This was the message from Economy and Transport Secretary, Ken Skates when he spoke at the Swansea University School of Management Business Forum event which focussed on Wales’ transport and infrastructure.
The Cabinet Secretary called on the business community to work with the Welsh Government in making the implementation of his Economic Action Plan a success.
He said:
“Our Economic Action plan is a plan for inclusive growth built on strong foundations, supercharged industries of the future and productive regions.
“It provides us with an exciting opportunity to work in a different way in order to drive up wealth and well being, to tackle inequalities and to future proof our country and economy against an unprecedented pace of change.
“And there is no doubt that transport infrastructure, and its role in connecting our communities, people and businesses to jobs, facilities, services and markets, is key to the plan’s success.
“Our challenge and mission now is to translate the content of the Economic Action Plan into meaningful delivery that benefits our businesses and communities.
“This will include a real focus on first class implementation of our ‘big ticket’ policy changes such as the development of our new Economic Contract, and the rolling out of our Economy Futures Fund.
“Of course we cannot do this alone. We need to work constructively with our partners in business, in the trade unions, in the third sector, in local government and others, in order to make the Economic Action Plan one that truly delivers for Wales. And I urge all our partners to work with us on this important task.”
The Economy Secretary also stressed how important the coming months and years would be for public transport in Wales.
He said:
“In 2018 we expect to become the franchising authority for rail and will award the next Welsh & Borders rail services contract. This will help us to achieve better rail services and transform our network so that our ambitions for a metro that connects our people to jobs and services becomes a transformative reality.”
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