Wales First Minister Mark Drakeford (left) insisted his chalet in Pembrokeshire is not a second home - as far as the law goes - as he campaigns against the number of rural second homes in Wales.
Rural economy. File picture The Welsh Government has been urged to extend a £2m fund designed to bolster rural economies in Welsh speaking heartlands. Established in 2019, the scheme emerged from a Labour/Plaid Cymru budget deal in the Senedd and was designed to promote job creation across Anglesey, Gwynedd, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire. Under the scheme, Gwynedd Council acted as the lead body for the four counties with each receiving around £466,000 in funding. The money is meant to be used to develop the economy and create jobs in a bid to support the Welsh language in specific communities. But with the two year pilot and subsequent funding set to dry up in March 2021, the Welsh Government has been urged to consider extending or setting up a similar scheme to allow further progress in the field.