5. Will the Minister make a statement on how the Welsh Government is supporting the regeneration of town centres in north-east Wales? OAQ55176

Transforming towns across Wales and making them fit for the twenty-first century is a priority for the Welsh Government. We've continued to support the regeneration of town centres across north-east Wales, not least with projects worth £60 million focused on Rhyl, Wrexham and Holywell.

Thank you for your answer, Deputy Minister. As a fellow north-Walian, you'll know Buckley high street in my constituency very well. Unfortunately, over the years, it has seen businesses close, and it has lost all of its banks. Now, it does need real investment in the town centre to go alongside the hard work of the community in Buckley, and their hard work to support the high street. Personally, I'm determined to bring a community bank to the town, which I believe will be the starting point of regeneration. Minister, it's also key that we bring empty units back to use. So, will you commit today to join me on a visit to Buckley high street to discuss with various stakeholders how the Welsh Government can make this happen and start to regenerate towns like Buckley?

The Member for Alyn and Deeside is right, I do know Buckley high street well, not least because Buckley borders my own constituency, although, I have to say, it's a fair few years since my regular visits to the Tiv in Buckley.

You're doing great there about the way that Buckley has lost banks—the high street has changed, as many of our high streets across the country have changed, and the way we work, live and shop has changed. I know that you're continuing to do that engagement, both with Banc Cambria and the community bank, and also with my colleague the Minister for Economy, Transport and North Wales.

You talked about the blight of empty properties, and we're all familiar with these in terms of all of our town centres and high streets—properties that have been there for a number of years and we all talk about. You can't get in touch—it's difficult to get hold of the landlord or they're not in a position to do anything with it. That is why I'm really pleased we've bought in this £13.6 million enforcement fighting fund as part of the transforming towns agenda, and I'm really pleased that local authorities such as Flintshire are coming forward with identifying properties to not just use the fund, but use the expertise that will be on hand to help them tackle that moving forward.

When I announced the transforming towns agenda, I was very keen to get out and talk to communities and stakeholders about actually how we can best work together to regenerate and make them fit for the future. So, if you'd like to get in touch with my private office, I'd be more than happy to arrange an opportunity to come along.