Welsh Liberal Democrats are calling on the Welsh Government to urgently clarify its position on inward investment, following a week of conflicting and confusing messages from Senior Government ministers to the business sector.
Kirsty Williams, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats said:
“In a highly competitive global market Wales cannot afford to send mixed messages to investors. To announce there will be no more grants for inward investors is reckless in the extreme. There may well be no more grants, or far less but it’s not a message we should be screaming from the rooftops. If the alternative ‘offer’ was in place – the skills, the low-carbon energy and the transport infrastructure, then a mid-recession change of course would have merit. The sad reality is Wales’ offer is not in place and the Deputy First Minister wants 6 months to ‘bring about change’. The Minister says he wasn’t focused on the economy in his first year in post and perhaps if he had been, we wouldn’t be fixing the roof, in the middle of a storm.”
“On Monday, the Minister for Economy and Transport signalled an end to grant incentives for investors and a new focus on skills. But Last week Government slashed the post-16 education budget by 5%, cut £7m from business start-up funding, and slashed infrastructure budgets. Today Rhodri Morgan will speak to UK investors and is billed as outlining the incentives on offer in Wales. These conflicting messages will leave potential investors with little confidence that Welsh Government has a clear strategy. When confidence is low, clarity is vital.”
Related posts:
