This is a press release which we are sending out following requests from myself (thank you for placing the questions Nick) for information in relation to the costs incurred by WAG in order to have full page adverts placed in papers such as the Daily Post, Western Mail and the Weekly News.

In total £85,000 of your money 9earmarked for business support) was spent by Plaid (sorry, WAG) on an advert which was little more than a hymn of praise for the Minister for the Economy and Transport, Ieuan Wyn Jones.  I have worked with WAG under several ministers for the economy.  I have no recollection of any minister fronting a campaign such as this with his picture and an advertorial style of advert (made to look like a story in the paper).

To have these adverts appearing six weeks before an election is an abuse of power by Ieuan Wyn Jones.  Plaid Cymru have a track record of using taxpayers funds to advertise themselves (they did the same before the 2007 Assembly Election but had to re-pay the money on that occasion) so we should not be surprised but it makes me very angry to see money earmarked to support businesses in a recession used to promote a personality cult around the Plaid leader.

In view of the cash that they have received from this advert I wonder whether Trinity Mirror, publishers of the Weekly News, Daily Post and Western Mail to name only three publications that received this money, will be willing to run a story.  This is the press release;

Local business people are angered by the recent spate of full page colour adverts that have appeared in all of the major Welsh newspapers headed up by Plaid Cymru leader, Ieuan Wyn Jones.
Many businesses have contacted the Aberconwy Conservatives to complain at what they see as a ludicrous waste of money.  With Wales in the midst of a deep recession there is a question as to why self-promoting adverts were prioritised by the Welsh Assembly Government above real support for local businesses who are struggling to pay high levels of Business Rates levied by the Welsh Assembly Government.

Conservative Group Leader on Conwy County Borough Council and local business woman
Janet Finch-Saunders said,

 “I was shocked when I opened the local paper to see the Plaid Cymru leader using such an expensive and extravagant way of boasting the merits of WAG business support services".

"So many businesses are really suffering here in Conwy yet these schemes have not benefitted or helped most local businesses".

"I also believe that these costly adverts featuring Ieuan Wyn Jones prominently have been deliberately timed in anticipation of the General Election.  It would appear that Ieuan Wyn Jones is happy to use taxpayer funds to engage in personality politics on behalf of himself and his party only weeks before an anticipated election"

Aberconwy Parliamentary Candidate, Guto Bebb, who raised these issues with the Conservative leader at the National Assembly of Wales said;

“In the first six months of this financial year Ieuan Wyn Jones, leader of Plaid Cymru and Minister for the Economy at the Welsh Assembly managed to spend only 20% of the business support budget of his department.  However, when it came to the opportunity to advertise and promote himself two months before an election he was able to find more than £85,000 of taxpayers funds immediately.  I know that Mr Jones and Plaid Cymru have their priorities all wrong.  After all, this is the man who refused to support a Business Plan which would have saved 120 jobs at Dolgarrog Aluminium for an investment of £1m but who was perfectly happy to find £800,000 per year to fund an air link from his constituency down to Cardiff.  Using £85,000 of taxpayers’ money, which should have been used for business support, to promote himself six weeks before an election is nothing short of shameful”

Ends.

Notes to Editors;
Responses to a series of questions from Mr Nick Bourne revealed that adverts were placed in 20 newspapers at a total cost of £85,168.03.  This included what the Deputy First Minister calls “creative fees” for the campaign as well as production and advertising costs.  Last month Welsh Conservatives accused the Assembly Government of a “significant under-spend” in support for businesses during the recession.  Information obtained by the party revealed that less than a quarter of funding from the Labour-Plaid administration’s business support budget was spent in the first half of the financial year and with the economy still in recession.

Guto

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