Welsh Labour resumes Senedd Campaign with Jobs Plan for Wales’ High Streets Including New Community Banks

WELSH Labour teams across Wales will resume their campaign for the Senedd election today (Tuesday) with a focus on their plan to create jobs for Welsh High Streets and a new network of community banks.

A re-elected Welsh Labour Government will take a ‘Town Centre First’ approach to ensure that we relocate and build new infrastructure in Town Centre and High Street locations where appropriate, including:

• Our new network of Community Banks in Welsh High Streets

• New 21st Century Integrated Health and Social Care Centres

• The next generation of 21st Century School and College Buildings

• New homes in Town Centres

Welsh Labour’s Economy Minister Ken Skates said:

“Our High Streets are at the heart of our communities and can be at the heart of our plans to create new jobs.

“A new Welsh Labour Government will use all the levers at our disposal to move Wales forward and breathe new life into our High Streets.

“Our plan will see High Streets become a hub for communities once more. We’ll provide more opportunities for people to live and work closer on their High Street, we’ll make sure that trains and buses connect to town centres, and we’ll use new powers to bring empty buildings back to life.

“We will use the Development Bank of Wales and our new £500m Wales Flexible Investment Fund to support small and medium sized businesses to set up in Town Centre locations.

“Welsh Labour will create new ‘Reuse and Repair Hubs’ in Town Centres and support new social enterprise schemes such as bike maintenance repair cafes and bike recycling schemes.”

Speaking about loss of high street banks in Wales, Ken Skates said:

“Too many Welsh communities have lost banks over recent years with many High Streets now having no financial institution. This is not only bad for consumers but it’s bad for businesses too.