The GVA figures for the UK released by the Office for National Statistics are pretty dire if you live and work in Wales.  If you have children and want them to have a future in their own locality then the figures are even more depressing.  Wales is now officially the worst performing country / region of the UK.  We have been overtaken by Northern Ireland and the North East of England.

What is truly awful about these figures is that they have occurred during a period when Wales has enjoyed unprecedented levels of EU funds to develop our economic performance.  I have argued consistently that EU funds have been badly managed in Wales by the Assembly - both under Labour and the current Labour / Plaid Cymru administration.  The facts seem to back my view.  If we have declined to significantly at a time of substantial EU intervention in our economy what will happen during a period of significantly reduced public spending in Wales?  

Wales needs a real change in attitude and behaviour in terms of wealth creation.  With the decline in GVA figures and our drop to the bottom of the pile in terms of new business start-ups since 2007 (we used to be top of this list in the late 1990's) it's clear that our Minister for the Economy, Ieuan Wyn Jones from Plaid Cymru, is not up to the task.  We need change and we need it urgently.

The following is a brief letter about this issue which I have sent to the Daily Post.  You read it here first!

Dear Sir,

Recent Gross Value Added (GVA) figures released by the Office for National Statistics made depressing reading with Wales the worst performing region or country of the UK by some distance.  On average Welsh GVA is less than 70% of the UK average with Wales now being overtaken by the North East of England and Northern Ireland. 

Of even more concern was the domination of the sub-regional worst performing areas by Welsh Local Authorities.  Four of the five worst performing local authority areas are here in Wales.  It’s appalling to see Conwy / Denbighshire join Anglesey on this list of the five worst performing areas with a GVA figure of £11,910 per head.  This figure is less than 60% of the UK average of £19,951.

It should also be noted that the Welsh position has declined significantly since 1996 during a period when huge sums of European funds were spent in West Wales and the Valleys (an area that includes Conwy and Denbighshire).  I have consistently argued that Assembly decisions in relation to EU structural funds have resulted in this EU intervention being squandered by both politicians and bureaucrats at the Welsh Assembly.  The facts seem to support my views.

The current situation should shame the Labour / Plaid Assembly Government.  Despite all the rhetoric from Labour and their Plaid Cymru partners’ real opportunities for people to prosper and develop in Wales are being lost whilst we continue to allow wasteful and ineffective government projects to dominate the Welsh Economy.  It’s time for a change.

Yours sincerely,

Guto Bebb

Aberconwy Conservatives