Latest figures show that Torfaen Council spends about £110 million a year for goods and services from business with around £26.4 million going to companies in the county.

Cllr Sue Morgan, executive member for resources, shared the information at this week’s full council meeting and encouraged more businesses in Torfaen to register on Sell2Wales, the platform used by public sector in Wales to advertise new tenders

Cllr David Thomas, Llantarnam Ward, wanted to find out if businesses based in Torfaen are given “access and support” to win work, and are they “prioritised over businesses outside of Torfaen”.

Cllr Morgan told him: “We’ve got to balance a lot of factors when making that spend, value for money for the taxpayer, sustainable supply, and environmental impact are just some of those factors, and they all feature in a fair and transparent approach.

“We are though, completely committed to supporting local businesses as much as we can. There’s a lot of debate about what is local, is it Torfaen? Is it Gwent? Is it the City Region boundary? Also, what makes the company local? Is it enough, for example, to have an office address in Torfaen?”

She said they were working to get a “clear picture” of how much of the money the council spends is with Torfaen businesses so they can “measure trends over time”. At “least 24 per cent” of the council’s £110m budget for goods on services was spent “with businesses with a Torfaen postcode”, added Cllr Morgan.

She said that the council does use “pre-vetted and approved” suppliers if using that route is more “effective and efficient than open tenders.” But public procurement rules mean that for any work that could be valued at over £220,000 (including VAT), has to be advertised for open competition and they can’t show any “bias” towards local suppliers.

Cllr Thomas said there were “a lot of businesses in Torfaen that can do what outside businesses can” and encouraged the council to “look at” using them more.