Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:43 pm on 28 March 2023.
Trefnydd, could I ask for statement this afternoon from the Government in response to the recent Daily Telegraph survey on the town of Rhyl, which claimed it was one of the least desirable seaside towns in Britain to visit, describing it as having 'no past, no arts or entertainment, no fun'? Even in the past, it's been described as 'Costa del Dole' and 'Blackpool after a neutron bomb', which is quite a nasty way to describe Rhyl, really. Being from the local area, I beg to differ with a lot of those statements, as there are a lot of attractive features in the town. I would encourage anybody to visit the town themselves to see what it's got on offer, including three miles of unspoilt beaches, a sea life centre, SC2, 1891, to just name a few. But generally, how are we ever going to turn round Rhyl's fortunes with this sort of attitude? I know it's had its problems over the years, but there has been a lot of work locally to try and turn things around. What is the Welsh Government's response to this article? Do you accept that such stories don't help Rhyl at all? What partnership working is the Welsh Government undertaking with the likes of Denbighshire County Council, local tourism boards and the public to attract people to visit the town? And what efforts are being made by Welsh Government to invest in seaside towns such as Rhyl to ensure a more buoyant economy and to create well-paid, sustainable jobs in the area to give local people opportunities? Thank you.