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Top story
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Colleges claim “hands tied” over redundancy scheme
The Welsh Assembly Government came under fire today from colleges and a business group over its handling of the downturn. Fforwm, which represents 25 further education providers across Wales, said colleges had their “hands tied behind their backs” in being asked to help the Assembly’s ProAct scheme, which will train workers who might otherwise be made redundant. Fforwm said college budget cuts meant hundreds of trainers who might have provided ProAct services had been made redundant. And it said colleges had to advertise their services to Assembly Government advisers, but added: “The contact details of all advisers are not yet known to colleges.” Fforwm made its criticisms in a paper expected to be considered by the Assembly’s Enterprise and Learning Committee today. Meanwhile, Wyn Pryce, secretary of West Wales Business Initiative, told the committee the Welsh economy had been damaged by high public sector spending, unfair procurement rules and cuts to the economic development budget.
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Enterprise
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Cardiff gives Westminster a digital warning
The UK government’s push to create a digital Britain should not be at the expense of viewers and listeners, the Assembly Government has said. Following a meeting between UK communications minister Lord Carter and deputy first minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, Welsh heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones said: “We are concerned the Ofcom final report and the Digital Britain report have seriously underestimated the importance of general programming in the English language for Wales.” Westminster’s proposal to switch off the analogue radio network should only go ahead once 97 per cent of the Welsh population could tune in to digital radio, he added.
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Development
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Grants will drive transport schemes
Transport projects across Wales have won £95m in grants from the Assembly Government. Road schemes get £63m including backing for the Church Village bypass scheme in Rhondda Cynon Taf, the Ceredigion Link Road and the Peripheral Distributor road in Neath Port Talbot. Sustainable transport schemes get £21m including £6m for Cardiff’s Sustainable Transport Towns scheme, which was announced last week, and £6m for Swansea including development of the Quadrant bus station. And £10m will go to cycling and walking facilities including the River Clwyd Coastal scheme.
European cash to shore up defences
The Assembly Government has allocated £17m of European convergence money to 12 flood and coastal defence projects. The biggest investments will be at Tywyn in Gwynedd, with £3.1m, Rhyl will get £2.9m; Borth in Ceredigion with £2.9m; Duffryn Conwy with £2.2m; and Colwyn Bay with £2.1m. Environment minister Jane Davidson said: “Our communities are more at risk from flooding and coastal erosion because of the impact of climate change. This is a reality we are going to have to come to terms with.”
New home for NCH
Newport City Homes (NCH), the social housing provider, is to take 24,000 sq ft of the landmark Orb building in Newport in one of the biggest office lettings in Wales this year. NCH, set up to manage former council homes in the city, will use half the £8.4m building as its headquarters. The letting was arranged by GVA Grimley, which acted on behalf of the Welsh Investment Strategic Partnership between the Welsh Assembly Government and Babcock & Brown. NCH was represented by Knight Frank and Morgan Cole.
Packaging goes green
Retailers and the Assembly Government will come together today to launch a recycling label for packaging. The voluntary scheme places packs into three categories: 'widely recycled, 'check local recycling' and 'not currently recycled'. Trade body the British Retail Consortium (BRC) will run the scheme. BRC director-general Stephen Robertson said: “Customer confusion is the biggest barrier to improving recycling rates. Replacing a potentially confusing array of symbols and messages with a single, standardised logo will help customers recycle more.”
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Insider in print
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The latest issue of Insider , Wales’ best-read magazine for industry, commerce and professional services, will be unleashed within weeks. The April issue includes a feature on the most innovative companies in Wales and a report on mergers and acquisitions, 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 per cent off the cover price – submit promotional code M6) and also receive complimentary copies of our South West & South Wales Dealmakers Guide and UK Business Insider (combined RRP = £190). To receive your personal copy simply order online and submit promotional code M6. This offer is available until 20 March 2009.
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