Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 1:34 pm on 6 March 2019.
Thank you very much for that question. It is really important that we work very hard to increase the footfall in our town centres across Wales, and there are various ways in which we can do that, including through the investment that we are making in active travel, but also making sure that we have better interconnectivity between our various towns and communities. So, I think that the answer here isn't a simplistic one. It is about using our investment that we do have through the Building for the Future programme, to ensure that we have jobs in the city centre, and the investment that we make through our housing programme to ensure that we turn some of our empty properties into homes in our towns and city centres.
So, the answer really to having thriving vibrant high streets in the future is multifaceted and will require work across Government, and we are undertaking that work. The targeted regeneration investment scheme, for example, is a fantastic example of how we are rejuvenating high streets right across Wales, but also putting the power and the decision making there in the hands of local authorities so that they can come together and work out for themselves what their particular local priorities are, and then we'll support them to deliver them.