PROFESSOR DYLAN JONES-EVANS

After examining the ‘steady as she goes’ approach of the Welsh Labour Party and the blue sky thinking of Plaid Cymru’s approach to economic development in their respective manifestos, this week looks in detail at the plans from the Welsh Conservatives to improve the economy in Wales. Whilst drawing on the closer relationship that a Welsh Conservative Government would have with Westminster especially in terms of funding, some of the manifesto remains consistent with the traditional mantra of lower taxes for business and greater investment in upgrading the road network in Wales.  For example, there is a promise yet again to abolish business rates for small firms, a key pledge that has been central to the economic plans of every manifesto since 2007. This is supplemented by the idea that Business Rate Free Zones should be created to provide a three-year business rate holiday for firms although little detail is provided as to their location.  And given the stance of the party duri...

As noted last week, the economic manifesto from the Welsh Labour Party for the 2021 Senedd elections is very much a continuation their approach during the previous five years with few ideas put forward to radically transform the Welsh economy.  In contrast, Plaid Cymru’s long and detailed manifesto seemingly wants to change everything and is teeming with countless ideas that aim to create a new and very different approach to economic development. The main challenge in trying to assess this manifesto is that it does seem, at times, like a white board full of post-it notes that has yet to be honed sufficiently into the small number of key priorities that any party forming a government would need to focus on to deliver a coherent programme over the next five years.  Nevertheless, there are some interesting proposals that could be impactful on changing the direction of the Welsh economy. Perhaps the most significant is the focus on the “Local First” principle which aims to  i...

After one of the most tumultuous years in the history of this nation, Welsh voters will be going to the polls on May 6th to choose the next Welsh Government. Given what has happened in the last twelve months, it will be critical to have strong policies to help the economic recovery and to ensure that we do not fall further behind the rest of the UK in terms of prosperity and employment after the Covid-19 pandemic. So what have the main parties to offer in terms of the Welsh economy? That is what this column will be examining over the next three weeks prior to the Senedd election and there is no better place to start than by examining some of the promises from the current incumbents in the job, the Welsh Labour Party. Given that it has been in government since 1999, it may be understandable that the party is following a ‘steady as she goes’ and ‘safety first’ approach rather than the radical call to arms that some would argue is necessary at a time of crisis especially for an economy th...