Connectivity the key to growth
Speaking in the National Assembly for Wales Mr George, who is also Chair of the National Assembly’s Economy & Infrastructure Committee, called on the Welsh Government to promote a commitment to include digital connectivity as a central plank of any future Mid Wales Growth Deal to ensure that the region is “plugged in and connected to the wider region”.
With parts of the Welshpool area still not able to receive a mobile signal, Mr George called for the whole area to be “plugged in”.
Last month, new mobile masts were controversially erected on the four faces of the Town Hall (pictured). While the idea was generally welcomed, their look has not gone down well with a lot of residents.
“When the Welsh Government announced its digital innovation review earlier this year, they said that they wanted to “develop the potential of our regions so that they would support better jobs closer to home,” an aspiration to which we can all subscribe,” said Mr George.
“However, in order for Mid Wales to be given the best opportunity of seizing the economic opportunities which will be presented by the UK Government’s Industrial Strategy, it is essential that we become plugged in and connected to the wider Midlands economic engine.
“In order for this to occur, the digital divide which currently exists between rural Mid Wales and its urban counterparts in South Wales and the Midlands must be eradicated.
“I was pleased that the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary agreed with me that the growth deal in mid Wales should “dovetail with interventions and deals across the border” and that he agreed to meet with me later this month to discuss how we can promote economic development, utilising not just the built infrastructure such as roads and rail networks but also digital infrastructure.”
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