We’ll be taking a look at what the recent budget announcement from UK chancellor Rachel Reeves means for Wales. She says that Wales will receive an extra 1.7 billion pounds in the budget, and claims it’s the biggest real terms increase since the start of devolution, so we’ll be exploring the possible impact.
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00:00UK budgets can be a confusing thing for people in Wales. There are announcements on NHS funding,
00:07education and a number of areas, but a lot of the time they don't matter to Wales.
00:14Some do, some don't, and it can be confusing which ones are relevant or not. One thing
00:18for sure that does matter though, is the money specifically set aside for Wales to spend
00:23within Wales by the Welsh Government, and Rachel Reeves claims that the latest sum
00:27of cash is the highest ever real-terms increase to funding in Wales.
00:32It's been something politicians in the Senate have been asking for for years, and it's finally
00:37come – a genuine influx of cash that Wales desperately needs.
00:42The total figure is roughly £1.7bn, according to Reeves, and while that clearly is a substantial
00:49amount of money in the grand scheme of national budgets, it's easy to see how quickly that
00:53money will be chopped up and distributed.
00:57One of the top priorities for Welsh Government will be the NHS. Waiting lists are at an
01:01all-time high and records keep getting broken, so fixing that issue will be a key target
01:06for First Minister Eluned Morgan and her Health Minister Jeremy Miles.
01:13Another issue that looks to be in a worrying state for people across Wales is council funding.
01:18There is roughly half a billion pounds worth of funding gaps dotted around various local
01:22authorities in Wales, so many will be hoping that money will help in that area.
01:29Specific money designated for securing safety at coal tips was also mentioned in the budget
01:34to the tune of £25 million, which will be a welcome sight for communities facing the
01:39dangers of the coal mining industry.
01:44Opposition parties have said that the funding increase isn't transformative and will not
01:48be the catalyst for change that Wales needs. However the £1.7bn is spent, people around
01:54Wales will be hoping that some problems at least can be fixed.