. The Welsh Government has an ambition for Wales to be a fair work nation, and this work is extremely important to what we're trying to achieve in the Valleys. From the outset, the Valleys taskforce has highlighted the importance of engagement with Valleys communities. That has continued to be a vital element of our work over the course of the last 12 months.

Alongside our traditional methods of engagement, the taskforce has been working closely with three communities—in Llanhilleth, Ferndale, and in Glynneath and Banwen. We have been looking at how we can improve local services and make them better integrated. Each of these pathfinders have agreed a number of actions or activities, and the learning from this work will feed into the wider taskforce approach.

Presiding Officer, the taskforce will be taking forward three digital pilot schemes for the Valleys. We will explore extending public sector broadband networks to create a series of free Wi-Fi hotspots open to all across Valleys communities. We're investigating the creation of an Uber-style app, which would bring together all providers of community transport, making it easier for people to order transport to health appointments. We want to increase the use of online data mapping technologies as a means of promoting the Valleys. This work is closely aligned to the priorities identified by the Cardiff capital city region. It is also another area where the taskforce is acting as a catalyst for wider change. We all recognise the importance of digital technologies in the creation of high-quality jobs.

The Valleys landscape park is key to a third of the priorities in 'Our Valleys, Our Future'. It is at the heart of our ambition to help Valleys communities celebrate and make the most of our natural resources and heritage. We want communities in the Valleys to feel that they are a place that we can be proud to call 'home' and where businesses choose to operate. We want communities to be empowered and to show pride in their environment that is easily accessible and widely used.

The taskforce has spent much of the last year working on developing this exciting and dynamic approach that will co-ordinate, drive and promote activities related to environment and tourism across the south Wales Valleys. We all know just how much the Valleys have to offer, but I want the rest of Wales, the UK and the world to learn more about our history, our culture and our breathtaking scenery.

We have developed the idea for the Valleys landscape park with local communities, with key stakeholders and different interest groups. The aim is for it to deliver ambitious plans that will connect what we are calling 'discovery locations' across the Valleys with walking trails and cycle routes. It is my intention that this will be developed within a defined boundary and supported by a designated land status for the Valleys. We want the Valleys to be a recognised tourist destination. We want to grow the tourism economy in the Valleys to benefit from the economic impact that we know it can have. We are currently working with a number of proposed high-quality tourism developments, which, if realised, will attract new high-spending visitors to the Valleys.

I'm very pleased that this week the Minister for Culture, Tourism and Sport announced the approval of two projects that will make a significant difference to their areas within the Valleys. The £4.6 million Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Adventure Triangle project will develop outdoor recreation, tourism and leisure activity along the Monmouthshire and Brecon canal in Torfaen and Caerphilly, and will be able to connect the upland area of Mynydd Maen. The project will be delivered by a partnership between Torfaen council, Caerphilly council, the Canal and River Trust, and the Monmouthshire, Brecon and Abergavenny Canals Trust. It will create a focus for visitors interested in outdoor recreation and adventure sports, bringing together a range of facilities to stimulate overnight visitor stays, and will help exploit the economic potential of the currently underused southern section of the canal and surrounding uplands.

Also detailed in the progress report is the upgrade of Llechwen Hall, a three-star country house hotel just outside Pontypridd, set in six acres of grounds. Welsh Government funding has been offered to expand the hotel’s capacity, add a gym and spa facilities and upgrade to a four-star hotel.

There is inspiring community work taking place across the Valleys. We want to build upon this and support people to take it further.

Presiding Officer, I'm sure you will agree with me that there is still very much to do, but, by working with our partners and with people living and working in the Valleys, we will deliver results.