‘Standing up for Rural Wales’ was the theme of local Assembly Member Paul Davies’ speech at the recent Welsh Conservative Conference in Llangollen. Mr Davies highlighted that 85% of Wales is rural and therefore, it should be a priority for any Welsh Government. He also talked about the need for greater investment in rural communities and more rural-proofing of Welsh Government policies.

Mr Davies said, “It was a pleasure to talk about the vibrancy and importance of rural communities across Wales. Sadly, all too often, policies are developed in the Cardiff Bay bubble and have no relevance to the challenges that those living in rural areas face. As someone who lives and represents a rural area, there’s so much to be proud of – but there’s also plenty of issues too. The centralisation of services away from local communities and the severe lack of investment in infrastructure continues to hinder rural areas, as well as many communities facing substandard mobile and broadband services. Real change is needed so that rural communities get the support and investment that they need to flourish in the future.”