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Top story
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Build the barrage call from enterprise guru
The UK and Welsh government should push hard to build a Severn tidal barrage, which would boost the flagging economy and encourage innovation, one of Wales’ leading thinkers on enterprise urged last night. Professor Brian Morgan, who heads the Creative Leadership and Enterprise Centre at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, picked out an energy-generating barrage as a key project that could close the economic gap between Wales and England. Speaking at the Federation of Small Businesses dinner in Cardiff, he said: “One of the most important things Wales can do is push forward on the renewables agenda.” But he warned it would take a fight: “The opponents are always that much further down the road than the businesses that could benefit.”
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Development
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Plants to eat waste, belch energy
Environment Minister Jane Davidson has unveiled a £26m scheme for councils to build anaerobic digestion plants to dispose of rubbish as an alternative to landfill. The digestion process produces gas that can be used to generate energy. Davidson said: “We consider it feasible to separately collect 600,000 tonnes of food waste each year from houses and businesses in Wales. Digesting this quantity of food waste in a network of anaerobic digestion plants would generate 1 per cent of Wales’ electricity needs.” The scheme will be funded by the Assembly’s Strategic Capital Investment Fund.
Assembly on euro spending spree
The Assembly Government hopes to break the European record for spending and matching European Structural Fund investment. A briefing from the fourth all-Wales Economic Summit noted that an unexpected £50m rise in the value of European Structural Funds available to Wales as a result of the rising value of the euro had been matched with £78m to be spent on 210 projects. The note, signed by first minister Rhodri Morgan, Wales secretary Paul Murphy and deputy first minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, said: “While 95 per cent spend is considered the maximum possible by the EU, we are confident we can top all previous European records.”
Prison to lock in economic benefits
The UK’s Ministry of Justice is to build a prison for 800 inmates at the former Ferodo factory site near Caernarfon. The move, which will give the Welsh-speaking heartland its first modern jail, was welcomed by local councils. Gwynedd Council leader Dyfed Edwards said it would provide a £7m boost to the county’s economy: “A prison on this site will provide a huge economic boost in the medium term and create hundreds of secure, well-paid jobs for local people.” Anglesey Council managing director Derrick Jones said the jail would “reduce travelling distances for families, provide bilingual custodial provision for prisoners and improve the effectiveness and input of rehabilitation services”. Construction group Galliford Try, meanwhile, has won a £47m contract to redevelop Parc Prison in Bridgend.
Valleys views sought
Rhondda Cynon Taf Council is consulting on a development plan that will shape the largest Valleys local authority area until 2021. The plan identifies sites for new houses, employment and retail developments, and considers regeneration, renewable energy, transport, leisure activities and countryside protection. Consultation runs until 19 March. Geraint John, head of planning at property agency Savills, said some developers may be put off taking an interest because of the downturn, but added: “This is an opportunity not to be missed. Part of the plan allocates strategic sites for development. There is still a strong market for these large, well-connected pieces of land.”
Family attraction for Ebbw
The Gwent Record Office, which houses one of the largest archives in Wales, is to move to Ebbw Vale to form the cornerstone of a £12m visitor attraction on the former steelworks site. Regeneration minister Leighton Andrews revealed the move as he launched plans for the family history and genealogy visitor centre at the General Offices at the Works site. The centre will use the latest computer and display technology to bring family histories to life. Andrews said: “Family history is a growing industry and we want the Heads of the Valleys to benefit from this boom as people return to visit the areas from where their families came.”
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Enterprise
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Social firms can aid regeneration, says minister
The Welsh Assembly Government has drawn up a 20-point plan to encourage the development and growth of social enterprises. A new organisation, the Social Enterprise Coalition Cymru, will be set up to champion social enterprises, which serve social needs through their products, services or employment policies. Regeneration minister Leighton Andrews said: “In the current climate social enterprises are more, not less, relevant. Strong social enterprises are a key element in regenerating our communities and will create local jobs that benefit the employees and the community.”
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Regulation
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Assembly mulls bag tax
Shops may be stopped from giving out free plastic bags under plans being drawn up by environment minister Jane Davidson. Speaking on a visit to SCA Packaging in Newport, she said a voluntary agreement under which certain retailers agreed to reduce the number of single-use carrier bags by 50 per cent did not go far enough. She said: “I recognise we need to give the retail sector a chance to demonstrate what they can do voluntarily, but I am willing to use all the powers at our disposal.” One option is a 20p levy on each plastic bag. But a spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses said the move was poorly timed: “We should be seeking innovative packaging solutions rather than burdening businesses and consumers with extra costs and regulations.”
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Training
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Degrees of support for business
A scheme to prepare almost 4,000 graduates for the business world has won £10m of European funding through the Welsh Assembly Government. Go Wales, which has £17m of backing, will focus on work placements. It will be led by the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales and delivered by universities and colleges of higher education. Council head of economic development Roger Carter said: “Building on Go Wales will not only help improve the skills of the workforce, it will also support small business placements, which are important in this economic climate.”
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People
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Ofcom gets Gibson
Simon Gibson, the chief executive of Sir Terry Matthews’ Wesley Clover investment firm, has joined the Wales advisory committee of telecoms and media regulator Ofcom. Gibson chairs lighting company Enfis and TV technology business Inuk Networks. He is a director of the Celtic Manor Resort and technology companies March Networks and IQE, and also a member of the council of Cardiff University.
Trio join management board
Three members have joined the Assembly Government’s senior management body, the Strategic Delivery and Performance Board. Emyr Roberts, director of the department for social justice and local government, will become director general for public services and local government delivery. Bernard Galton has been appointed director general for people, places and corporate services after five years as director of human resources at the Welsh Assembly Government. And James Turner, a serial non-executive director with public and private sector experience, will replace Sir Adrian Webb as a non-executive.
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Insider in print
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Subscribe to Wales Business Insider magazine
The latest issue of Insider, the best-read magazine for industry, commerce and professional services, will be unleashed within weeks. The March issue will feature the Wales PLC Review and an in depth-look at sport and hospitality, as well as your usual monthly fixes of priceless information, peerless investigation, valuable views and unmatched analysis. New customers can subscribe online for one year at an exclusive discounted rate (20% off the cover price - submit promotional code M4) and also receive complimentary copies of our annual South West & South Wales Dealmakers Guide and UK Business Insider (combined RRP = £190). To receive your personal copy simply order online and insert promotional code M4. This offer is available until 18 February 2009.
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