This week has been a momentous period for Wales because political parties laid out their visions for our country.

And as the Shadow Minister for Finance, I shared some key Welsh Conservative priorities which would ensure a brighter, greener and fairer Wales.

Allow me to be clear that from the outset of the pandemic I have been clear that the overarching priority for any government must be to ensure our communities and services bounce back.

And slowly, but surely, we are now re-emerging from the worst stages of the pandemic, and that is why I urged the Welsh Government to waste no time in paving the way for Wales to recover from Covid-19.

As the party of aspiration and opportunity for all, the Welsh Conservatives have an ambitious investment plan to secure Wales’ future.

During the Government Priorities session in the Senedd, I outlined our view that 100,000 new houses need to be built in the next decade to help kickstart the Welsh economy, as well as generate 65,000 new jobs.

Investment in modern infrastructure for Wales is needed too, not slash it away, as some Welsh Government Ministers would like.

Over the last 16 months, we’ve also seen how our frontline health and care professionals have endured so much in keeping us safe.

We now owe it to them to ensure that they have the best facilities and sufficient resources to do their jobs.

That is why we need to develop a clear plan to enable the Welsh NHS to clear the waiting list backlog that has deteriorated during the pandemic, as well as seeing more funding to address the many specific issues such as mental health and ever-increasing demand for social care.

Moreover, as a past long-standing council leader, I have mentioned how I have seen the growing disparity between funding and reserves of various councils, and have argued that the current system is out-of-date and requires review.

Moving forward, the Welsh Government not only needs to review the funding system it needs to ensure sustainable multi-year settlements to allow councils to plan effectively and continue to deliver first-class services.

The focus for the Welsh Government must be to implement these robust measures, not waste time in calling for more powers which’ll do nothing to solve the most pressing issues of the day.

We can’t allow Wales to go backwards.

Wales is, after all, a country of immense talent and it’s time that we unleash it.