Our vision for the economy
As with so many aspects of our lives the Labour party have failed Wales' economy and we are lagging behind the rest of the UK.
The employment rate in Wales is lower than in England and Scotland and we have the least productive economy in the UK. We also have the highest child poverty levels outside of London.
It would be foolish to pretend the problems could be solved overnight but there are steps which need to be taken to help our economy back on to its feet.
The Welsh Liberal Democrats would establish a Welsh Development Bank to bring together finance and support for small businesses, helping them to grow. It would help to develop export markets for Welsh businesses and attract funding for major infrastructure projects.
We would create a transport, digital and social infrastructure fit for the 21st Century
Accessible and affordable infrastructure is vital in helping to reduce isolation and ensure people can access services. We will look not just at transport infrastructure, but digital and social infrastructure too.
Public transport is in desperate need of improvement which is too expensive and often infrequent. We will create regional transport authorities to address local needs by re-regulating the buses and press ahead with the South Wales metro.
The money that the Labour party intends to spend on the M4 around Newport we believe would be far better spent on public transport and smaller local projects across Wales.
Individuals and businesses rely so much on the internet yet Wales has the lowest level of superfast broadband of anywhere in the UK and poor levels of mobile coverage in some areas. We will push for faster progress and work with businesses, OFCOM, infrastructure owners and network operators to improve mobile coverage and digital inclusion across Wales.
Already in opposition we secured new apprenticeships for 5,000 young people in Wales. We will continue this momentum by creating tens of thousands of new apprenticeship places. We will equip Welsh workers with the skills they need by supporting in-work training and build a highly skilled, modern workforce to help Wales prepare for the future.
We will cut red tape which is costly in terms of time and therefore money for small and medium sized businesses and encourage local authorities to engage more proactively with local small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) as part of their procurement strategy.
We need to get Wales working again.
Vote for the change you need to see.
