AM hits out over tax office closure

North Wales’ Liberal Democrat Assembly Member Aled Roberts has commented on the closure of Wrexham’s tax office announced today (Thursday).

 

He said: “On the morning that the Welsh Government are trying to secure over a billion investment in the Cardiff City Region – which already contains areas with the best economic record in Wales – the UK government announces that they are to close a tax office in Wrexham and jobs will be moved to Cardiff and Liverpool.

 

"We need to stand up and campaign for North Wales because at the moment we are being ignored by the power brokers in Cardiff and Westminster.

 

"Projects like Wrexham’s prison are no more than the scraps left behind after most investment goes elsewhere.

 

"UK and Welsh Government Ministers come to Wales for individual investment announcements but there is no strategy to boost North Wales."

 

He added: "The Welsh Government in Cardiff seem obsessed about South Wales where they have bought an airport at a cost of over £50m, proposed a new section of the M4 at a cost of over £1 billion, a metro at a cost of £4billion and over £1 billion of investment in a Cardiff City Region jointly funded by the Welsh and UK Governments.

 

"Meanwhile, the UK Government seems obsessed by a Northern Powerhouse and there appears to have been little work done on the impact this could have on North Wales.

 

"In July the Chancellor said he was going to have a look at rail electrification in North Wales – that means nothing will be done during this Parliament and probably the next one too.

 

"Electrification on the West Coast Line through Crewe, not far from North Wales, was started in the 1950s and the extension to Glasgow – a long way from Crewe – was completed in 1974. That shows how far behind North Wales is and how long it has been ignored.”