The Cardiff Business Partnership has today written to the Secretary of State for Wales The Rt. Hon. Cheryl Gillan MP PC.
The Cardiff Business Partnership believes that investment in the UK’s core infrastructure is an important policy priority rightly highlighted recently in the UK Comprehensive Spending Review.
Adrian Clark the Chairman of Cardiff Business Partnership said “ We are concerned that the capital investment decisions announced since the CSR will not support economic growth across the whole of the UK. In particular, the planned £1 billion electrification of the Great Western Main Line (GWML) from London to Swansea may not proceed as planned whilst at the same time the Government will proceed with a £30 billion high speed rail line from London to Leeds and Manchester.”
The Partnership believes that the economies of Wales and the South West of England will suffer if electrification does not take place. Specifically, Wales could experience a lower annual growth in employment costing an estimated 21,000 jobs.
In the Letter to to the Secretary of State with reference to the line to Birmingham the Partnership refers to a statement by Mr Philip Hammond who stated that, “Finding £17 billion is not an issue as these costs will be incurred after the next general election by which time the public finances will be in order.” If the Department for Transport apply the same logic to the electrification to South Wales - a fundamental piece of the UK’s economic infrastructure- then this critical upgrade in connectivity between Cardiff, Bristol and London/Heathrow should go ahead.
Roy J Thomas Director of the Cardiff Business Partnership said “Electrification would directly benefit the economies of millions of people living in, the Cardiff, Newport, Bristol and Swansea City Regions. Furthermore, given the perilous state of the Welsh economy, with the lowest GVA of any country or region in the UK, we believe that the UK government must proceed to ensure that its capital investment in infrastructure remains a key priority. “
