BETTER BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH

I welcome the planned reductions in the Severn bridge tolls announced in the budget. The Severn bridge tolls are a current significant financial burden for many businesses, commuters and motorists and will remain so after 2018. The tolls can impact on where people choose to locate and do business, Plaid Cymru has repeatedly said that the ultimate goal should be to scrap the Severn bridge tolls altogether.

In government, Plaid would work to achieve this aim, beginning with a reduction to a fee that would cover maintenance costs only. The Party of Wales is committed to removing all obstacles, which are holding back the Welsh economy. The Severn bridges are of strategic importance and it is vital that they operate in a manner, which helps rather than hinders Wales's economic development.

Westminster still needs not just to come clean on the future of the Severn Bridge tolls, which are a tax on commuters, business and jobs. I have long stated that the National Assembly should have control of the Severn Bridges, it should also be directly involved in any discussions about the future of the Severn Bridge tolls as well, as the record continues to shows that successive Westminster governments remain largely indifferent to Welsh interests.

I remain seriously concerned that the Department for Transport may find even the reduced tolls far too useful as a source of income to simply to either eliminate or to hand over to the control of the National Assembly in Cardiff. Based of the fact that relatively recent Labour Governments in Westminster with significant majorities and various shades of Conservative `(and Liberal Democrat) Governments between 1997 and 2015 did practically nothing to relieve the burden of the bridge tolls.

One thing remains clear, the fact that successive Westminster governments have failed to act in a timely manner when Wales or Welsh interests have been raised in the past. The future reduction in tolls is nice but it is frankly not good enough. At present the long-term future of the tolls still remains unclear – save for the fact that as far as we know Westminster has no plan to remove them. 

PLAID CALLS FOR NATIONAL INNOVATION BODY

Plaid Cymru has announced that it will create a ‘National Innovation Body’ to double Research and Development in Wales. Leanne Wood, Plaid Cymru Leader, has said that a Welsh government under her leadership would establish a National Innovation Body in order to achieve the party's target of doubling Welsh R&D (Research and Development) spending, and building a global reputation for Wales as a centre of excellence for research and innovation. The body will fund and direct a national network of sector-led Research and Technology hubs to help indigenous spin-out and start-up firms and, would work with the new WDA in attracting innovation-linked investment. It would also lead on introducing innovation in the delivery of public services. Wales's universities, and their relationship with the private sector, would play a key role in achieving these goals.

Party of Wales Leader Leanne Wood said:

"A Plaid Cymru Welsh government would make Wales a nation of innovation. Our National Innovation Body would work in partnership with the private sector, with the aim of doubling Research and Development spend, learning from international best practice.

“Wales needs to see more projects such as ESRI, SPECIFIC, Welsh Centre for Printing and Coating the Swansea Computational Foundry, the innovation and knowledge centre in Baglan, or the new Advanced Semiconductor Centre in Cardiff, in order to revolutionise the Welsh economy and generate wealth.”

STANDING UP FOR WALES

Wales benefits greatly from its membership of the European Union, nowhere is this more obvious than in our agricultural sector. Our farmer’s directly benefit from Wales’ membership of the EU, without this essential funding our farmers, our rural communities, our small businesses and our small towns would suffer. The Conservative leader in the National Assembly has said that he will campaign for Britain to leave the EU. This directly threatens the futures of Wales’ 16,000 farms, and shows that the Conservative party is turning its back on Wales’ rural communities simply to be in step with the next Conservative leader at Westminster. Plaid Cymru will stand up for Wales’ rural communities. It is clear that Westminster is incapable of standing up for our farmers and indifferent to our needs and interests. Party of Wales wants what is best for Wales, this means fighting to keep essential funding for our farms and rural communities. It is vital therefore that Wales is at the heart of the EU and for a strong Plaid Cymru government to be making the case for Wales to the EU. 

WOMEN MUST NOT LOSE OUT

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has written to the Chancellor calling on him to use next week’s Budget to phase in the equalisation of the state pension age, in order to ensure that no one misses out. Leanne Wood said that changes to pension arrangements have been imposed on women without appropriate notification and that changes should be phased in. 

Writing to the Chancellor on International Women's Day (08.03.2016) ahead of the UK Budget next week, Party of Wales Leader Leanne Wood said:

“I am sure you are already aware that many women have had significant changes to their pension arrangements imposed upon them, without appropriate notification as a result of the Pensions Act 2011.

“In next week’s Budget, you have the opportunity to correct this injustice by phasing the equalisation of state pension age changes in a manner that ensures nobody will lose out. I ask that you do this.

“While Plaid Cymru would welcome the equal treatment of women with regard to the state pension age, this also requires the equal treatment of women in other spheres such as the workplace, earnings and life opportunities – something that the women affected by the Pensions Act 2011 have not received.

“I am also concerned that the raising of the state pension age will disproportionately affect women in Wales. The population here has a lower life expectancy on average. This means that people here are less likely to be able to realise the benefits from the state pension, as well as being less likely to be able to rely upon accrued wealth in retirement.

“I look forward to your response to this issue in next week’s Budget.”

A WAKE UP CALL?

The announcement that there will be lane closures on the old Severn Bridge until the autumn should be a wake up call to the bridges long-term future. The old Severn Bridge opened in 1966 and is nearly 50 years old - it won't be around forever. At this moment in time I cannot envisage any Westminster government or even a government in Cardiff Bay agreeing or funding a replacement bridge. The closure of the old Severn Bridge will directly impact on commuters and businesses in south east Monmouthshire, the Wye Valley, the Forest of Dean and south west Gloucestershire who use the old bridge to travel to and from work and to trade. 

If there is not be another Severn Crossing to replace the original Severn Crossing then we will be back to having only one Severn crossing. Changes will then need to made to the existing M48 / M4 including an M48 junction for Caldicot and a direct feed into the eastbound M4 this side of the current Second Severn crossing. This would replace the current arrangement whereby current users of the M48 have to use the existing Magor M4 junction to join the M4 eastbound to cross the second Severn Bridge and the same junction to gain return access to the M48. 

A possible solution to this potential transport bottleneck may be the construction of a joint road and rail bridge across the Severn, near Lydney. This bridge could provide a partial solution to the chronic traffic congestion in Chepstow and also provide a much-needed shorter more direct rail route to the east as well as dealing with as yet unaddressed problem of the ageing Severn Tunnel.  This solution is wholly in England it would provide a more accessible route to Bristol and the M5/M4 to commuters and businesses based in south east Wales - it would also in my opinion stand a much better chance of being funded by an increasing Anglo-centric Westminster parliament.

Westminster needs not just to come clean on both the future of the Severn Bridge tolls, which are a tax on commuters, business and jobs. Plaid Cymru is committed to cutting the bridge tolls initially to £2 pounds. Westminster also needs to entirely open up about the medium to long-term future of the old Severn Bridge and any replacement bridge. I have long stated that the National Assembly should have control of the Severn Bridges, it should also be directly involved in any discussions about the future of the old Severn Bridge as well, as the record shows that successive Westminster governments have consistently failed to protect our interests.

WORKING OUR MONEY!

When spending public money, it’s important to work it extremely hard and extract every single possible benefit. We need to take a fresh look public sector procurement of goods and services in Wales and ensure that an increasing percentage of our public sector spend is targeted towards local businesses and local suppliers. When taxpayers’ money is being spent, it is important that every single possible added value be squeezed out of it and it is vital that we spend as much of possible of it as we can to support Welsh businesses. 

At a very simple economic level a sustained and encouraged ‘buy local’ campaign is a real economic must, while this will necessitate legislation to improve public procurement, it is something that can provide real opportunities for Welsh based business within the procurement chain – potentially this could create some 50,000 new jobs. Significantly improved local procurement policy can create and secure jobs, boost employment levels and help small to medium sized enterprises in many of our communities. 

Again at a very basic level it comes down to maximising the local economic opportunities from the £ 4.3 billion pound public sector spend in Wales – which is used to procure and purchase goods and services.  There have been some real improvements when it comes to public procurement over the last ten years, but, there is still room for substantial improvements to be made.  The increase in Welsh procurement of goods and services from 34% in 2003 to 52%  (June 2012) something that follows extensive efforts by Plaid Cymru as part of the One Wales government (between 2007 and 2011).

If we are going to spend public money then it needs to be worked extremely hard and we need to maximise the economic impact every single penny and every single pound and to make sure that it works to help the Welsh economy. Back in 2013 for every £2 spent procuring goods and services, £1 of that ‘leaked’ out of Wales.  Value Wales suggested that for each 1% increase in goods or services procured from Wales, some 2,000 jobs are created.

So if we can achieve a local public spend of something close to 75% then potentially some 46,000 additional jobs can be created. The impact of a well thought out and implemented public procurement policy is something that could economically give and give again. This is the crux of the matter, it could be a real win win situation for Wales, potentially cutting unemployment by around a third or about the same number as the increase in unemployment that we have suffered since the recession began. 

Before the naysayers and negatistas kick off and say that the setting targets is ruled out by European Union regulations, there is more than enough freedom of action to significantly increase procurement from firms (based in our country) to 75% within the existing rules. There are more than enough examples of this from elsewhere in Europe where in Germany and France some 98% of the value of public contracts are won by companies within their borders and that’s with them both being members of the EU.

The 2012 McClelland review revealed what could be accomplished with good examples of best practice.  The review recommended legislation to ensure that public bodies involved in the public procurement process are required to appoint specialist procurement officers, and that Welsh Government guidelines are followed.

In Wales we already have some excellent examples of public procurement including the Arbed scheme to improving housing energy efficiency where 41 of the 51 companies involved in the scheme (80%) were based in Wales. Other good examples such as the Church Village and Porthmadog bypass contracts, which were agreed when Ieuan Wyn Jones was Economy and Transport Minister where local training clauses were used to good effect.

Local procurement and business opportunities can be boosted encouraging contracts that are ‘small’ and ‘unbundled’ as well as maximising opportunities for consortia of small local firms to bid for larger contracts. Better thought out public procurement contracts can include public benefit clauses which can boost the chances of local firms winning bids and contracts rather than ending up automatically rejected or excluded from participating in the procurement process. 

There is no reason why commitments to local training, carbon footprint reduction and the use of the Welsh language cannot be built into public procurement contracts where they are appropriate. There could be a knock on effect from all of this aside from local economic gains as the investment in skills and companies will provide spin-offs across the country delivering improved employment rates. More jobs and more secure jobs will boost wages as business success grows there will be more opportunities for better training and improved business practices.

HAPPY ST DAVID'S DAY!