7. What consideration will the Minister give to promoting the economic development of towns in the Heads of the Valleys when allocating funding to the economy, transport and north Wales portfolio? OQ55929

Transforming towns, backing the foundational economy, upgrading major infrastructure and targeting new investment for the Heads of the Valleys are important priorities for the Welsh Government. During the pandemic we have provided over £150 million in business support to protect jobs and businesses across the Heads of the Valleys.

I'm grateful to the Minister for that answer. One area where I do agree with the UK Chancellor of the Exchequer, speaking today in the House of Commons, is when he said that the economic crisis that we're facing as a consequence of the coronavirus pandemic is only just beginning. One of the lessons we've learnt in the Heads of the Valleys is that, whenever there is an economic crisis, we bear the brunt of that crisis. We saw that in the 1980s with the destruction of heavy industry by the Thatcher Governments, we saw it again as a consequence of the global financial crisis, and we've suffered 10 years of Tory austerity that has ripped the hearts out of our communities.

I think people across the Heads of the Valleys are grateful to the Welsh Government for the support that has been provided by the Welsh Government, at a far higher level than in any other part of the United Kingdom. But in recovering from this crisis, can we ensure that the future of towns is at the heart of how the Government moves forward, that there's a focus on towns such as Tredegar or Ebbw Vale, Abertillery or Brynmawr, which are at the heart of not just our local communities, but our local economies as well, and in driving forward economic growth as a consequence of this crisis, that we can ensure that there's a strong focus on the future of towns?

I absolutely agree that, in the future, we'll need to build on the Transforming Towns programme and have a really strong focus on towns. Town centres will look different in future, but I want them to look like vibrant places nonetheless. And we need to be considering more heritage-led regeneration, and there are some great examples across the Valleys of that. Housing-led regeneration, I think, is also really important.

Some of the work we've already been doing that relates specifically, I think, to the recovery picture is funding towards a £1.3 million scheme to create flexible working space at the Works site in Ebbw Vale. I think flexible working will be more important than ever now. And we're providing funding towards a £5.1 million scheme that will bring new businesses into Brynmawr. And also there's some further funding to support new projects in Tredegar, Brynmawr and Nantyglo. I think all of these things will be important as we seek to recover from the pandemic.