Closing the Menai Bridge

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Economy – in the Senedd at 1:32 pm on 16 November 2022.

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Photo of Vaughan Gething Vaughan Gething Labour 1:32, 16 November 2022

Yes, I think some of those are for my colleague the Deputy Minister for Climate Change, in terms of the signage, but I think it's a fair point to make clear that the island isn't closed—there is still the opportunity to go and, indeed, that businesses in Menai Bridge themselves are open and available as usual. And I would say in the list of places on the island that he's mentioned, I've been to all of them with my family and enjoyed being a part of the local economy when we've done so.

So, yes, I do recognise that there are real issues to understand what we can do with other agencies, including the council and, indeed, local elected representatives to understand what is actually happening as well as being really positive about the fact that all those towns and places are accessible, open and available, whilst we carry out the essential work, from a safety point of view, on the suspension bridge—the old, old Telford bridge—by making sure that there is a safe and easy passage for people to get on and off the island until then.

And we are considering the request for financial—. That's a little more challenging. We want to work with stakeholders to understand what we can do and, indeed, I think there was a constructive meeting earlier this week between the Deputy Minister and local stakeholders—I believe you took part in it—to try to understand what is being done in terms of progress as well as the immediate circumstances that businesses themselves are facing.