James Evans MS has questioned the Welsh Government's purchase of Gilestone Farm, Talybont on Usk for £4.25m. James has been inundated with emails from constituents expressing concerns over this purchase, the proposed future use for the site and whether due diligence was followed. The recent Public Meeting held in Talybont on Usk raised many pertinent questions. There were no representatives present from Welsh Government to address the concerns of the community and to date, many of these questions remain unanswered.
James has said "We should not be taking fertile farmland out of production at a time when food security and food production should be a priority. This site is adjacent to the River Usk SAC, a SSSi site, home to endangered species and great wildlife bio-diversity. I welcome the Auditor General and the Public Accounts Committee looking into Welsh Government's purchase of Gilestone and await their findings".
The Public Accounts and Public Administration Committee will be taking evidence on this at their next sitting on Thursday 14th July 11am. The public can view this on Senedd.tv - Home