Hain Questions Government’s Commitment To Economic Recovery In Wales

Neath MP Peter Hain has today joined the Trade Union Congress in voicing fears that local communities such as Neath are being left behind by both European and world economic recovery in wake of the major job losses and plunge in living standards that have hit South Wales since the onset of the financial crisis.

‘The economic woes of hard-working people up and down the country show no sign of ending,’ Mr Hain warned, as it was announced that at no other time in history has the UK economy taken so long to recover from a recession. ‘The UK has fallen way behind the rest of the G7 in key areas like manufacturing jobs, exports and wage growth.’

Mr Hain was keen to point out that this very real crisis is being sharply felt by his constituents, commenting that ‘zero wage growth and a dearth of manufacturing jobs are issues that affect areas like Neath more than others.’

Regarding the real-life effects of continued flat-lining growth, Mr Hain said, ‘this is about real people’s lives and real people suffering, who are being told that they have to wait a further four years to see their quality of life returned to the standard of 2008 – which at this rate seems highly optimistic to me.’ He added, ‘I would like to see some serious commitment to growth from this Government, starting with much needed real and large-scale investment in construction through house building and infrastructure projects.’