The natural wealth of the valleys helped to make Cardiff richer

Rhondda Assembly Member Leighton Andrews has told Labour colleagues the valleys' contribution to Cardiff has to be acknowledged in a "meaningful" way.

If not, Mr Andrews will urge fellow AMs to block the award of any assembly cash for Cardiff's planned lavish celebrations in 2005, he said.

It comes after Cardiff's failure to be named European Capital of Culture was blamed on its failure to embrace the valleys.

Mr Andrews' call came as a meeting was being held on the future of the valleys in his Rhondda constituency on Friday.

Culture

The new AM said culture capital judge Sir Jeremy Isaac's comments on Cardiff's failure had resonated strongly in the valleys.

Cardiff was simply a fishing village until the... valleys of south Wales were mined for their coal Rhondda AM Leighton Andrews

"Valleys people believe that Cardiff has done well over recent years but that the economic benefits of Cardiff's growth have yet to flow up into valley communities," he said.

"People look with amazement and awe at the recent explosive development of Cardiff and ask when they will see similar levels of investment."

Cardiff has had huge amounts of public and private investment

Mr Andrews said Sir Jeremy pointed out that Cardiff's culture bid did not seem to include the valleys enough.

"The response of Cardiff's city of culture team was that thousands of people from the valleys travel to events in Cardiff.

"Frankly, that is simply seeing the people of the valleys as passive consumers not active contributors to the development of Cardiff.

The seminar, at the Rhondda Heritage Park Hotel, was organised by Valleys Forward, a group of Labour MPs and AMs.

Ambitions

Among the scheduled speakers are Victoria Winckler, director of the Bevan Foundation, named after the revered Labour figure and National Health Service founder Aneurin Bevan.

She has written a report called Ambitions for the Future which was commissioned by Valleys Forward.

Mr Andrews said he had wanted Cardiff to become the European Capital of Culture.

"But Cardiff would not be the place it is if it were not for the role played by the valleys over the last 150 years," he said.

"Cardiff was simply a fishing village until the Rhondda valleys and the other valleys of south Wales were mined for their coal.

"There should be no assembly financial support for Cardiff's centenary in 2005 unless the contribution of the valleys is recognised in a meaningful way."

Other speakers due at the conference are assembly deputy ministers Brian Gibbons and Huw Lewis.