7. Statement by the Minister for Social Partnership: The retail sector — Contributing to Wales's economic mission

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:27 pm on 11 June 2024.

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Photo of Sarah Murphy Sarah Murphy Labour 5:27, 11 June 2024

Thank you very much. I know you're very passionate about this and especially the access to fresh food and also just to the variety and the equality aspect of this, and fairness, that people should be able to have access to everything that everybody else has and not have to pay over what they should be paying, just because they can't get out and about and get further and get those deals, ultimately.

Your question, though, really reminds me of the visit that I did to Blaenau Ffestiniog. I thought that was incredible, how the community had actually come together, and when their tourism information centre was going to go and the building was going to be left empty, a couple of the businesses around there, some of them retail businesses, got together and they have a community share now in the building and they have a community cafe. It's absolutely fantastic.

Also, recently, the hardware store was going to close because the two people who had run it all their lives were going to retire. The community got together and they were like, 'We cannot lose this hardware store', and they got together to find somebody who would be able to run it in the interim. They're now buying up the empty properties and looking for things that they feel the community need, like, for example, they're going to create a space for youth homelessness shortly.

So, what I would say is—and I can share this with you—I've seen some fantastic working where the community comes together like this and it's like, 'What do we actually need as a community, and can we actually get together and do it on a co-operative model, where everybody kind of benefits from it?' So, if you'd be happy, I'd be really pleased to share that best practice with you. I think that this is a model that could really work, especially in parts of your constituency.