A vote for Plaid Cymru - a vote for jobs

 

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood has called for people to vote for jobs on Thursday by voting Plaid Cymru.

Leanne said that Plaid Cymru councillors will act as local champions for their areas and Plaid run councils will be powerhouses for their local economies.  She said that the party is focussed on ways to raise finance and work with small businesses and social enterprises to promote schemes that can create jobs and apprenticeships.

Following these elections, Plaid Cymru plans to: 

• Create and save jobs by keeping more taxpayers’ money local. Using for example, our fantastic Remploy factories as well as other local firms to supply goods to the public sector.
• Fund apprenticeships for our young people.
• Provide practical support for small businesses and social enterprises - to help them to take on more staff as well as other measures - like help with marketing and the forming of consortia aimed helping them to apply for public contracts - action to help them grow and thrive.

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood AM said:

"When the economy is in so much difficulty, all levels of government must step up to the plate and do whatever can be done to create jobs and stimulate economic activity.  All levels of government have to take their share of responsibility for making things better.

"Plaid Cymru's focus is on what our local councils can do to help to create jobs.  Councils can play an important role - but they have to be led by people who have the determination, will and ambition to make such a plan happen.

“Plaid Cymru councillors have a proven track record of taking action to boost their local economies.  Plaid Cymru in Gwynedd launched the 'Gwynedd Loans Fund' which has protected or created more than 300 jobs in the county.  In Cardiff Plaid Cymru introduced the ‘Capital Cardiff’ public investment scheme which has helped to create more than 600 jobs in the city.  And 160 young people in Caerffili have so far benefitted from the apprenticeship scheme that Plaid Cymru introduced.  Schemes like these can be extended and expanded by Plaid Cymru run councils - our work begins next Friday.”

£1bn boost to local economies

“Spend Councils’ money locally – and we’ll save jobs”

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood has outlined her party’s plans to spend more of councils’ money locally to safeguard jobs and provide a boost to local economies.

Wales’ councils spend billions of pounds worth of public money and Plaid is pledging action to ensure that more of that money remains in the local economies – which provide employment and support to town centres.

Currently around £4bn is spent by the public sector in Wales buying goods and services. Plaid Cymru has called for government action to ensure that a greater percentage of that money can be spent in Wales. Plaid’s target of 75% of the public sector spend in Wales would mean around £3bn pounds of tax-payers money staying in Wales.

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood AM said:

“Small businesses are the lifeblood of our communities and of the wider Welsh economy. Plaid Cymru wants to see our public sector supporting small businesses by allowing them to bid for contracts to provide goods and services.

“The more public money we can lock into our communities, the more jobs will be safeguarded and created, the more businesses will flourish, and the more prosperity we’ll have as communities and as a nation.

“As part of the previous Welsh government, Plaid Cymru increased the number of public sector contracts going to Welsh companies to 50%. More work can be done to increase this figure to 75% which would lead to a £1billion boost for our economy.

“Plaid Cymru wants to see the Welsh government working together with local authorities to make this happen. Plaid Cymru councils will introduce procurement models that are accessible to smaller businesses and contracts which will include social and environmental clauses to promote the sustainable development of our economy.”

Job-creating powers could help transform nation's economic fortunes

Majority back Welsh responsibility over income tax

Plaid Cymru has welcomed the findings of a Western Mail poll which show that the vast majority of Welsh voters support the devolution of tax-varying powers to Wales.

Plaid Cymru Leader Leanne Wood AM said;
"The fact that a clear majority want to see the transfer of these powers to our nation is very positive news.

“Plaid Cymru's submission to the Silk Commission has called for the Welsh Government to be able to set Welsh income tax rates.

“Having these powers in Wales would give us more tools to focus on economic growth and the creation of more jobs that would then increase the tax base.

“Surely any self-respecting Welsh Government would prefer to have control over these job-creating levers rather than see them remain in the hands of a remote government in Westminster which doesn't place the economic well-being of our nation as a priority or even an after thought.

"People are saying clearly that they want our nation to take greater control over the economic tools that can help to improve our lives. The First Minister and his Labour Government now have a big decision to make - the choice is between taking responsibility for ourselves or to continue to blame others; the choice is between home rule or continued Tory rule."

Absence of ambition and legislative lethargy – signature of Labour government

Eight months of Labour letting Wales lag behind

Plaid Cymru has attacked the Labour Welsh Government’s lack of action saying that the last eight months since the election can be summed up by ‘legislative lethargy and a complete absence of ambition’.

Plaid has published a list highlighting ten of the most significant failures of the Labour administration to date. The list highlights Labour’s failure to take much needed and bold action to help the economy:

1. Labour has failed to prioritise the fight for Welsh jobs
2. Labour has turned down Welsh economic rescue package
3. Labour has failed to bring forward any new capital projects
4. Labour’s legislative lethargy
5. Labour plans to downgrade hospitals and centralise services
6. Labour has left farmers left in the lurch
7. Labour has failed to “Build for Wales”
8. Labour has failed to arrange or hold any economic summits
9. Labour has no targets, no accountability
10. Labour has mishandled Enterprise Zones in Wales

Plaid Cymru’s Economy Spokesperson, Alun Ffred Jones AM, also repeated his calls for the government to follow Plaid’s proposals to help secure jobs and support businesses during the difficult year ahead. He said that it is vital that the Welsh government take urgent action in order to kick start the economy in 2012.

Plaid Cymru’s Economy spokesperson Alun Ffred Jones AM said;

“In the eight months since forming this Welsh Government, Labour has only managed to introduce two things - legislative lethargy and an absence of ambition

“Labour has wasted the best part of a year sitting on its hands, and this ‘list of inaction’ shows that. It puts into sharper focus the vital things that this Labour Government has failed to do during these most challenging of times. What is really striking is the amount of opportunities for Wales have been missed on Labour's watch.

“Despite finding time to write an urgent letter to the UK Prime Minister about the Welsh electoral system and the jobs of his Labour colleagues, the Labour First Minister failed to send any correspondence to David Cameron about the state of the Welsh or British economies during the first two terms of the Assembly.

“The Welsh economy is still waiting for start dates to show when building projects, vital to stimulating the economy and creating jobs, will go ahead. While the Scottish and UK Governments have brought forward six bills each, the lethargic Labour government in Wales has only managed one. Labour’s inaction is letting the people of Wales down.

“Plaid Cymru, however, is determined to maintain the pressure on Labour to take action to boost the economy. Labour needs to sit up and take action to kick start the economy for 2012. We will continue to press the Labour government to adopt our positive proposals to protect jobs and help small businesses, as well as taking forward our ‘Build for Wales’ plan which could create up to 50,000 jobs, providing a much-needed economic boost in 2012.”

FORGET POLITICS LET'S TALK ABOUT JOBS

FORGET POLITICS

LET'S TALK ABOUT JOBS

Just like you, we believe that there is no issue more important in Wales today than creating and protecting jobs. 137,000 people in Wales are out of work and everyone agrees that the situation is going to get worse.

Now is the time for Wales to stand together and pledge to do whatever can be done in order to save jobs and to protect families.  Unlike the others we will not sit on our hands and let the Conservative and Lib Dem cuts take their toll in Wales in the worst possible way.  It’s time to put Wales first.

This is why we want to see this Welsh government shifting its money in order to;

• Invest in building projects which will help our construction industry. 
• Give greater help to small, local businesses
• Support the survival of our manufacturing sector
• Provide money for people to re-train if they lose their jobs
• Help companies so that they can avoid redundancies

We also want to see our councils treating their workers fairly – we want fairness for all those who work tirelessly everyday for our communities.  We would never treat our public sector workers in the way they have been treated by Labour councils.  Forcing through pay cuts and changing terms and conditions with minimum consultation is not the way to treat a workforce.  Our way is to invite workers to work with management in order to plan a way forward together.

Plaid exists not for its own sake, but for Wales.

We believe that despite the cuts, more can be done to protect jobs and communities. Plaid has a plan that really could make a difference to you, your family and your community. We would urge you to join us in saying that now is the time to make protecting jobs an absolute priority. Like you, we want a better future for Wales.