Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy, has spoken in anger at the Welsh Government’s complete failure to make space available for private businesses at its buildings in Llandudno Junction.
The Member for Aberconwy has had a long running campaign which has seen her disclose that the complex which cost around £23 million of tax payers’ pounds to build, despite having just over 390 people contracted to work there, recorded an average daily attendance level of 18 people in September.
Earlier this month the Member hit out at Mark Drakeford MS, First Minister, in the Senedd for failing to commit to creating a flexible working hub in Llandudno Junction, and no progress being made, despite her originally proposing the idea many months ago.
On 21 January the Member of the Welsh Parliament sent a letter to the First Minister highlighting that there are private sector businesses wanting to actually use the building. Two months later, a response has been issued by Lee Waters MS, Deputy Minister for Climate Change, in which he states:
“Our aim is to explore all realistic space sharing and other co-location opportunities at our offices, including our office at Llandudno Junction, with the focus on our public sector partners”.
Commenting on the Deputy Minister’s response, Janet said:
“On 9 November the First Minister responded positively to my proposal that at least part of the underutilised Welsh Government building in Llandudno Junction become a flexible working hub. His warm wards were worthless.
“This week, despite receiving my correspondence two months ago and publicly discussing my proposal in the Senedd on two separate occasions, the First Minister has passed the buck and let a Deputy Minister write to me to highlight Welsh Labour’s complete and utter failure.
“Almost five months on since the campaign started the Welsh Government have admitted in writing that the aim is to explore all realistic space sharing and other co-location opportunities at their offices, including that at Llandudno Junction.
“To make matters even worse, they have made the deliberate decision to focus on offering space to the public sector despite knowing that there is interest in the local Aberconwy private sector.
“Welsh Labour and their cooperation partners in Plaid Cymru are allowing the multimillion-pound white elephant in Llandudno Junction to remain under used, despite local businesses being interested in taking up some space.
“That there are no plans for private sector support is unjustifiable”
ENDS
