Plan to boost north Wales economy to be presented to the Treasury

A plan to boost the north Wales economy will be presented to the Treasury by the autumn with a request for cash support for infrastructure projects.

Council leaders hope to secure a deal similar to the £1.2bn Cardiff Capital Region agreement approved in March.

They were joined by Economy Secretary Ken Skates at a meeting in St Asaph, Denbighshire.

City deals are a way of different levels of government financing major projects and regeneration schemes.

They work over long periods of time, financed with money from the public and private sectors.

Boosting the energy and manufacturing sectors will be at the heart of the north Wales plan, with the planned new nuclear power station at Anglesey being central.

There is also a plan for a metro system, integrating bus and rail services.

The announcement came after a campaign was launched this week to secure £1bn of rail improvements for north Wales and Cheshire to help link the region with the planned HS2 rail line to link London to Birmingham by 2026, with routes to Manchester and Leeds by 2033.

Gwynedd council leader Councillor Dyfed Edwards told BBC Wales' Newyddion 9 programme that talks with Treasury officials will be held later this month.

"They'll put forward a timescale for the formal application of the plan," he said. "But I hope that that will happen between now and the autumn."

Mr Skates said talks had been held with officials over the border in Cheshire so development projects could be "dovetailed".

"I'm confident that north Wales is in the strongest position that it has been in for many, many years in terms of potential for economic growth," he said.