Heads of the Valleys Economic Development

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Trefnydd – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 25 November 2020.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 2:09, 25 November 2020

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?