A BUSINESS breakfast talking about how the Vale can benefit from the Cardiff Capital Region City Deal was held at this year’s agricultural show.

The Vale council-hosted event saw politicians and public servants from across the county meet to discuss the issue in Fonmon Castle park.

The Cardiff Capital Region City Deal is a £1.229bn investment programme spread across 10 local authority areas, including £734m for the creation of a South East Wales Metro transport scheme.

Vale council Leader, Cllr John Thomas, Secretary of State for Wales and Vale MP, Alun Cairns, and the council’s managing director, Rob Thomas spoke at the meeting.

The meeting identified the City Deal’s key opportunities for both the wider South East Wales region and the Vale.

Cllr Thomas said: “The City Deal is quite rightly being seen as a significant and exciting prospect for both the Vale and the region as a whole. It is as a result more important than ever that we invest our time and efforts in having meaningful conversations about the future of both the wider region and the Vale of Glamorgan.

“Wales’ only international airport and the adjacent St Athan Enterprise Zone are both of great importance to the national economy and their location at the heart of the Vale means the potential benefits of the City Deal to the Vale of Glamorgan economy are hugely significant.

“The decision by Aston Martin to select the Vale as the location for its newest manufacturing base in the UK and that of Renishaw to continue to expand operations near to junction 34 of the M4 both show that the Vale is able to attract serious investment.

“The challenge now is to ensure that the Vale remains at the forefront of developments in the City Deal investment programme. This is something to which the Vale of Glamorgan Council and myself as leader of the council are totally committed. I will continue to work tirelessly to ensure that the City Deal is a success both for the wider region but also for the Vale economy.”

Earlier this year the Vale council established a City Deal reserve fund to ensure its financial commitment to the Deal is met in the most prudent way possible.

Mr Cairns said: "The business breakfast was a great start to another excellent Vale Show. It's imperative that residents and business owners in the Vale of Glamorgan are informed on the impact which the City Deal will have on the county and I'm very pleased that the Vale of Glamorgan Council facilitated such a meeting.

"The Vale of Glamorgan and other areas surrounding Cardiff that will be directly affected by the deal will remain a priority throughout the process - a message that I was keen to convey at the business breakfast."