The Welsh Conservatives have used the first day of the Royal Welsh Show in Llanelwedd to launch its Mid Wales Plan to forge a strong foundation to encourage enterprise, jobs and prosperity.
Following a quarter of a century of Labour rule in Wales that has heavily focussed on the south of the nation, the Shadow Minister for Mid Wales James Evans MS has published eight policies to revitalise the region with initiatives spanning several policy areas. They are:
- Boosting jobs and investment in Mid Wales by reducing the financial burden on businesses
- Cutting Council Tax through an Apprentice Support Fund, helping those who want to train and stay in Mid Wales
- Campaigning to expand Fuel Duty Relief to areas of Mid Wales to support jobs and the local economy
- Tackling issues that specifically impact rural communities with a Village Renewal Fund
- Guaranteeing efficient healthcare for Mid Wales by upgrading our Community Hospitals to ensure more specialist treatments can be delivered locally
- Modernising the A470 to improve traffic flow, taking the opportunity to install rapid EV charging points to future proof Mid Wales
- Expanding the tourism offer and supporting local businesses to create jobs by creating a Mid Wales Tourist Board
- Protecting our countryside for the future by designating the Cambrian Mountains as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Mid Wales has long struggled to compete with other regions with very few medium-sized businesses established there, substantial underfunding of local government, and will suffer from the Labour Government’s plans for a tourism tax and pushing accommodation providers out of the sector.
Commenting, the Welsh Conservative MS for Brecon & Radnorshire James Evans said:
“I’m delighted to launch the Welsh Conservatives Plan for Mid Wales that has been long in the works today because the communities of Mid Wales are in real need of support after being ignored for decades by Labour propped up by Plaid and the Lib Dems.
“We need an ambitious package of initiatives like this to revitalise the economy post-Covid and, hopefully, post-Labour because it will be left further behind if we do not rebalance the scales now.
“Our plan has exciting proposals that reduces taxes for businesses and individuals, directly benefit people of all age groups, supports our most precious industries, celebrates our landscapes, and funds long needed infrastructure.
“While we sadly see other parties obsess about taxing our most prominent sectors and focus on creating more politicians in Cardiff Bay rather than more jobs in Mid Wales, the Welsh Conservatives are unapologetically aspirational in our vision for Wales and stand ready to deliver it.”
