A week on from his election as Plaid Cymru’s new leader, Adam Price has said that investing in young people will be at the heart of the party’s economic policy going forward.
Adam Price said that the lack of economic opportunities for young people in Wales's rural communities was creating a “brain-drain” in Wales - a crisis that will only become worse after Brexit unless action is taken.
The Plaid Cymru leader was visiting the Crwst bakery in Cardigan with Ceredigion MP Ben Lake ahead of the party’s annual autumn conference in the town over the weekend.
Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price AM said:
“Opened in September 2016 by local young couple Osian and Catrin, local enterprises such as Crwst are a shining example of what we could see if we actively invested in our young people and communities.
There has been an historic under-investment in Wales’s infrastructure and the current Welsh Government is failing to create opportunities for young people to choose to live and work in their communities.
Coupled with the relative absence of Welsh-owned firms and institutions and of years of under-investment and the age gap, what we’re seeing is a “brain-drain” on Wales’s long-term prospects with many rural communities across Wales experiencing significant outward migration of young people to other parts of Wales, the UK and beyond.
As part of our 2030 programme the next Plaid Cymru Government is committed to turning round the economic fortunes of our country. We believe that the talent, skills and knowledge of our young people will be central to this strategy. As such we commit to prioritise investment in our young people as a main plank of our new economic policy.
Ceredigion MP Ben Lake added,
“The contribution of young people is crucial to the resilience and sustainability of Welsh rural communities. There’s no doubt that Brexit is the biggest threat facing both Wales’s rural communities and young people’s future prospects.
"Investing in infrastructure and industry while actively creating opportunities for our young people to establish their own businesses and thrive in their communities is absolutely crucial if we want to see our rural communities surviving beyond Brexit.”
Crwst is a local independent bakery. They serve handmade organic breads with everything made from scratch.
Crwst was shortlisted as a regional finalist for the second year running (2017/2018) in the Rural Business Awards and was listed by Cered – the Welsh Language initiative for Ceredigion, as a business promoting the Welsh language.