South Wales Evening Post - 9 January 2009
Local business leaders and politicians have criticised Prime Minister Gordon Brown for snubbing Swansea.
On the final leg of his regional tour of the UK yesterday, the Labour leader visited Swindon, Newport and Cardiff.
The former chancellor last visited Wales's second city in April last year , but then it was only a brief stop to meet staff from the life sciences department at Swansea University.
Ahead of Mr Brown's tour, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock said the trip would "enrich" the PM's understanding of what is going on in South Wales.
"When a prime minister gets to an area and gets to talk to people, he does get that sense of what attitudes are in an area," said Lord Kinnock.
Local business leaders and politicians disagreed.
Peter Birch, of Swansea Business Improvement District, and Oxford Street Traders Association, said: "Newport and Cardiff are hardly a sample of what's going on in South Wales," he said.
"You've got to come to Swansea to get a real flavour of what's happening in the country. It's disappointing that he did not come to the city.
"I'm sure traders would have loved to have had an opportunity to pass on their concerns to him. There is no confidence in the banks being able to support businesses and it's causing problems.
"That little bit extra loan or overdraft would help see some businesses through this difficult time."
Plaid's South West Wales AM Bethan Jenkins said: "If he is going to be serious about having a tour to find out how the current economic climate is affecting people, then he needs to visit the places where his dire economic policies are being felt the most.
"Cardiff and Newport are as close to the border as you can get."
She said the region had been feeling the pinch more than most with closures, loss of jobs and businesses struggling.
"I'm sure a lot of people from local industries and businesses affected would have wanted to meet him," she said.
Swansea-based AM Peter Black said: "If Gordon Brown really cared about what's going on in South Wales then he needed to come further west to Swansea, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire.
"He could hear about the real problems people are facing in struggling to make ends meet and the amount of dissatisfaction there is with his government."
Mr Black added: "The Liberal Democrats are serious about people's views.
"Our leader Nick Clegg has been to Swansea several times recently and Vince Cable is to visit the city at the end of the month, when he will be meet many local businesspeople to hear their concerns."
Swansea Council leader Chris Holley said: "I'm very disappointed that Gordon Brown felt it was not necessary to come to West Wales to see the consequences of policies for which he was responsible when he was chancellor
