Last week (Wednesday 7th – Friday 9th June), Joel James, MS for South Wales Central, enjoyed a trip to Edinburgh to meet with members of the Scottish Conservatives to discuss important policy areas and legislation.
Joel was joined in Edinburgh by some of his fellow Welsh Government Local Government and Housing Committee members including Sam Rowlands, John Griffiths, Jayne Bryant, and Carolyn Thomas on Thursday, for a meeting with their Scottish Government counterparts. The meeting had the purpose of discussing how the committees are trying to tackle the current housing crisis, identify common obstacles and seek legislative solutions.
Thursday was a busy day for Joel as he rounded off the day by meeting with COSLA, an organisation that works for the local councils of Scotland. During the meeting, Joel discovered how COSLA is a councillor-led, cross-party organisation that is championing the vital work of councils and helps them secure powers and resources.
On Friday, Joel held an important and interesting meeting with his Scottish Conservative equivalent in Holyrood – Alexander Stewart MSP. In the meeting, the pair conversed about their similar portfolio’s which cover key areas of employment, fair work, and equalities. They also talked about how the UK Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ funding is massively benefitting the people of Scotland and Wales. Alexander was keen to express how the UK Government has provided close to £2 billion in funding to Scotland in the last three years for a wide range of projects.
Following his return to Wales, Joel said:
“I had a fantastic couple of days in Scotland this week and it was great to link up with my Scottish Conservative counterparts.
Whilst we live in different countries, the problems that we face are the same.
I want to thank Alexander for agreeing to meet with me this week and discuss our shared policy areas and related issues. He was incredibly insightful, and I look forward to working closely with him as my Senedd term continues.”
