Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:20 pm on 25 October 2022.
Can I just declare an interest? I'm a member of the North Wales Wildlife Trust. Thank you. I attended the wildlife trust annual general meeting on Saturday. They do great work with landowners regarding managing them for nature, and the chief executive officer spoke of significant concerns about UK Government policies weakening environmental protections on leaving the EU, and also deregulation under investment zones. She spoke about how Wales is leading the way regarding policies for nature, and one great project is the 'It's for Them' Welsh Government nature project, working with councils and local nature partnerships, managing verges and amenity grasslands for biodiversity, taking the residents along with them. North Wales Conservative MPs have been writing to council leaders, including Denbighshire's, encouraging them to show an interest in these investment deregulation zones, and I know that two bordering English council leaders were not consulted before being added to the list.
So, First Minister, will you write to north Wales council leaders, sharing your concerns regarding the pressure put on them regarding the natural environment under the deregulated investment zones? And could you also write in support of the good work they're doing in the 'It's for Them' project, managing our wildlife areas and grass verges for biodiversity, so we can bring our residents along with them? I'm worried that it might fall lower down the list under austerity 2. Thank you.