Found: communication (Roselle, 2010), as is currently being demonstrated by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves

Found: In response to a letter sent to the Chanceller of the Exchequer, the Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP, on 5th

Found: Government, further finessed by the Coalition Government, and recently extended by the Chancellor Rachel Reeves

Found: It is encouraging that the Chancellor Rachel Reeves recognised the need for “long-term certainty for

Found: As you will read, my MP, Tim Farron, has attempted three times to get Rachel Reeves, as Chancellor

Found: For example, Rachel Reeves spoke at a meeting of Eurozone finance ministers in Brussels in December

Found: As Rachel Reeves (as Shadow Chancellor) argued in proposing a similar fund, “when we invest in new industries

Found: The reforms that Jeremy Hunt started and Rachel Reeves is continuing are important to that.

Found: Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:  Nearly two decades ago, the then Government stepped

Found: Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said:  We’re making pensions work for Britain.

Found: Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves said:   The UK was the fastest growing economy in the G7

Found: Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: This is another testament to confidence in Britain

Found: Lombardo and Dan Labbad, CEO of The Crown Estate in Downing Street Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves

Found: Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, said: Competitive markets are more important than ever for

Found: Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves said: I’m very pleased to welcome Jim as our new Second Permanent

Found: Rachel Reeves, Chancellor of the Exchequer, said: Through our Plan for Change, we are choosing to back

Found: From: HM Treasury and The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves MP Published 13 May 2025 Get emails about

Found: Yours sincerely, THE RT HON RACHEL REEVES MP The Chancellor of the Exchequer

Found: The Rt Hon Rachel Reeves Chancellor of the Exchequer HM Treasury 1 Horse Guards Road SW1A

Found: Given or Received Who gift was given to or received from Value (£) Outcome (Received gifts only) Rachel Reeves

Found: offered hospitality Type of Hospitality Received Accompanied by Guest Value of Hospitality (£) Rachel Reeves

Found: Given or Received Who gift was given to or received from Value (£) Outcome (Received gifts only) Rachel Reeves

Found: offered hospitality Type of Hospitality Received Accompanied by Guest Value of Hospitality (£) Rachel Reeves

Found: Letter dated 13/05/2025 from Rachel Reeves MP to Andrew Bailey, Governor, Bank of England, regarding

<p>Can I say a couple of things in response to that? First of all, as we've&nbsp;rehearsed many times here before, the representations that I have repeatedly made to UK Government in inter-ministerial groups, in correspondence I have sent and so on, has made clear not only the pressures but also the need to actually protect the development that we are currently doing of the sustainable farming scheme, and to make sure, in their inheritance tax and related reforms, that they don't derail the progress that we are making here in Wales.</p>
<p>I noted the EFRA committee report, and I have read through it already. I do notice that the committee does make an interesting suggestion there, where they say that the UK Government could undertake further consideration of the proposals to ensure they are fair, protect the most vulnerable, and reflect the particular circumstances of the devolved nations. I think I'd agree with that as well, and those are the representations we've been making as well.</p>
<p>Look, I'm not Rachel Reeves, I'm not the UK Treasury Minister, but we are consistently making those representations so that they get this right. Meanwhile, we will provide the support to the Welsh farming community that enables them to do things such as succession planning to actually plan their way through this as it currently is.</p>

<p>Thank you for your statement, Cabinet Secretary. I will refer Members to my declaration of interest as regards commercial property.</p>
<p>I, of course, welcome any investment in our towns, because they desperately need it. And it’s nice to hear that my home town of Llandudno, one of the towns that’s never really received any funding support—I’m sure that the £275,000 will be very welcome. But let’s be honest, we’ve had years and years of promises from this Welsh Labour Government. Still, far too many towns across Wales, including in north Wales, remain blighted by empty shop fronts, declining footfall and a lack of long-term vision, with footfall in Wales decreasing in March 2025 by 8.3 per cent. Wales also has the third lowest growth rate out of all regions and nations in Great Britain, yet millions have been poured into town-centre regeneration over the years.</p>
<p>I have to be honest, I have real concerns about this Welsh Government just handing money over and not providing more specific guidance to local authorities in terms of procurement and the auditing of these moneys. I, first-hand, have witnessed regeneration schemes that, in some instances, have left properties and property owners seething, because the quality of the works has been shambolic, and when trying to contact the local authority, they’re told, 'Oh, well.' And there was a recent scheme in north Wales whereby they had about five tiers of people responsible for actually sorting the town regeneration programme out and it was impossible to get them back to put any faults right.&nbsp;So, we’ve got to make it clear.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Audit Wales has made it clear too that many local authorities simply lack the skills capacity to manage town centre renewal effectively. The poor local government finance settlement has also left councils across Wales underfunded in terms of officers. You can’t just hand this money to a local authority and expect the current officers, with all this extra workload, to get it right, so I’m not blaming them. So, how can we seriously expect councils to transform their towns, while your own budget decisions have left them overstretched and under-resourced?</p>
<p>You are talking about the Transforming Towns fund, but you’re avoiding the real issues. High business rates and taxes on jobs are strangling small businesses and suffocating our high streets. Across Wales, we’re seeing business after business after business closing down; they’ve just had enough. And for some businesses, with Rachel Reeves—your party—and the moves that she’s done against business, with an anti-business policy, that's not helping us in the slightest.</p>
<p>The Federation of Small Businesses couldn’t be clearer. The current business rates regime punishes the very traders we need to rebuild our town centres. Until you reform this system, the Welsh Government is simply bailing out water from a boat riddled with holes. We need to scrap business rates for small businesses. It’s that simple, and the Welsh Conservatives would do that. This would level the playing field, encourage entrepreneurship, and offer real relief to the lifeblood of our communities.</p>
<p>Let’s not ignore the barriers beyond taxation. Inaccessible public parking continues. So many local authorities, now, are looking to make a quick buck out of visitors and residents coming into our towns by putting parking meters in place, and it’s acting as a deterrent to people shopping in those towns. The FSB has identified poor parking as a major obstacle.</p>
<p>In my own town of Llandudno, we have very poor mobile signal, a very poor internet service—all things that this Welsh Government have promised over the years to improve. If you’re serious about increasing footfall, why not introduce free parking in town centres during key holiday periods? Liaise with local authorities and show them there is another way to do this.</p>
<p>On transport, while I don’t support the principle of bus franchising, we do need to prioritise routes that connect people to town centres and local hubs. What specific plans does the—[<em>Interruption</em>.] Do you want to intervene? Right. What specific plans does the Welsh Government have to promote free and accessible parking across Welsh town centres?</p>
<p>Then there’s crime, anti-social behaviour, of which we’ve suffered a lot in my constituency of Aberconwy. Business owners are having to close up early because youngsters are causing such a misery. It has sadly become normal to see people walking into shops like Greggs, or local convenience stores, and walking out without paying. Shoplifting in north Wales has risen by 5 per cent in just the last 12 months. What conversations are you having with the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales about this very worrying trend?</p>
<p>Isn’t it time for this Welsh Government to stop the spin, fund our councils properly, cut the red tape, and finally deliver real sustainable transformation for the towns that are being left behind? That is what the Welsh Conservatives will do under Darren Millar, after the Senedd elections next year. Diolch yn fawr.</p>

<p>So, we’ve got to make it clear. Audit Wales has made it clear too, that many local authorities simply lack the skills capacity to manage town centre renewal effectively.</p>
<p>The poor local government finance settlement has also left councils across Wales underfunded in terms of officers. You can’t just hand this money to a local authority and expect the current officers, with all this extra workload, to get it right, so I’m not blaming them. So, how can we seriously expect councils to transform their towns, while your own budget decisions have left them overstretched and under-resourced?</p>
<p>Now, you are talking about the Transforming Towns fund, but you’re avoiding the real issues. High business rates and taxes on jobs are strangling small businesses and suffocating our high streets. Across Wales, we’re seeing business after business after business closing down; they’ve just had enough. And for some businesses, with Rachel Reeves—your party—and the moves that she’s done against business, with an anti-business policy, that's not helping us in the slightest.</p>
<p>The Federation of Small Businesses couldn’t be clearer. The current business rates regime punishes the very traders we need to rebuild our town centres. Until you reform this system, Welsh Government is simply bailing out water from a boat riddled with holes. We need to scrap business rates for small businesses. It’s that simple, and the Welsh Conservatives would do that. This would level the playing field, encourage entrepreneurship, and offer real relief to the lifeblood of our communities. Let’s not ignore the barriers beyond taxation.</p>
<p>Inaccessible public parking continues. So many local authorities, now, are looking to make a quick buck out of visitors and residents coming into our towns by putting parking meters in place, and it’s acting as a deterrent to people shopping in those towns. The FSB has identified poor parking as a major obstacle.</p>
<p>In my own town of Llandudno, we have very poor mobile signal, a very poor internet service—all things that this Welsh Government have promised over the years to improve. If you’re serious about increasing footfall, why not introduce free parking in town centres during key holiday periods? Liaise with local authorities and show them there is another way to do this. And transport—while I don’t support the principle of bus franchising, we do need to prioritise routes that connect people to town centres and local hubs.</p>
<p>What specific plans does the—[<em>Interruption</em>.] Do you want to intervene? [<em>Inaudible</em>.] What specific plans does the Welsh Government have to promote free and accessible parking across Welsh town centres?</p>
<p>Then there’s crime, anti-social behaviour, of which we’ve suffered a lot in my constituency of Aberconwy. Business owners are having to close up early because youngsters are causing such a misery. It has sadly become normal to see people walking into shops like Greggs, or local convenience stores, and walking out without paying. Shoplifting in north Wales has risen by 5 per cent in just the last 12 months. What conversations are you having with the Police and Crime Commissioner for North Wales about this very worrying trend?</p>
<p>Isn’t it time for this Welsh Government to stop the spin, fund our councils properly, cut the red tape, and finally deliver real sustainable transformation for the towns that are being left behind? That is what the Welsh Conservatives will do under Darren Millar, after the Senedd elections next year. Diolch yn fawr.</p>

<p>Diolch. I would associate myself entirely with what you've just said about Claire O'Shea.&nbsp;</p>
<p>On the welfare cuts, this is an issue that will affect thousands of people in the region I represent. Westminster’s welfare cuts will push thousands of people into further poverty. They will punish people for being disabled or out of work. They are cruel, they are avoidable, and they are being forced through by the Labour Party. Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves evidently care more about abstract growth in spreadsheets than the reality of people’s lives—people’s lives that will be made more miserable, more frightening and more difficult because of this choice made in Downing Street to cut the support they receive. First Minister, will you condemn these cuts, and will you call on your Labour colleagues in Westminster to vote against them?</p>