Emergency funding needed to save local economy
By Elgan Hearn, Local Democracy Reporter
Councillor David Selby wants to see emergency funding given to start projects up now to balance out other job losses.
In recent months, the local economy has been hit hard. Newtown has been rocked with the loss of jobs at the Laura Ashley factories as the company went into administration.
Redeveloping some of the industrial estates in Newtown had been brought up in a discussion of the Mid Wales Growth Deal, at Powys County Council’s Economy, Residents, Communities and Governance scrutiny committee.
Cllr Selby, who represents Newtown Central, said: “What we need is to be doing stuff rather than talking about stuff. There is a need to be pushing the Welsh Government in particular to be starting some emergency projects so that we can fill the gaps with what’s happened.
“We are looking probably at 600 to 700 people in Newtown that will lose their jobs unless we take action. We ought to be doing all we can to get the Welsh Government to give us emergency funding to move much quicker than the growth deal will allow – it’s the emergency deal I’m after.
“We need to keep highlighting to Welsh Government that investment in itself will fill vacancies. It’s the emergency deal I’m after.”
Powys County Council’s (PCC) Director of Economy and Environment, Nigel Brinn, said that they were working with the Welsh Government and the WLGA (Welsh Local Government Association) to discuss starting projects as soon as possible.
Mr Brinn, said: “There’s been a lot of coverage about kick starting the economy through capital investment. We are very much pushing and promoting it. We’ve sent through lists of potential projects already, some of which are in our capital programme and some are new. The sooner we can bring it forward the better.”
In May, the ‘Strategic Economic Plan and Growth Deal Road Map’, which sets out the ambition for the economies of Ceredigion and Powys, was agreed at the first meeting of the Growing Mid-Wales Board.
In June, the document was jointly presented by Ceredigion and Powys County Council’s to both the Wales and UK Governments.
The sectors to develop as part of the growth deal are:
· Agriculture, Food and Drink
· Research and innovation
· Tourism
· Energy
· Digital connectivity
· Supporting Business start ups
There are no specific proposals at the moment as the emphasis has been on getting the right legal structure in place.
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