Skates backs Wrexham/Flintshire Enterprise Zone

* Ken Skates with Sam Rowlands MS and Ashley Rogers, Chief Executive of the North Wales Business Council, at the recent Theatr Clwyd event. Picture: Mandy Jones.

Former Welsh Economy Minister Ken Skates believes a joint Wrexham and Flintshire Enterprise Zone could be a ‘game-changer’ for North Wales.

The Clwyd South MS welcomed the recent announcement by his successor Vaughan Gething that the Welsh Government is backing the bid. But the final decision – and funding – rests with UK Government Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove.

During a statement in the Senedd on Tuesday, Mr Gething said: “It is important to note the UK Government will still need to make a decision on the support it will provide to Investment Zones in Wales as part of the Autumn Statement process. However, I can confirm the Welsh Government Cabinet has met to discuss the proposals that have been in development.

“As a result, I have written to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities following our constructive engagement to indicate our willingness to use our devolved levers and expertise to support Investment Zones in Wales.

“Based on our analysis of opportunities for growth in high-potential clusters we agree that there is a clear case for two Investment Zones in Wales. Our preference would be for one Investment Zone in South-East Wales and one in North-East Wales, covering Flintshire and Wrexham.”

Mr Skates said: “Minister, on behalf of Members across parties in north Wales, can I thank you for this announcement today. You have already delivered for the people of north-west Wales with the agreement over the freeport, which is immensely important for the economy of Anglesey and Gwynedd, and right across north Wales for that matter.

“Today, you've delivered for the communities of north-east Wales with the announcement of a successful bid by regional partners there to help ensure that Wales, along with the south-eastern cluster, can continue to keep pace with those sectors where we are strongest.”

Mr Skates recently spoke at an event at Theatr Clwyd in Mold to back the cross-party campaign, along with business leaders, councillors and fellow Labour, Conservative and Plaid Cymru MSs. He was one of six Members of the Senedd to sign a joint letter of support to the Welsh and UK governments backing the Wrexham and Flintshire bid.

He said: “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. It could be a game-changer.”

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.

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 – and believes it can help leverage and secure an additional £1.7bn in investment.

In the Senedd yesterday, Mr Skates said the wide-ranging support for the Wrexham and Flintshire bid ‘demonstrates the value of collaboration, both across political parties and across institutions’.

He added: “Minister, finally, would you also agree that we now need swift agreement from the UK Government over the two zones along with assurance that equivalent funding will be made available to those zones as is happening across the border in England?”

The Minister concluded: “The decision on whether to provide the funding and reserved levers to support Investment Zones in Wales now rests with the UK Government.

“For our part, we have indicated a willingness to work towards ensuring devolved and local tax levers are available to Investment Zones and to work in partnership with the UK Government on delivering a package of investment support, subject to the agreement of plans from each Zone setting out how the support will be used to deliver net benefits for the people of Wales.”