South Wales Central Conservative MS Andrew RT Davies has warned Senedd ministers the proposed Global Centre of Rail Excellence must not be allowed to go the same way as the failed Circuit of Wales.
Speaking in the Senedd, Mr Davies called out ministers’ poor track record of waste.
Pointing to the Circuit of Wales project, which consumed millions before being abandoned, he said the Centre must not be allowed to go the same way.
Mr Davies visited the site in the autumn and expressed concerns that, despite £70 million being put in, it was still a brownfield site.
Mr Davies said:
Senedd ministers have a poor track record wasting money.
Under Plaid Cymru separatists and Labour, costs always soar out of control.
The Global Centre of Rail Excellence is an exciting prospect – it must not go the same way as the failed Circuit of Wales.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
- Please find below the Senedd’s Record of Proceedings from Tuesday 24 February.
Andrew R.T. Davies
13:42:30
What a bizarre comment to say ‘more jobs’. Go and tell someone in hospitality in Wales that there are more jobs out there thanks to your Government in Westminster, with national insurance increases and all the other bureaucracy you’ve loaded up onto it.
But, the point I want to raise with you, First Minister, is in relation to the Global Centre of Rail Excellence. The Economy, Trade and Rural Affairs Committee visited this site back in the autumn term. We saw a vast brownfield site that will require a huge amount of investment. So far, the nearly £70 million that the UK Government and the Welsh Government have has put in has unfortunately not managed to move that project very far forward.
In the submission of the business case to the Department for Transport at the UK Government, the civil servants and the Secretary of State went back to your Government and said that this case needed to be strengthened. The incoming Government in May will inherit a requirement of finding £330 million to make that project viable. How is this Government going to make sure that that regeneration project will not go the same way as the Circuit of Wales project, where there were fine words but little substance in delivering what one would hope would be an exciting redevelopment project in mid Wales?
Eluned Morgan
13:43:53
We’re very proud of what we’ve done in relation to rail in Wales. The fact is that we’ve delivered £1 billion-worth of investment to upgrade the Valleys lines and £800 million on new trains. And yes, we have ambitions to develop the GCRE, a major strategic opportunity for the Dulais valley. There is strong industry interest. We have committed significant amounts of Welsh money to this project, and so has the UK Government. The final investment decision will, of course, be for the next Government to determine. It is one of the projects that we promoted at the investment summit, and we’re very keen to make sure that we get private sector investment for this project.
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