COVID Recovery in Blaenau Gwent

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:30 pm on 26 May 2021.

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Photo of Alun Davies Alun Davies Labour 2:30, 26 May 2021

I'm grateful to the First Minister for that, and grateful for the way in which he has led the Welsh Government's response to COVID over the last year or so. And there are many aspects to recovery from COVID, which the First Minister's already described. But, today, I would like again to focus on the future of our town centres. First Minister, John Griffiths spoke earlier today on the future of Newport and our cities, but our towns face a very different challenge to our cities. And I would like to hear from yourself, if possible, how you will be able to address the immediate situation in supporting businesses and persuading people to use their local town centres. But, then, secondly, in the longer term, town centres, as you've already said this afternoon, were under pressure long before COVID, and we've seen towns such as Abertillery or Ebbw Vale, Tredegar or Brynmawr, suffer over a number of years. How is the Welsh Government going to work in the longer term, as well as the immediate term, to create a renaissance for our towns and our town centres?