Economic Outcomes in South Wales West

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:59 pm on 13 October 2021.

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Photo of Tom Giffard Tom Giffard Conservative 1:59, 13 October 2021

Can I thank the Minister for that answer, and start by declaring my interest as a sitting councillor in Bridgend County Borough Council? Minister, you may be aware that in a recent report from Bridgend County Borough Council it was revealed that average weekly wages in Bridgend county fell from £525.90 in 2019, which was near the all-Wales average, to just £464.10 in 2020, and is now the second lowest of all of Wales's 22 local authorities. I'm sure you'll agree, Minister, that sliding from mid-table to second bottom in the space of a year is surely a cause of concern to many about the job both the council and the Welsh Government is doing in improving economic outcomes in Bridgend. If that performance was replicated by a Premier League football manager, they'd have been sacked by now. Given this, what expectations does the Government place on local authorities to enhance their local economies in their areas, and what specific intervention will the Welsh Government take in Bridgend to stop the slide continuing?