Mike Hedges AM welcomes Welsh Government Commitment to the Swansea Bay City Deal.

Mike Hedges AM welcomes Welsh Government Commitment to the Swansea Bay City Deal.

Speaking after Questions to the Minister on Wednesday, Mike Hedges AM said…  ‘there has been a lot of negative publicity recently regarding the City Deal and individual projects within it, Particularly the Carmarthenshire based projects. I therefore welcome the restated commitments made by the Welsh Government today. This is a once in a generation chance to transform the regional economy of South West Wales and we have to grasp it with both hands. I welcome the news that the Welsh Government still sees this as a locally led project for it is vital that local authorities, local business and partners such as the Universities work together in partnership with the Welsh Government but it is vital that it is locally led.

I look forward to seeing the Swansea Bay City Deal move forward and transform the lives of the Citizens of South West Wales.’

Mike Hedges AM - Thank you, Deputy Presiding Officer. I won't repeat anything that Dai Lloyd or Suzy Davies have said, but can I say that we've oft spoken as one on this for the whole period of time? There are not many other issues that you can say that about. But we really have stood together, because we realise how really important this is to the economy of the Swansea bay city region. Will the Welsh Government continue to provide all the support necessary to the Swansea bay city region? And does the Minister accept that to increase the GVA in Wales we need to develop more high-paid highly skilled employment, which is what the Swansea bay city deal is about? It's about getting jobs that pay at a higher level to get our GVA up. 227

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Lee Waters - Yes, indeed. In terms of providing all support necessary, we really want this to succeed. The UK Government want this to succeed. Members here want it to succeed. The local authorities want it to succeed. In some ways, it's not been necessarily set up to succeed in the structures that we've put in place, in the insistence of the five-case business model, which the local authorities have struggled to respond to—that level of scrutiny and rigour. I think the important thing now—. And I stress, in all the reports, it's stressed that there is criticism of all sides here.228

We had a very good meeting with the local authority leaders on Friday, in which I emphasised—and there was unanimity on—that there's no profit in pointing fingers here. Clearly, if we want this to succeed we need to press on, learn the lessons, reset. That is certainly the spirit in which the Welsh Government—and, in all the conversations I've had with the Secretary of State for Wales, the UK Government too—are entering into this endeavour. But, ultimately, this is a local-led project. So, in terms of all support necessary, we will give it every support we can, but also, in the spirit of partnership, that leadership has got to come from the local area, and not from us. But we must see it within the spirit of developing regional economic plans and work together on them as equals and, as I say, move away from the policeman to the partner model.