A GWENT MP says the Cardiff Bay development is "a bigger scandal than the Dome".

Blaenau Gwent MP Llew Smith (pictured) said yesterday the Cardiff Bay development represented "a major misuse of public funds" and poor areas were losing out.

The Argus reported yesterday how the MP called a press conference to demand a halt to the proposed new building for the National Assembly, the Millennium arts centre and the Bay development.

He said: "Cardiff Bay is a far bigger scandal than the Dome," adding: "If you go to Cardiff Bay you will see they have got more roads than there are football fields in Blaenau Gwent and, you can take it from me, we have got a lot of football fields in Blaenau Gwent.

"People are fed up with the nonsense on what is happening in the Assembly and they know what is going on is wrong. We don't think we should have crumbs. We don't think Cardiff Bay should have the bakery either."

He singled out First Minister Rhodri Morgan and the rest of his cabinet for attack, saying: "The vast majority of the cabinet either represent or were brought up in the politics of Cardiff. There isn't one valley minister or one minister from north Wales." His outburst will be a huge embarrassment for Welsh Secretary Paul Murphy and First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

Mr Smith claimed he had figures from public sources showing between 1987 and 2001 £538m was invested in Cardiff Bay and barrage, another £92m estimated for the cost of constructing the Millennium art centre, while the most recent estimate for the National Assembly building was £24m.

And he claimed that in contrast to the amount being spent in Cardiff Bay, public funding for the Welsh Development Agency for the whole of Wales between 1987 and 2001 was approximately £1.3bn.

Mr Smith said the amount spent in Cardiff Bay represented a staggering £55,000 per head of population for the area. By comparison the WDA funds for the whole of Wales were the equivalent of just £430 per head of population.

A spokesman for the Wales Millennium Centre said it would bring benefits to people throughout Wales, not just Cardiff Bay. "People from Blaenau Gwent will be among those who will be able to enjoy top West End musical shows and other world-class music and dance at the centre within a relatively short distance from their homes. The Wales Millennium Centre expects that work on the project will begin on the Cardiff Bay waterfront early next year."

A spokewoman for the National Assembly said: "This is a matter for the National Assembly not Westminster. "The Assembly administration is committed to delivering a high-quality landmark building for the people of Wales, but within an acceptable, value-for-money budget. We have made it absolutely clear we are not prepared to tolerate a repeat of the episode at Westminster where the recent building costs of MPs' accommodation at Portcullis House spiralled far beyond the original budget."