3. Statement by the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services: Update on the Our Valleys, Our Future Delivery Plan

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:05 pm on 27 November 2018.

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Photo of Hefin David Hefin David Labour 3:05, 27 November 2018

On 16 November, I visited Welsh ICE, which is based in Caerphilly business park, and it was recently awarded Welsh Government funding to become a regional enterprise hub to encourage and support entrepreneurship, linking with all kinds of partners from universities, local businesses, colleges and the Development Bank of Wales. They're also linking up with satellites, who are to be confirmed, according to the development plan, and I'd like to hear more about that.

If it's going to be successful, Welsh ICE wants to support the Minister's ambition for connectivity, which has already been referred to, and help identify key partners. When I visited Welsh ICE, they showed me an infographic that demonstrated the businesses that were linking in with them. It was interesting that it was a kind of upside-down T shape in the fact that it was businesses from along the M4 corridor and then the Rhymney valley linking into Cardiff and not much outside of that area. So, there's certainly a challenge to get those different communities linking into Welsh ICE. I particularly want to see businesses from Bargoed and Senghenydd linking into Welsh ICE, but also from across those Valleys communities. Overwhelmingly, we see businesses interested in the southern parts; we need to connect the northern Valleys.

So, what can the Welsh Government do to encourage this? I notice in his statement that he mentions a focused business support campaign. Can he just elaborate on what he means by that and also what he means by the peer-to-peer network that he referred to in his statement? Some elaboration on those things also would assist Members in understanding how we're going to develop those northern Valleys communities and businesses.