:00:00. > :00:11.Will the creation of city regions help spread wealth around Wales?
:00:12. > :00:15.With four months to go until the Scottish referendum on
:00:16. > :00:17.independence, could today's Queen's Speech have been the last ever to
:00:18. > :00:25.And why are so few Welsh students applying to
:00:26. > :00:42.Good evening and welcome to the Wales Report.
:00:43. > :00:46.The latest figures show the Welsh economy is lagging
:00:47. > :00:51.behind the rest of the UK, so what can be done to reverse the decline?
:00:52. > :00:55.The Welsh Government thinks that the creation of city regions is key.
:00:56. > :00:59.Such a scheme, they say, will make sure that the benefits
:01:00. > :01:01.of economic growth, usually centered around a city,
:01:02. > :01:09.can be spread out across a wider area, boosting several communities.
:01:10. > :01:14.So far two city regions have been created, the Swansea Bay Region
:01:15. > :01:17.and the Cardiff Capital Region, which is headed by Welsh Rugby
:01:18. > :01:21.We'll be speaking to him in a moment.
:01:22. > :01:23.But first, our economic correspondent Sarah Dickins takes
:01:24. > :01:43.With Wales getting steadily lurk in period to the UK average city
:01:44. > :01:52.regions have been hailed as a way of kick-starting the economy. --
:01:53. > :02:01.getting steadily Puller compares to the UK average.
:02:02. > :02:05.There is a strong argument that as the world changes and emerging
:02:06. > :02:17.markets manufacture what we used to make, wheels need to seek more
:02:18. > :02:24.knowledge intensive jobs. -- Wales needs to seek more knowledge
:02:25. > :02:34.intensive jobs. The former head of CB I Wales was
:02:35. > :02:44.asked to find out if a city region policy would work. None of our
:02:45. > :03:07.cities punch their weight, let alone above their weight.
:03:08. > :03:11.The Cardiff Capital Region spread out from Newport to Bridgend and up
:03:12. > :03:18.to the heads of the valleys. It is proposed that our transport network
:03:19. > :03:32.be built to connect people with new jobs and opportunities. This easier
:03:33. > :03:43.has high and employment. For more than 20 years initiatives have tried
:03:44. > :03:56.to create jobs. Communities were based on coal, which is long gone.
:03:57. > :04:04.If they feel to get communities like this to drop local rivalries the
:04:05. > :04:07.project will be weakened. How do you get a capital city to thrive without
:04:08. > :04:19.people living here feeling left behind? There are some people with
:04:20. > :04:24.real expertise behind this. There is the danger that we rely on the
:04:25. > :04:31.trickle-down effect. That does not work. If we are to adopt the city
:04:32. > :04:45.region approach it must be on a different model. For city regions to
:04:46. > :04:49.work strong leadership is vital. Different councils and to political
:04:50. > :05:02.parties have two pooled together. But is there a figurehead? We need a
:05:03. > :05:17.person who will help to deliver it. We do not have a Boris or a cane as
:05:18. > :05:27.they do in Manchester or London. -- in Ken.
:05:28. > :05:32.It is a different arguments to persuade people who live outside the
:05:33. > :05:34.city region that their lives will be better if more money is spent miles
:05:35. > :05:42.and miles away in Cardiff. Joining me now is Roger Lewis, the
:05:43. > :05:53.chair of the Cardiff Capital Region. What difference should the people
:05:54. > :06:01.feel of the city region is a success? They need to feel that
:06:02. > :06:09.there is a future for them, that there is an equality of opportunity.
:06:10. > :06:13.At the heart of what we are trying to achieve with the Cardiff Capital
:06:14. > :06:17.Region is something that is transformational, that will give a
:06:18. > :06:23.real economic benefits to everyone. But when it comes to jobs and money
:06:24. > :06:30.surely those will be concentrated in the capital. That will not trickle
:06:31. > :06:34.down. We are trying to achieve collectivity. We need to link up the
:06:35. > :06:38.ten authorities throughout the region. At the heart of that
:06:39. > :06:44.proposition is the Metro project which was referred to within the
:06:45. > :06:46.film. That Metro project is transformational. It'll make a
:06:47. > :06:53.fundamental difference to the region. The latest estimate is that
:06:54. > :06:58.it will cost ?5 billion. Where is the money going to come from? The
:06:59. > :07:02.total cost is an eye watering sum of money. But we have to start
:07:03. > :07:07.somewhere. Considerable work has been undertaken by the Welsh
:07:08. > :07:11.Government and by some local authorities. We are presenting that
:07:12. > :07:16.work to the minister later in the year. There is a sense of journey
:07:17. > :07:20.and destination as to how we can source the money. I am confident it
:07:21. > :07:26.will happen because it has to happen. The money would come from
:07:27. > :07:31.central Government and also the local authorities. But money is
:07:32. > :07:34.tight. The key thing is unity of purpose. We are working with
:07:35. > :07:46.Government. I was with their Minister of Finance today. Working
:07:47. > :07:56.with the Welsh Government, also with Europe, also with London.
:07:57. > :08:05.Many people see the needs to be a minister dedicated to this if it is
:08:06. > :08:13.to work. Our strength is that we are small. It is also a weakness. We
:08:14. > :08:18.have a unity of purpose. There is a unity of purpose in Government. It
:08:19. > :08:25.is important to emphasise the nature of the project is that it must
:08:26. > :08:31.survive the political cycles. That means we have two had ties to remove
:08:32. > :08:39.it from the political arena. What is the model? Vancouver has been
:08:40. > :08:52.suggested. Edinburgh, Manchester. What is the model? How do you break
:08:53. > :09:00.down tribalism? There are lots of great models. Stuttgart as the
:09:01. > :09:10.exemplar. That has huge support from European funding. In the UK the best
:09:11. > :09:15.model is Manchester. To address the tribalism point, around the table we
:09:16. > :09:20.have four of the leaders of ten of the authorities and we are regularly
:09:21. > :09:24.talking to the other authorities. If you live in Cardiff live in
:09:25. > :09:31.Cardiff, if you live in the valleys you live in the valleys. What
:09:32. > :09:39.difference will we see data di? There will be an overarching --
:09:40. > :09:41.there will be an overarching strategic approach. The ten
:09:42. > :09:50.authorities will come together to align their strategies. We have two.
:09:51. > :09:55.We need to figure out where people work and where people live and where
:09:56. > :10:00.people play. We need to plan that on a regional basis. We need to make
:10:01. > :10:13.sure that people are truly connected. Economic growth is never
:10:14. > :10:16.equally distributed, so we need to give people the equality of
:10:17. > :10:22.opportunity to connect with that growth. It has been said that we
:10:23. > :10:29.need charismatic leaders. Are you that charismatic leader? No. I am
:10:30. > :10:35.the cheer of the board. We are not doing this for political ambition.
:10:36. > :10:40.We are doing less because we want to make a difference. When we feel we
:10:41. > :10:47.have got the governance right, when are metal project is right, we as a
:10:48. > :10:52.board needs to ask if we are the right people to take this forward.
:10:53. > :10:57.We may well step back and make sure there is a leader, statutorily
:10:58. > :11:06.authority, that can drive us forward. This is not paid. You are
:11:07. > :11:18.doing it in your spear time. -- in your free time. I have no particular
:11:19. > :11:24.mission. We need to do the right thing for Wales. If we do not step
:11:25. > :11:33.forward heaven help us all. We all debts two wheels. This is time to
:11:34. > :11:38.pay it back. Thank you for joining us.
:11:39. > :11:40.Earlier today the Queen delivered her annual speech to Parliament,
:11:41. > :11:43.setting out its legislative agenda for the coming year.
:11:44. > :11:45.Headlines were made by policy announcements on pension
:11:46. > :11:47.reform, tax-free childcare and performance reviews for MPs.
:11:48. > :11:50.But today could be the last time the Queen's Speech lists legislation
:11:51. > :11:56.With the Scottish referendum on independence now only 16 weeks away,
:11:57. > :12:05.And how will the result, whether a yes or no to independence,
:12:06. > :12:12.Joining us now are two Welsh leaders on either side of the debate.
:12:13. > :12:15.From Westminster is the Shadow Secretary of State
:12:16. > :12:19.for Wales, Labour's Owen Smith and here in the studio I'm joined by
:12:20. > :12:31.the Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood. Whatever the result in the
:12:32. > :12:38.referendum, the status quo will have to change, won't it? Yes because all
:12:39. > :12:50.parties have committed themselves to change it. Other parties in Scotland
:12:51. > :12:53.want further change other than the Scottish Nationalist party. You
:12:54. > :12:57.other party offering released devolution because the curve --
:12:58. > :13:06.conservatives have overtaken you, haven't they? If you take a narrow
:13:07. > :13:14.perspective on tax, and even then, it is very unlikely that rates will
:13:15. > :13:22.shift by more than 15p. There would be a -5% starting rate if Labour
:13:23. > :13:28.come to power so there is not that much between us. There is a clear
:13:29. > :13:32.recognition there is dire for -- desire for greater autonomy in
:13:33. > :13:39.Scotland and Wales and England and we are committed to that.
:13:40. > :13:48.Whatever the result there will be an impact, won't they? It is a matter
:13:49. > :13:54.for us in Wales to decide how much we can be involved. It is essential
:13:55. > :14:02.that we make sure we are part of that debate. Aren't we pretty much
:14:03. > :14:06.ignored in Scotland? We not as involved as we should be and there
:14:07. > :14:11.is an opportunity for a rebalancing of power throughout the United
:14:12. > :14:15.Kingdom, economically, socially and politically. It is an opportunity
:14:16. > :14:22.for Wales to take powers we need to transform our economy. We have a
:14:23. > :14:25.government in Cardiff Bay who are turning down opportunities to have
:14:26. > :14:32.control over the levers that can affect our economy.
:14:33. > :14:35.Owen Smith, when you talk to people involved in the negotiations in
:14:36. > :14:43.Scotland they say our voices not heard. There is talk of a veto on
:14:44. > :14:50.the pound in Scotland but that is cuckoo land as we are not stuck in,
:14:51. > :14:56.are we? It is properly Owen Jones's fault, isn't it?
:14:57. > :15:00.I don't think that is true. The debate in Scotland as to whether it
:15:01. > :15:04.wants to be independent is essentially a question for Scotland
:15:05. > :15:10.so there is no prospect of Wales having an equal voice in that
:15:11. > :15:15.debate, nor England. But the impact on the rest of the UK is potentially
:15:16. > :15:21.massive. What would it look like? Of course it is but it is massive for
:15:22. > :15:30.England and English people but English people do not have a say. It
:15:31. > :15:34.is a slightly false premise. I have been to Scotland on two or three
:15:35. > :15:39.occasions and have spoken on a platform with Gordon Brown and we
:15:40. > :15:44.held a Labour Party shadow cabinet a few weeks ago. The notion that Wales
:15:45. > :15:48.is not being listened to is not true. They are keen to hear Welsh
:15:49. > :15:55.voices in Scotland, but they don't want to hear an unreal view from
:15:56. > :15:57.Wales as Plaid Cymru suggest. We are not in favour of an independent
:15:58. > :16:05.Wales. It is looking like a "no" vote. What
:16:06. > :16:12.would that do to nationalism in Scotland and here in Wales?
:16:13. > :16:17.If you are right, it is likely it will be a narrow margin and I should
:16:18. > :16:23.imagine there will be an appetite on the part of people in Scotland to
:16:24. > :16:26.take more autonomy and Maude decisions. Independence won't
:16:27. > :16:35.necessarily be off the agenda. If it is close, people might still want to
:16:36. > :16:42.make sure it remains on the agenda. But if the SNP can't get it through,
:16:43. > :16:47.surely it is pie in the sky here? Of course they are going all out for
:16:48. > :16:50.a win and there is a long time before the vote takes place and
:16:51. > :17:00.momentum is on their side. They are running a positive campaign compared
:17:01. > :17:06.to the "no" campaign. What I would say to people like Owain Smith is,
:17:07. > :17:14.what other benefits for Scotland for being part of the union? That been
:17:15. > :17:20.spelt out, nor for Wales. You want to Scotland to go but where
:17:21. > :17:25.would that leave Wales? Just part of England?
:17:26. > :17:28.That is the question people here will need to seriously consider and
:17:29. > :17:36.we have to make sure we have a strong voice in the negotiations.
:17:37. > :17:42.Couldn't Wales be subsumed? Or you could take the view that the
:17:43. > :17:46.power could be dispersed across Britain and there is the opportunity
:17:47. > :17:52.to rebalance. The sacking of everything towards London will be
:17:53. > :17:57.relocated to Edinburgh and that opens up opportunities for Wales, I
:17:58. > :18:02.think. The latest phase with John Smith and
:18:03. > :18:11.Tony Blair and the whole idea was to stem support for the SNP but that
:18:12. > :18:17.has backfired. That is a miserably ten -- misrepresentation of the
:18:18. > :18:22.history. The whole point of devolution was about decentralising
:18:23. > :18:26.power and amplifying the voice of Wales at Westminster whilst giving
:18:27. > :18:32.us more local accountability and autonomy and control over power and
:18:33. > :18:37.the levers of power in Wales, which is what it has done. Health,
:18:38. > :18:42.education and local government, all these things that are determined in
:18:43. > :18:47.Wales. Now we talk about going further so that Wales is more on the
:18:48. > :18:52.same sort of fitting as Scotland in respect -- in respect of powers and
:18:53. > :18:57.the model of powers and that has been consistent through Labour 's
:18:58. > :19:02.policy on devolution. What other benefits for Wales? Being part of a
:19:03. > :19:12.shared market, a shared society, shared history and a shared future.
:19:13. > :19:18.There practical benefits. Let me bring this to a close. With one
:19:19. > :19:23.quick question to each of you. When will the people of Wales get to vote
:19:24. > :19:29.on independence, if at all? It is different -- difficult as we
:19:30. > :19:33.are on a different stage of the journey but I would like to see is
:19:34. > :19:39.get to the point where there is a temp one macro that can build
:19:40. > :19:48.institutions -- Plaid Cymru government. Why should we have a
:19:49. > :19:56.vote on it when nine or 10% were in favour. Plaid Cymru are the fourth
:19:57. > :20:01.most popular party in Wales and support is declining. They are not
:20:02. > :20:03.the answer and nobody in Wales once independence.
:20:04. > :20:09.Thank you. We have to leave it. The number of Welsh students who
:20:10. > :20:12.apply to study at Oxford and Cambridge Universities
:20:13. > :20:14.is in decline. Figures show that four of the ten
:20:15. > :20:18.areas in the UK with the lowest application rates are here in Wales.
:20:19. > :20:20.Why? Well, a year ago, the Labour MP and
:20:21. > :20:23.former welsh secretary, Paul Murphy, was asked to look into the fall
:20:24. > :20:27.in numbers and his report is due to But, what are the benefits of an
:20:28. > :20:32.Oxbridge education and should we be Yes, says 20-year-old Shelby Holmes
:20:33. > :20:37.from Towyn in North Wales, who is in her second year studying
:20:38. > :21:00.English Literature at Oxford. I do fairgrounds with my parents for
:21:01. > :21:05.some of the year. We used to do a fair in Oxford and it is a really
:21:06. > :21:13.nice place. I liked the vibe of the city. When I thought of applying I
:21:14. > :21:22.thought, I like Oxford. At the bottom of the Trinity lawns there
:21:23. > :21:26.are gates and we walked past. I looked in and they said, you won't
:21:27. > :21:41.get in there, love. For me to get in, it was... My mother was barely
:21:42. > :21:49.literate so to go from that to going to Oxford doing English literature,
:21:50. > :21:56.it was so weird for them. There was a precedent in other schools. Oxford
:21:57. > :22:01.and Cambridge, we always send one or two. But for us, there was no one I
:22:02. > :22:08.knew personally from the school or anyone I had ever met who had been.
:22:09. > :22:13.I didn't know what I was expecting. Misconceptions pull people back. You
:22:14. > :22:17.come to this very impressive building that has stood here for
:22:18. > :22:25.hundreds of years and you kind of thing, what am I doing here? I think
:22:26. > :22:32.that most of the people who come here feel like they are not good
:22:33. > :22:38.enough or they are just good enough. It is a long time before you finally
:22:39. > :22:43.realise that, no, I worked really hard for this and put the effort in
:22:44. > :22:50.and I really wanted and I got it. They wouldn't let me in if I
:22:51. > :22:53.couldn't do the work. There is a reputation about Oxford being
:22:54. > :22:59.quintessentially English but it is really open for everyone. More Welsh
:23:00. > :23:05.people should come and study because it seems like there are not many of
:23:06. > :23:10.us here. We have Russian people, Chinese and Indian people, why not
:23:11. > :23:14.Welsh people? What I would say to a seven year is -- 17-year-old who is
:23:15. > :23:21.not really sure but thinking about it, it is just a normal University
:23:22. > :23:26.for normal people who really like their subject and who really want to
:23:27. > :23:29.learn more about the subject. If you feel passionate about it and you
:23:30. > :23:36.want to do more with your subject, then apply. You haven't lost
:23:37. > :23:42.anything by applying. You can't let the misconceptions put you off. We
:23:43. > :23:51.are just a group of normal kids at university.
:23:52. > :24:00.Joining me is the Oxbridge ambassador for Wales. Why are there
:24:01. > :24:07.so few applications from Wales? They are not always as inspirational
:24:08. > :24:12.as Shelby and a lot of people haven't got the confidence to go.
:24:13. > :24:18.They have misconceptions about what Oxford and Cambridge are about. That
:24:19. > :24:22.they are full of people from public schools punting on the rivers. In
:24:23. > :24:27.the interview, it was pretty clear that it is very different from that.
:24:28. > :24:33.Part of my job has been to try to persuade young people in Wales that
:24:34. > :24:36.the old-fashioned images of Oxford and Cambridge are very much
:24:37. > :24:42.old-fashioned and that it is an up-to-date University, both of them,
:24:43. > :24:50.and two of the best universities on the planet.
:24:51. > :24:56.It seems that there are two issues - confidence and attainment. What does
:24:57. > :25:02.it say about our education system? A lot of it boils down to the fact
:25:03. > :25:08.that the two universities require very special techniques for
:25:09. > :25:15.interview and in Oxford's case, a separate aptitude test. In many
:25:16. > :25:19.ways, youngsters have to be made aware of the different entrance
:25:20. > :25:24.processes. It is not the very fact that there are people who haven't
:25:25. > :25:30.got high A-level qualifications, sometimes we have found schools
:25:31. > :25:34.where they have high A-level qualifications but they still are
:25:35. > :25:39.not getting in. Part of my role is to find out why not.
:25:40. > :25:44.We know that children from about this high are primed for Oxbridge
:25:45. > :25:49.and they stay behind after school. Do you want to see that happening
:25:50. > :25:52.here? There is a case for looking
:25:53. > :25:58.specially at our most able and talented children. Most schools and
:25:59. > :26:02.tertiary colleges in Wales have a system where they give special
:26:03. > :26:08.attention to the most able students by giving them extra lessons and
:26:09. > :26:13.various talks from visiting professors and dons from the
:26:14. > :26:19.universities and by stressing, as far as they can... The reality is we
:26:20. > :26:23.do have very, very clever young people in Wales, but very often they
:26:24. > :26:28.are not stretching themselves as far as they could do. Often, it is the
:26:29. > :26:33.question of giving them the information and knowledge of how to
:26:34. > :26:38.apply to these universities. The other issue is brain drain. Why
:26:39. > :26:46.should they go? Some would argue, let us keep them in Swansea or
:26:47. > :26:51.Cardiff Aberystwyth. Encouraging them to go is a bad thing. What
:26:52. > :26:59.would you say to that? Firstly, there is nothing wrong with
:27:00. > :27:05.Welsh universities. The reality is only 50% of the intake of Welsh
:27:06. > :27:10.universities come from Welsh people. About 50% of Welsh students go
:27:11. > :27:14.outsize -- outside Wales and that will not change. My view is that
:27:15. > :27:19.there are two outstanding universities, two of the best on
:27:20. > :27:26.earth, so we shouldn't deny the opportunity to our brightest
:27:27. > :27:30.children to go to them. That isn't to say bright students don't go to
:27:31. > :27:38.Welsh universities. Of course they do. How can the Minister get more
:27:39. > :27:46.students into Oxbridge? I will present my report in a few
:27:47. > :27:49.weeks time. I have spoken to the education minister about these
:27:50. > :27:53.issues and I will have positive representations to make as part of
:27:54. > :28:01.the overall policy to make sure we raise standards in Wales. Is anyone
:28:02. > :28:11.getting it right at the moment in Wales?
:28:12. > :28:15.Yes, Gower College near Swansea and the school near Newport. Lots of
:28:16. > :28:19.others. They are doing excellent work and I hope the best practice
:28:20. > :28:25.from those places will spread to other places as well.
:28:26. > :28:27.As a former student there, what would be your one word of
:28:28. > :28:31.encouragement to anyone thinking about it?
:28:32. > :28:37.It stretches you enormously and if you have a passion for your subject
:28:38. > :28:58.you can go to one of those two universities.
:28:59. > :29:05.That is it for tonight. Thanks for watching.