I would like to wish everyone a happy St David’s Day – Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus – to everyone.

As we look forward to longer days and the promise of better weather, spring will also herald a momentous announcement and one that could be a game changer for Newport and south east Wales.

Three bids have been made for the first Welsh Freeport and the UK government is expected to announce which has been successful before the summer.

We are leading on the Newport Regional Freeport bid which proposes Cardiff Airport as the core customs location, with complementary tax sites at Rhyd-y-Blew in Blaenau Gwent; Imperial Park in Newport and a third suggested site at Bro Tathan Enterprise Zone in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Our bid has significant benefits – the creation of thousands more jobs, an already established infrastructure and the potential for a hi-tech sector on our doorstep to become a global leader.

The Newport Regional Freeport is about scaling up, not starting up. It would be a catalyst for inward investment, economic growth and increased productivity in a region with some of the most deprived communities in Wales.

Expert research has found it would create at least 24,000 jobs and these would not be ones displaced from other parts of Wales but entirely new employment opportunities.

We would be able to hit the ground running if we were successful as Cardiff Airport – Wales’ only national and international airport – would be immediately available to take advantage of Freeport status.

And, vitally, it could make South Wales a global leader in the prestigious semi-conductor market, which is forecast to significantly increase in value by billions of pounds in the coming years.

The Newport Regional Freeport bid is sustainable and resilient and promises real growth for the city, the region and Wales.

We want businesses to get behind our bid as we work to persuade the government that they should back the only global Freeport bid in Wales.

Only our proposal has the potential to attract a greater range of national and international investment to Wales, providing many more jobs and training prospects for residents that will boost both the local and national economy for many years to come.