On Tuesday 20th April, the Welsh Conservatives launched their manifesto at JCB Transmissions in Wrexham. I was honoured to be invited to provide the opening remarks for the event, welcoming the Secretary of State for Wales, Simon Hart, and the Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies. In the speech, I reflected on the positive vision for Wales that the Welsh Conservatives' manifesto presents and the fact that it will put Wrexham and North Wales at the heart of decision making in Cardiff. For too long our region has been neglected by the Welsh Government in favour of a South Walian vision and I know the Welsh Conservatives will rebalance this.
The Welsh Conservative manifesto for the 2021 Senedd elections include:
- Creating 65,000 new jobs to help the Welsh economy bounce back.
- Guaranteeing the NHS is there for everyone by building five new hospitals and providing extra funding to the NHS every year, with 3,000 more nurses and 1,200 doctors by 2026.
- Abolishing business rates for small businesses.
- Putting in law the respect for the Welsh NHS through an NHS Covenant to guarantee increased investment.
- Delivering 5,000 more teachers and more investment in Welsh education to provide the best schools and skills for young people.
- Building 100,000 new houses in the next decade.
- Investing £2 billion to create modern infrastructure for Wales, including an M4 Relief Road, upgrades to the A55 and A40, and 20,000 green charging points.
- Making Wales Net Zero by 2050, with investment in clean energy solutions to reduce carbon emissions, and creating 15,000 new green jobs.
- Helping people with the cost of living pressure, by delivering a Council Tax freeze for at least the next two years, putting more money in everyone’s pockets.
The full document can be found here.
Following the launch of the manifesto, the group were also given a tour of the JCB Transmissions site, where we were able to see the operations, talk to staff and discuss JCB's plans for the future. Earlier this year, JCB predicted strong growth for the coming year and announced a tranche of new jobs at their Wrexham site. As such, it was a pleasure to be able to find out more about the great work there and to show our continued support for the business.
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