A NEWPORT MS has warned the UK Government not to short-change the city post Brexit.

John Griffiths, MS for Newport East, said European funding had supported programmes delivered by Newport City Council in recent years, and that the priority after Brexit should be ensuring those programmes can continue.

Since 2014 Wales has benefitted from around £2 Billion in investment through European Structural Funds (ESF), which has supported a number of employment programmes in Newport.

Mr Griffiths said decisions about the UK Government’s Shared Prosperity Fund in Wales, set up to replace the ESF and other European funded programmes, must be made by Welsh Government and local councils so initiatives similar to Inspire to Work and Journey to Work can be supported in the future.

Inspire to Work was created to reduce the number of young people aged 16-24 years who aren’t in employment, education or training (NEET) and Journey to Work targeted the longer term unemployed people aged 25 and over, who had complex barriers to employment.

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Following the Senedd’s debate on the EU (Future Relationship) Bill, Mr Griffiths warned the UK Government that Newport must not be left short-changed post-Brexit.

He said: “Without the support of European funding, it would have been much harder to fund these necessary employment programmes our city council has delivered in recent years.

"Post-Brexit, the priority must be making sure funding for these types of programmes continues - and it’s also important that Welsh Government and councils decide how this funding is spent.

"People in Newport must not be left short-changed by Tory ministers in Westminster.

"The uncertainty caused by Brexit and the impact of Covid-19 has made it a very challenging and turbulent jobs market – especially for our younger people and those who’ve been out of work longer term.

"These programmes are really important because they are able to provide people with the practical skills needed to boost their employment prospects and can give them lots of confidence when it comes to writing their CVs and preparing for interviews."