The Latest News from Wrexham Business Professionals

Give more power to people of North Wales after Brexit

Give more power to people of North Wales after Brexit A former top civil servant says that an elected mayor or a regional assembly are potential solutions to the challenges facing North Wales in the aftermath of the Brexit vote. Lord Michael Bichard, a crossbench peer, will tell a meeting of business leaders in Wrexham that extending devolution is the best way forward in North Wales and other parts of the UK. He will be joined as a guest speaker by the First Minister for Wales, the Right Hon. Mark Drakeford AM, at the breakfast session of Wrexham Business Professionals at the town’s Ramada Hotel on Friday, May 17. The group is made up of successful businesses and highly skilled professional firms of solicitors, accountants and other business professionals working together to raise the profile of enterprise and expertise that exists in the region and beyond. Between 1995 and 2001 Lord Bichard, was Permanent Secretary of the Department for Employment and in 2004 he was appointed by the then Home Secretary, David Blunkett, to chair an inquiry into the Soham murders of two 10 year old girls.Appointed as Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 1999 Birthday Honours list, Lord Bichard said: “The crux of what I will be talking about to the audience will be centred on Brexit." “Firstly, we need to reflect on what we do about the consequences of bringing all this legislation and law making powers back from Brussels. What do we do to control the law and how we handle the law-making process?" “People think power will rest in Westminster, Cardiff or wherever but it can’t, there simply has to be an element of devolution." "Voters need to have someone to hold to account, someone locally elected, with a new regional assembly or an elected mayor being possible options." “I don’t know enough about the politics of Wales to favour one option over another but I do...... more ›