A 'Valleys Strategy', more business parks and investments in culture and tourism are among Plaid Cymru's plans for Neath Port Talbot. Neath Port Talbot Plaid Cymru has also pledged to "regenerate" Neath and create a "lively and vibrant" centre in Port Talbot if they win in the local government elections on May 5.
Plaid Group leader at Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (NPTCBC), Alun Llewelyn, gave his thoughts on what a 'Valleys Strategy' would look like. "Valleys strategies have been talked about at different levels for decades, but the feeling that a lot of people have is that it has been [paid] lip service," said Mr Llewelyn.
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"Among the key elements that we would want to make a reality in a Valleys Strategy is investment in small to medium businesses. We know that there is a great demand for industrial and commercial units in the Valleys, which gives people the opportunity to work closer to where they live, to trade successfully between communities.
"We would certainly want to encourage the Valleys economy by developing more business parks. That needs to be combined with investment in village centres."
Plaid Cymru, which is the largest opposition to the Labour administration at NPTCBC, has placed emphasis on culture and heritage in its manifesto for the county borough. The party has proposed investment in the council's tourism and economic teams as one way of capitalising on the area's cultural and heritage offerings.
Mr Llewelyn said the party would also consider bringing calls for a national rugby museum back into focus if it got into power. The possibility of having a national rugby museum in Neath - similar to the national football museum planned for Wrexham - was raised by Plaid member Jamie Evans at a NPTCBC meeting earlier this month.
Mr Llewelyn said: "Increasing the regeneration team can help to gain and attract resources for economic development and arts and culture-based development as well. Neath Port Talbot doesn't have a single council museum that is open. The museum in Neath closed many years ago and the Cefn Coed Colliery Museum has had to close because of its poor condition.
"In terms of cultural importance, but also economic importance it is key that we can have destinations for people to visit that give the historic and cultural context of the county. This is a county that has [a story] going back to prehistory and the Roman times. In modern times we should be able to celebrate world-wide icons such as Richard Burton."
On the idea of a national rugby museum, Mr Llewelyn said: "I think it should be part of the cultural and historic strategy. We need to work up these proposals and we need to be in a position to put forward Neath Port Talbot when opportunities arise."
Although focusing on town centres is high on Plaid's list, Mr Llewelyn added that there was a need to prioritise village centres just as much. He said: "I don't think it is either or.
"I think the approach in the towns needs to be a little bit different than in the Valleys. Here in Neath Port Talbot we have a range of communities and geographically the Valleys are very close to the towns. They are interdependent. Economic recovery needs to be a priority. We have got very talented staff, but they need to have more resources to make sure that we can actually develop the initiatives and be ready to submit bids that can support both the towns and the Valleys villages."
Environment was also on the agenda in Plaid Cymru's manifesto for the county borough, with the party proposing to develop an environmental strategy. Such a strategy would involve communities and voluntary groups in combating the climate crisis and "developing an economic Green New Deal", according to the manifesto.
When asked to explain this further, Mr Llewelyn said: "That would be similar to a cultural strategy in ensuring that we are protecting the local environment across the county borough. It is not something that would solely be for the council itself. The environment is a hugely important subject and consideration.
"It would involve protecting both natural habitats, ensuring access through the improvement of footpaths and cycle routes [and] that on a community level, peoples' ideas for improving and protecting the environment can be taken on board. [There would also] be discussions with communities on issues such as community-based renewables.
"It is not just to do with the countryside of course because we have considerations over air quality, we have industrial areas. There needs to be a very wide and comprehensive approach to the idea of an environmental strategy. There are a lot of good ideas out there in the communities and they need to be taken on board."
Other areas of focus in the manifesto include the Welsh language and a pledge to "support and celebrate it" through education and community participation, and working closely with emergency services to maintain community safety. To keep up to date with news from across Neath Port Talbot, subscribe to our dedicated newsletter here.
