Strategic hub close to M4 aims to give jobs boost to economy

THE Welsh Government has revealed further details of how it hopes to transform the lives of people in the Valleys by creating 7,000 jobs through a programme of economic renewal.

The plan includes developing seven strategic hubs for economic development and a Valleys Landscape Park to boost tourism and leisure.

The locations of the first five hubs are:

Pontypridd/Treforest, focusing on residential, office, industrial and retail development;

Caerphilly/Ystrad Mynach, focusing on residential, office and industrial development;

Cwmbran, focusing on office, industrial and residential development;

Merthyr Tydfil, focusing on office, industrial and residential development.

The Welsh Government said it will also create a strategic hub in Ebbw Vale, focusing on a new automotive technology business park, with the potential to support 1,500 new full-time equivalent jobs.

This will be backed by £100m of Welsh Government investment over 10 years. The first phase will deliver 40,000 sq ft of manufacturing space.

The technology park was announced after Economy Secretary Ken Skates revealed that the Welsh Government would not be providing financial backing for the Circuit of Wales project proposed for the area.

The programme follows the work of the Ministerial Taskforce for the valleys which published its action plan Our Valleys, Our Future in July, outlining priority areas and an ambitious work programme for the future.

The plan was based on evidence taken by members of the taskforce and feedback from people living and working in the Valleys.

In a statement, Local Government and Public Services Secretary Alun Davies said: “We have set the ambitious target of helping 7,000 unemployed or economically-inactive people living in the valleys into work through creating thousands of new, fair, secure and sustainable jobs in the valleys by 2021.

“As part of achieving this stretching target we identified six locations for strategic hubs in the original action plan. These will be areas where we focus public investment which in turn attracts private sector investment and the creation of new jobs and opportunities.”