Plaid Cymru MS Sioned Williams has reiterated her support for Neath and Bridgend town centres, following a new statement by the Welsh Government on town centre revitalisation.
The Welsh Government statement seeks to "set-out the challenges faced by towns as well as the actions the Welsh Government will take to set the foundations for change and enable local delivery to develop our town centres as locations for a range of services, economic enterprise, employment and to be connected communities."
Speaking on ITV's Sharp End last night, the South Wales West MS pointed to the need for better Welsh Government support for town centres locally and across Wales.
Recent figures from industry experts at CGA by NIQ and AlixPartners show that Wales saw a net decline of 1,001 licensed hospitality sites over the last 3 years, which is equivalent to a net decline of -14.7% of all sites.
Plaid Cymru MS for South Wales West, Sioned Williams said:
"We in Plaid Cymru believe passionately in our communities. We believe passionately that our town centers are community hubs.
"We also believe that we've got to look at the whole town approach and look at anchoring those services - it's good to see the Welsh Government recognising that now, because there have been reports from the Auditor General and evidence from Professor Karel Williams that there has been silo working within Welsh Government, between housing, environment, economy and health. It's good to see that these are now coming together.
"One of the main things that comes up is about transport and public transport. My constituents are telling me that there's issues around parking that are affecting footfall. Those working in town centres are also telling me that there's no bus to take them home after work.
"It's vital that these issues are addressed in tandem."