By Paul Dicken
Wales is to bring forward £91m of capital budgets to invest in labour-intensive projects as part of measures to combat the recession.
Wales is to bring forward £91m of capital budgets to invest in labour-intensive projects as part of measures to combat the recession.At the fifth All-Wales economic summit held in Swansea on April 7, the Assembly Government announced that capital funding from health and social services, affordable housing and education was being brought forward to help safeguard jobs in the construction sector.
A statement issued by the first and deputy first ministers and the Welsh Secretary also said the WAG scheme to keep people in jobs and improve skills, ProAct, had approved 32 applications since its launch in January.
The Assembly Government is keen for businesses to win a greater share of public sector procurement schemes. It is encouraging moves to cut the length of the procurement process to 30 days from 87.
Around 100,000 businesses in Wales can also phase in paying the business rate increases. They can opt to pay 2% out of the 5% increase this year, paying the remainder over the next two years.
Further education also received a boost at the summit, with funding announced for an additional 2,500 college and sixth-form centre places.
