Latest news with #JoStevens
Business News Wales
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Business News Wales
Wales to Benefit From £900m Investment for Major Sporting Events and Grassroots Sport
Villages, towns and cities across Wales and the UK at large are set to benefit from a 'transformational' investment of more than £900 million in sport. The funding will support a pipeline of major international events and deliver new grassroots facilities. The funding commitment, which was outlined in the Spending Review last week, has now been set out by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy. It will see more than £500 million committed to supporting the delivery of a host of world class sporting events being held in Wales and around the UK over the coming years, including the first stages of the Tour de France in 2027, the European Athletics Championships 2026 and the men's UEFA EURO 2028 – alongside Ireland – for which Cardiff's National Stadium of Wales (Principality Stadium) is a host venue. These events are expected to deliver significant economic benefits, with EURO 2028 alone projected to generate up to £2.4 billion in socio-economic value across the UK. Work is also continuing with the Home Nation football associations, including the Welsh FA, and devolved administrations to develop the bid for the UK to host the Women's FIFA World Cup in 2035. In tandem at least £400 million will be invested in new and upgraded grassroots sport facilities that promote health, wellbeing and community cohesion. Work to remove the barriers to physical activity for under-represented groups, such as women and girls, people with disabilities, and ethnic minority communities will continue. Already, government funding has helped clubs to build new pitches and changing rooms, install floodlights, solar panels and goalposts; supporting a range of sports including football, rugby and others. Government funding has already seen £400,000 invested in a new artificial pitch at Abersychan Comprehensive School and a £220,000 upgrade of the grass pitch at Ruthin Town FC. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, Lisa Nandy, said: 'Sport tells our national story in a way few other things can – uniting communities, inspiring millions, and showcasing our nation on the global stage. 'This major backing for world-class events will drive economic growth across the country, delivering on our Plan for Change. Coupled with strong investment into grassroots sport, we're creating a complete pathway to allow the next generation of sporting heroes to train and take part in sport in communities across the UK. ' Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, said: 'The investment in sport is fantastic news and means that grassroots facilities all around Wales will be upgraded, expanded, and improved, helping more people get active and improve their wellbeing. 'The £500 million for sporting events will strengthen Wales and the UK's global reputation for excellence in staging major sporting events, hosting EURO 2028 in our National Stadium in Cardiff and a stage of the Tour de France in 2027.' Debbie Hewitt MBE, Chair of the UK and Ireland 2028 Board, said: 'We welcome today's announcement of significant investment in sport from the UK Government, which marks a major boost to the successful delivery of UEFA EURO 2028. This commitment will not only help us stage a world-class tournament but also ensure that communities across the UK feel long-lasting benefits – from enhanced grassroots facilities to stronger local economies. 'UEFA EURO 2028 is a once-in-a-generation opportunity and with this investment, we are better placed than ever to deliver an event with pride, purpose and impact.' Nick Webborn, Chair of UK Sport, said: 'We welcome the Government's ongoing commitment to hosting the Tour De France, Tour De France Femmes and Euro 2028. These events have huge potential to drive economic growth, bring people together and inspire the next generation in communities across the UK. 'We believe that live sport is a fundamental part of this country's social fabric. We are really excited to be working with the Government and support their commitment to secure the pipeline of big events beyond 2028 to ensure we can continue to reach, inspire and unite people in every corner of the country.'
South Wales Guardian
17 hours ago
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Offshore floating wind farms to power millions of homes, minister says
Turbines up to 300m tall will sit on platforms floating off the coast of Wales, powering some four million homes under plans revealed on Thursday. The project, which is jointly run by the Crown Estate, Equinor and Gwynt Glas, is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s, with several wind farms to be constructed. The turbines are expected to be assembled in Bristol and Port Talbot, from where they will be towed out to the final project sites. Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, said the announcement was 'great news' for the country, and could create some 5,300 new jobs. Speaking to the PA news agency on a visit to Port Talbot, she said: 'These are going to be the biggest offshore floating wind farms in the world, and they're going to be off the coast of Wales. 'It is going to create thousands of jobs, power four million homes and bring down energy bills. 'This is really, really good news for Wales, and especially for young people and people wanting apprenticeships, because there are guarantees within the process that there will be specific apprenticeships and jobs for young people.' The minister's visit also follows the announcement of funding for the redevelopment of the port in Port Talbot as part of the spending review last week. The Crown Estate – which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland – is making a £400 million investment in the UK's offshore wind supply chain. While profits from the Crown Estate go to the Treasury, it is owned by the monarch and run independently. The Crown Estate owns the seabed out to 12 nautical miles and around 65% of the Welsh foreshore and riverbed. Management of Crown Estate assets has been a controversial issue in Wales, with Welsh Labour calling for management to be devolved as it has in Scotland. Labour in Westminster has refused to allow the Welsh Government to take control. Ms Stevens said Thursday's announcement 'vindicated' the UK Government's position. She said: 'Today's announcement is a real vote of confidence in floating offshore wind as a new technology and industry. 'This will be the biggest floating off in the world. 'In order to deliver that and deliver those thousands of jobs and the billions of pounds of investment, you have to have certainty, and investors need to know that the situation is certain.' Asked if Scotland would not be able to get a similar scheme, she said it would 'put it at risk.' 'There is a significant risk, if you bring uncertainty into the process, that developers and investors will go elsewhere.' She insisted it was not a question of whether the Welsh Government could be trusted with the Crown Estate. Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru's energy spokesperson in Westminster, pushed back against Ms Stevens, arguing Scotland is developing 19 offshore wind projects under the devolved Scottish Crown Estate. 'Until we devolve the Crown Estate, the process of extracting wealth from Wales's natural resources will continue,' Ms Medi said. 'The Labour First Minister of Wales made a big pitch that she would not let Westminster 'take our wind'. 'It's clear that those efforts have not been effective, as the fees and profits from this announcement will be given to the Treasury in Whitehall rather than being retained for the Welsh public purse for the benefit of our communities.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said floating offshore wind will be 'transformative' for economic growth in Wales and the south west of England. He said: 'The Celtic Sea has huge untapped potential to support our mission to become a clean energy superpower, so we can get energy bills down for good.' Speaking to PA, Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, said it was a 'really significant announcement', branding it the birth of a new global industry. 'This is a brand new approach to energy, it's cutting-edge technology,' she said. 'People are going to have to work out how effective this is, how do you do it properly. 'I have been speaking to a lot of these energy companies and a lot of supply chains to say 'base yourself in Wales'.'
Western Telegraph
18 hours ago
- Business
- Western Telegraph
Offshore floating wind farms to power millions of homes, minister says
Turbines up to 300m tall will sit on platforms floating off the coast of Wales, powering some four million homes under plans revealed on Thursday. The project, which is jointly run by the Crown Estate, Equinor and Gwynt Glas, is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s, with several wind farms to be constructed. The turbines are expected to be assembled in Bristol and Port Talbot, from where they will be towed out to the final project sites. Wind turbines off Aberdeenshire (Alamy/PA) Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, said the announcement was 'great news' for the country, and could create some 5,300 new jobs. Speaking to the PA news agency on a visit to Port Talbot, she said: 'These are going to be the biggest offshore floating wind farms in the world, and they're going to be off the coast of Wales. 'It is going to create thousands of jobs, power four million homes and bring down energy bills. 'This is really, really good news for Wales, and especially for young people and people wanting apprenticeships, because there are guarantees within the process that there will be specific apprenticeships and jobs for young people.' The minister's visit also follows the announcement of funding for the redevelopment of the port in Port Talbot as part of the spending review last week. The Crown Estate – which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland – is making a £400 million investment in the UK's offshore wind supply chain. While profits from the Crown Estate go to the Treasury, it is owned by the monarch and run independently. The Crown Estate owns the seabed out to 12 nautical miles and around 65% of the Welsh foreshore and riverbed. Management of Crown Estate assets has been a controversial issue in Wales, with Welsh Labour calling for management to be devolved as it has in Scotland. Labour in Westminster has refused to allow the Welsh Government to take control. Ms Stevens said Thursday's announcement 'vindicated' the UK Government's position. She said: 'Today's announcement is a real vote of confidence in floating offshore wind as a new technology and industry. 'This will be the biggest floating off in the world. 'In order to deliver that and deliver those thousands of jobs and the billions of pounds of investment, you have to have certainty, and investors need to know that the situation is certain.' Asked if Scotland would not be able to get a similar scheme, she said it would 'put it at risk.' 'There is a significant risk, if you bring uncertainty into the process, that developers and investors will go elsewhere.' She insisted it was not a question of whether the Welsh Government could be trusted with the Crown Estate. Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru's energy spokesperson in Westminster, pushed back against Ms Stevens, arguing Scotland is developing 19 offshore wind projects under the devolved Scottish Crown Estate. 'Until we devolve the Crown Estate, the process of extracting wealth from Wales's natural resources will continue,' Ms Medi said. 'The Labour First Minister of Wales made a big pitch that she would not let Westminster 'take our wind'. 'It's clear that those efforts have not been effective, as the fees and profits from this announcement will be given to the Treasury in Whitehall rather than being retained for the Welsh public purse for the benefit of our communities.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said floating offshore wind will be 'transformative' for economic growth in Wales and the south west of England. He said: 'The Celtic Sea has huge untapped potential to support our mission to become a clean energy superpower, so we can get energy bills down for good.' Speaking to PA, Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, said it was a 'really significant announcement', branding it the birth of a new global industry. 'This is a brand new approach to energy, it's cutting-edge technology,' she said. 'People are going to have to work out how effective this is, how do you do it properly. 'I have been speaking to a lot of these energy companies and a lot of supply chains to say 'base yourself in Wales'.'
Glasgow Times
18 hours ago
- Business
- Glasgow Times
Offshore floating wind farms to power millions of homes, minister says
Turbines up to 300m tall will sit on platforms floating off the coast of Wales, powering some four million homes under plans revealed on Thursday. The project, which is jointly run by the Crown Estate, Equinor and Gwynt Glas, is expected to be completed by the mid-2030s, with several wind farms to be constructed. The turbines are expected to be assembled in Bristol and Port Talbot, from where they will be towed out to the final project sites. Wind turbines off Aberdeenshire (Alamy/PA) Jo Stevens, the Secretary of State for Wales, said the announcement was 'great news' for the country, and could create some 5,300 new jobs. Speaking to the PA news agency on a visit to Port Talbot, she said: 'These are going to be the biggest offshore floating wind farms in the world, and they're going to be off the coast of Wales. 'It is going to create thousands of jobs, power four million homes and bring down energy bills. 'This is really, really good news for Wales, and especially for young people and people wanting apprenticeships, because there are guarantees within the process that there will be specific apprenticeships and jobs for young people.' The minister's visit also follows the announcement of funding for the redevelopment of the port in Port Talbot as part of the spending review last week. The Crown Estate – which manages the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland – is making a £400 million investment in the UK's offshore wind supply chain. While profits from the Crown Estate go to the Treasury, it is owned by the monarch and run independently. The Crown Estate owns the seabed out to 12 nautical miles and around 65% of the Welsh foreshore and riverbed. Management of Crown Estate assets has been a controversial issue in Wales, with Welsh Labour calling for management to be devolved as it has in Scotland. Labour in Westminster has refused to allow the Welsh Government to take control. Ms Stevens said Thursday's announcement 'vindicated' the UK Government's position. She said: 'Today's announcement is a real vote of confidence in floating offshore wind as a new technology and industry. 'This will be the biggest floating off in the world. 'In order to deliver that and deliver those thousands of jobs and the billions of pounds of investment, you have to have certainty, and investors need to know that the situation is certain.' Asked if Scotland would not be able to get a similar scheme, she said it would 'put it at risk.' 'There is a significant risk, if you bring uncertainty into the process, that developers and investors will go elsewhere.' She insisted it was not a question of whether the Welsh Government could be trusted with the Crown Estate. Llinos Medi, Plaid Cymru's energy spokesperson in Westminster, pushed back against Ms Stevens, arguing Scotland is developing 19 offshore wind projects under the devolved Scottish Crown Estate. 'Until we devolve the Crown Estate, the process of extracting wealth from Wales's natural resources will continue,' Ms Medi said. 'The Labour First Minister of Wales made a big pitch that she would not let Westminster 'take our wind'. 'It's clear that those efforts have not been effective, as the fees and profits from this announcement will be given to the Treasury in Whitehall rather than being retained for the Welsh public purse for the benefit of our communities.' Energy Secretary Ed Miliband said floating offshore wind will be 'transformative' for economic growth in Wales and the south west of England. He said: 'The Celtic Sea has huge untapped potential to support our mission to become a clean energy superpower, so we can get energy bills down for good.' Speaking to PA, Eluned Morgan, the First Minister of Wales, said it was a 'really significant announcement', branding it the birth of a new global industry. 'This is a brand new approach to energy, it's cutting-edge technology,' she said. 'People are going to have to work out how effective this is, how do you do it properly. 'I have been speaking to a lot of these energy companies and a lot of supply chains to say 'base yourself in Wales'.'
BBC News
19 hours ago
- Business
- BBC News
Cardiff Central included in spending review rail cash
It has emerged that some of the money needed to redevelop Cardiff's main railway station will come from a pot of cash announced last week for Welsh week's UK government spending review allocated £445m for new rail projects - including five new local stations in Cardiff, Newport and Monmouthshire - but Cardiff Central was not mentioned at the proposed £140m Cardiff Central revamp aims to alleviate overcrowding and improve accessibility, with the UK government expected to Secretary Jo Stevens has now told BBC Wales that the funding "includes work we are doing" on that redevelopment. Stevens had told BBC Wales last week that the money for the station upgrade was is not clear how much is expected to come from the £445m pot announced in the spending have been concerns in the Welsh government over the last week that the £445m did include the cash for Central - meaning there would be less to spend on the other Minister Eluned Morgan, in a BBC Wales interview on Wednesday, suggested she was not sure whether the cash announced at the spending review included money for Cardiff Central or not, saying she had not seen the "detail".The £445m includes £300m that is meant to cover five new stations and improvement work in north Wales. Previous estimates for the five new stations put the cost of that project - together with the improvements that would be needed to the mainline - at £ a UK government minister told a Welsh MP he "might want to be a little more grateful" after he said the £445m offered was "insulting". Under the Transport for Wales proposals, up to £140m funding for the Cardiff Central project will be provided by the Department for Transport, Cardiff Capital Region and the Welsh include a larger concourse to increase capacity and improve passenger access through additional on a visit to Tylorstown in Rhondda, the first minister said on Wednesday: "What we have got is clarity in terms of how the five new stations that were announced by the chancellor will be funded and that is absolutely crucial."So if there is not enough money to fund that and Cardiff station they have to make sure they honour that."When asked whether the Cardiff station money might have been included in the £445m, she replied: "I haven't seen the detail of that. What I'm saying is that those five stations were promised by the chancellor."She added: "There's always going to be further discussions". The UK government allocated £445m of funding for Welsh rail improvements over ten years at last week's spending review.£300m will go to five new stations around Cardiff and Newport between 2026 and 2030, and a series of improvement works including measures to improve capacity in north £48m is earmarked for the South Wales Metro, while the rest is for future development said work on the Cardiff Central redevelopment "is already being delivered".Speaking to BBC Wales on Thursday, she said: "The announcement last week in the spending review of at least £445m for rail infrastructure in Wales, includes work we are doing around Cardiff Central redevelopment, but also some other work around projects that are already being delivered."She added: "It means passengers in Wales are going to have more capacity, more faster trains, more stations, and all the feedback I've had about that so far has been really, really positive." In the Commons on Thursday Liberal Democrat MP David Chadwick took issue with the rail package."I hope the minister appreciates just how insulting it is for Welsh ears to been told that we're getting a fair deal when it comes to railway funding, when we've been cheated out of billions of pounds due to the classification of several projects as England [and] Wales said five new stations in south Wales was "hardly national renewal".In response, Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said: "There's a huge difference. Under the last government you didn't get a penny."Jones said the UK government was providing the "largest real terms increase in spending in Wales since devolution began".He added: "You might want to be a little more grateful in future."Chadwick said in a statement: "This was a gobsmackingly arrogant response from the minister that just shows how out of touch Labour are with Wales."The previous UK government had supported the electrification of the south Wales mainline up to Cardiff, but cancelled it beyond Swansea. It also helped fund the South Wales Metro scheme. Welsh gov 'to decide on post-EU aid' Morgan also said she had asked for clarity around the UK government's new local growth funds, but had been told the Welsh government would decide where the money is £211m each year to Wales between 2026 and 2029, it will replace the Shared Prosperity Fund, set up by the Conservatives as a stand-in for European Union economic aid used to be administered by the Welsh government while the UK was in the European week Stevens said that the Welsh government would be "taking on a big decision-making role around that" with the Wales Office in Westminster having "oversight".The scheme would still be ultimately administered by the UK arrangement led to accusations in the Senedd on Wednesday, from Conservative MS Samuel Kurtz and Labour's Alun Davies, that UK Labour had broken a manifesto said that after seeking clarity she was clear that the Welsh government would decide where the cash goes."It will be the Welsh government deciding where that money is spent."We have had that reassurance from the secretary of state for Wales, and the prime minister made it clear from the stage of the Wales Labour Party conference," she said."As far as I am concerned we know where we stand on that. Now we know how much money we have got we can start a plan."
