The video will start in 8 Cancel

Sign up to our free newsletter for the top North Wales stories sent straight to your e-mail Sign up now! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

South East Wales gets two and half times more Welsh Government cash than North Wales, new figures have revealed.

Critics have slammed Wales’ “investment gulf” and called for a rebalancing of the economy after Adam Price AM, Plaid Cymru’s shadow cabinet secretary for the economy, revealed that some parts of the country are funded over three times more per head than others.

The figures were obtained from the Welsh Government in response to a written question submitted by Mr Price in January.

They show the 2017-18 capital spend forecast for each Welsh region, including £158.50 per head in North Wales compared to £380.77 in South East Wales.

Sian Gwenllian, the AM for Arfon, said the numbers demonstrated a problem when it comes to funding regions further away from Cardiff .

“These figures are the latest example of North Wales being left behind,” she said.

“It is unacceptable that South East Wales is set to receive more than double the capital spend per head in the north when so many of our communities are crying out for investment.”

Mid and West Wales was the region with the smallest spend, getting £102.63 per head.

The South Wales Central region gets £189.11 per head, while South Wales West gets £152.71 per head.

Mr Price said: “The Welsh Government’s own figures show how the Labour party’s economic plan is engineering inequality.

“There is not so much an investment gap but an investment gulf between some regions of Wales, with South East Wales being forecast to be funded a staggering £278.14 more per head in 2017-18 than Mid & West Wales.

“This is not just a new phenomenon either: every region other than the South East is forecast to be funded less than what would be national average based on population.

“These figures highlight the dire need for a radical rebalancing of the Welsh economy.

“The Welsh Government should bring in a Regional Renewal Bill that would prioritise deprived areas for investment , similar to what happens in Germany.”

A Welsh Government spokesman said: “We have made major investments across all parts of Wales, supporting local infrastructure, economies and communities.

“The quality and outcomes of a project – not its geographical location – determines whether it goes ahead.”