9. How is the Welsh Government supporting economic development in the Heads of the Valleys area? OAQ54195

The Welsh Government’s priorities are set in our economic action plan, and the Valleys taskforce delivery plan aligns and focuses on actions that make a real difference, including strengthening the foundational economy.

Thank you, Deputy Minister. I'm sure you'll be aware that the final costs for the dualling of the A465 Heads of the Valleys road look to stand at more than £2 billion—more than the rejected plans for the M4 relief road. The final section of that road, the last 16 miles, will come in at more than the total that the Welsh Government will be spending on the south Wales metro. Now, I'm a supporter of the road, I think that it's done great things to improve safety and has great economic potential. There have been some tangential benefits to the local communities during the construction phase, but what I'd like to ask you is: what more can the Welsh Government do, moving forward, to ensure that this huge economic asset can be capitalised upon by those communities in the northern Valleys, which are some of our most disadvantaged?

Thank you for the question. The Member is right to point out the very significant investment the Welsh Government has made in the Heads of the Valleys through the dualling of the road. She also notes there have been community benefits delivered as part of the delivery of the scheme, including apprenticeships and training, employment of local people, spend with local companies, engagement with local schools and supporting community groups and events. But she's also right to point out that building roads in itself does not guarantee a positive economic return to an area. We need to use it as a platform to develop beyond that. This is a conversation I've been having with her and with other Members from the Heads of the Valleys areas through the group that we've set up to shadow the Valleys taskforce, and, as a result of that, I am going to be setting up a sub-group of the Valleys taskforce to look specifically at how the dualling of the road can be leveraged to make sure that there are benefits flowing for the whole region. There is huge potential, as the Member has noted previously, from tourism, from food production, giving arteries into both the midlands and the south Wales economies. So, I think there is much that can be done to build on the very significant investment that we've made, and I'm keen to work with her and colleagues to make sure that we do the best that we can with that. 

Thank you, Minister and Deputy Minister.