Lack of Innovation Funding Highlights Empty Promises for Wales

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have hit out at the UK Government after it emerged that Wales will not receive any of the UK's ‘Innovation Accelerator’ investment funding, despite the fact regions in both England and Scotland are set to receive funding.

Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds MS

The ‘Innovation Accelerator programme, outlined in the UK Government‘s Levelling Up’ White Paper is designed to catalyse innovation clusters and spread the wealth and new industry outside the South East of England.

The UK Government confirmed Wales would not be part of the innovation accelerator programme following a question to Lord Callanan by Welsh Liberal Democrat Peer Baroness Jenny Randerson.

Baroness Jenny Randerson

The scheme will see £100 million of investment from private-public-academic partnerships given to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Glasgow City-Regions to be used to Greater Manchester, the West Midlands and Glasgow City-Region to try and kick start a ‘fourth industrial revolution' and see UK manufacturing compete with economies such as Israel and South Korea.

However, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticized the Conservatives for not including Wales in the scheme, stating that it shows Welsh Conservative promises of ‘levelling up’ are nothing more than empty words.

Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said:

“We have yet another piece of evidence that Wales is at the absolute bottom of the Conservative's priority list when it comes to levelling up for our economy.

“Wales has historically been at the centre of UK industry, and for it not to be included in this effort to kick start a new industrial revolution is a disgrace. Various parts of Wales have the skills, educational facilities and R&D institutions needed to make a success of these projects should they be given the chance.

“While part of the EU, Wales was given a much better deal in both the amount of development funding it received and in how we would be able to spend the funds.

“What we have continually seen from the Conservatives over the last few years is a disregard for Wales, with repeated failures to invest in our economy and infrastructure.

“Welsh Conservative MPs urgently need to attempt to make their voices heard and fight for investment in Wales because as things stand, it appears they are doing a pretty shabby job so far.”

Comments

Calls for Labour to Go Further on War on Plastic

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on Welsh Labour to be more ambitious in its war on plastic and introduce a bottle deposit scheme in Wales. While welcoming the long-delayed plans to ban single-use carrier bags and plastic drinking straws in Wales, the Welsh Liberal Democrats said there was more to be done. Under legislation introduced today, single-use carrier bags, plastic drinking straws, plastic plates, cutlery, stirrers and cotton buds would all be banned under the proposed new law. Research from Wrap Cymru estimates that 400,000 tonnes of plastic waste are generated in Wales each year, with 67 per cent of that waste being packaging. Another report by the Marine Conservation Society found that there were 29 drinks containers for every 100 meters of beach in Wales. A Deposit Return Scheme, also known as a bottle deposit scheme, encourages people to recycle drinks containers such as plastic or glass bottles. People pay a small deposit f...

Wales Hosepipe Ban – Criticism of Welsh Water Over Large Bonuses While Infrastructure Creaks

Following the news that people in some areas of Wales could face a hosepipe ban this summer, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have criticised Welsh Water for paying large bonuses to its bosses while infrastructure creaks. Data from Ofwat, the Water Services Regulation Authority, showed that 169.9 megalitres/day were being wasted through leakage in Welsh Water’s network during 2020-21. The company also failed to meet its Per capita consumption (PCC) targets which are designed to push for less water to be taken from the environment. The Welsh Liberal Democrats say that their analysis of Company House data shows that executives at Dŵr Cymru were paid £2.6 million in 2020 and 2021 including £931,000 in bonuses, benefits and inc entives. Commenting Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader Jane Dodds said: " We cannot control the hot and dry weather, but we can control wastage through outdated or poorly-maintained infrastructure. “Welsh Water brands itself as “no...

Ed Davey pays tribute to Her Majesty The Queen in Parliament

Ed Davey, Leader of the Liberal Democrats, paid tribute to Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Parliament. The deep mourning across the country now – just like the celebrations of her Jubilee a few months ago – comes not from a sense of duty, but from genuine and heartfelt affection, love and admiration of Her Majesty. It's not because we were her subjects, but because she was truly our Queen. What she meant to us is perhaps best summed up by a phrase on so many people’s lips over the last twenty-four hours: “I can’t imagine our country without her.” For almost everyone in the country, she has been there our whole lives. At times of national grief and national jubilation, she has never not been there for us. So it is hard to accept that she is gone. And hard to see how we go on without her. But we will. Our great United Kingdom has a great future – because The Queen’s spirit of strength, grace and resolve lives on in her people. One of the great...

Welsh Liberal blogs

Search This Blog