'We've seen 35 jobs for N.Wales... out of Growth Deal target of 4,200'

THE £1bn North Wales growth deal aimed to create around 4,200 jobs when it was signed four-and-a-half years ago but has delivered only 35 so far, a committee heard.

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Charlie McCoubrey, vice-chair of the North Wales economic ambition board, said four projects have moved into delivery, with a further six in the pipeline.

But he recognised: “We're all disappointed by the pace and scale of the delivery so far.”

Cllr McCoubrey told the Senedd’s economic committee that projects, which were no longer considered viable as part of the 15-year deal, have been removed from plans.

The independent leader of Conwy council said some projects have been removed entirely while others have moved to a reserve list.

Hedd Vaughan-Evans, head of operations for Ambition North Wales, a partnership between six councils, was similarly disappointed by progress on the deal.

But he said: “We really turned a corner last year in terms of the number of business cases approved... and the forecast for the coming years is really positive.”

Sam Kurtz, a Conservative member of the Senedd economy committee, questioned the witnesses about the growth deal delivering a total investment of £16.6m since 2020.