A view from Clwyd South’s Member of the Senedd

Wrexham.com has invited Wrexham & Clwyd South Members of Parliament and Assembly Members to write a monthly article with updates on their work in their respective Parliaments and closer to home – you can find them all here.

In this month’s column Clwyd South’s Member of the Senedd, Ken Skates writes: ‌​‌‌​​​‌‍‌​‌​‌‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌‌​​‍‌​​‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​​‌‌​‍‌​‌‌‌‌‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​‌​‌​‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌‌‍‌​​‌​‌‌​‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌​​‌‍‌​​‌‌​‌​‍‌​​​‌‌​​

I’m proudly supporting a crucial cross-party campaign for a joint Wrexham and Flintshire Investment Zone, which could lead to a £1.7bn boost for North East Wales and thousands of new jobs.

I was pleased to attend and speak at a recent event at Theatr Clwyd, along with business leaders, councillors and fellow Labour, Conservative and Plaid Cymru Members of the Senedd.

Along with five other MSs, I have signed a joint letter of support to Welsh Economy Minister Vaughan Gething MS and the UK Government’s Levelling Up Minister, Michael Gove, highlighting how we believe Wrexham and Flintshire are in a prime position for an Investment Zone.

The Welsh Government has said conversations with the UK Government are ongoing.

Our corner of Wales is already a manufacturing powerhouse, with a growing reputation. A local consortium including Airbus and JCB; the North Wales Business Council and Wrexham and Flintshire councils; Wrexham University and the Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) Cymru, based in Broughton, is spearheading the bid, which is chaired by Moneypenny CEO Joanna Swash.

I believe there’s huge potential, through an Investment Zone, to play to our strengths in advanced manufacturing and the creative industries across two local authority areas which are the engine of the regional economy of North Wales and the Mersey Dee area.

Economic growth in Wrexham and Flintshire, in terms of jobs created, is far higher than both the Welsh and UK average, so something special is happening in this region. We want to make sure we turbo-charge it – and we do that through an Investment Zone.

Investment Zones already exist in parts of England, where £80m in funding for each will be used over five years for innovation, infrastructure and skills and training projects in the sectors being targeted. The local consortium believes it can help leverage and secure an additional £1.7bn in investment.

It could be a game-changer.

In the Senedd, I once again raised my concerns – and those of many of my constituents – over plans for the UK’s biggest lithium-ion battery farm in the middle of Clwyd South.

A lot of the technology in these facilities is relatively new and there have been instances of them catching fire, including nearby in Liverpool where the fire took more than two days to extinguish.

On Friday morning I met with residents in Coedpoeth to discuss their concerns about the scale of the Plas Power Solar Project.

The group wanted Wrexham Council to negotiate a reduction in the size of the project – which was due to encroach close to their homes – but we have been able to negotiate directly with the company, Lightsource BP, and are hopeful it will now modify its plans.

Wrexham MS Lesley Griffiths and I are continuing to pursue Euro Car Parks, which runs Island Green, for an urgent meeting over the raft of unfair fines issued to shoppers.

As readers will be aware, the company agreed to meet over the summer to discuss our concerns. However, they pulled out at the last minute and have ignored our calls to rearrange ever since.

As the company is a member of the British Parking Association, it must follow a Code of Conduct which specifically states that correspondence from MPs and MSs must be dealt with ‘promptly’ and ‘definitive and comprehensive responses’ should be provided within 28 days. It continues: “Failure to achieve these deadlines may be considered a Sanctionable Breach of the Code.”

So many of our constituents, not to mention visitors to Wrexham, are being treated with contempt by the company and having their appeals dismissed out of hand. By continuing to ignore our repeated requests for a meeting so that we can discuss these issues, it’s clear the company is in breach of the BPA code of conduct.

So many people are reporting the same issues that it can’t be coincidence. If Euro Car Parks truly believes the way it operates is beyond reproach, what are they afraid of?

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