Politics

No boost from Budget for Wales

Published

7 years ago

December 5, 2017

FINANCE SECRETARY Mark Drakeford has responded to the UK government’s Autumn Budget saying it provides no significant boost for hard-pressed public services.

The Autumn Budget includes approximately £1b of additional capital funding for Wales between 2017-18 and 2020-21 – but more than half of this must be repaid to the UK Treasury.

The UK Budget also includes additional revenue funding of £215m for the period 2017-18 to 2019-20.

Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford said: “While these small increases in the resources available to Wales are to be welcomed as they will help support our priorities, this additional funding will do little to ease the pressures on frontline public services, which have been struggling to cope as a result of the successive cuts to our budget we have experienced since 2010-11.

“Even with this additional funding, the Welsh Government’s budget will be 5% lower in real terms in 2019-20 than it was in 2010-11.

“As a result of the measures the Chancellor announced today the funding Wales receives from the block grant will increase. But more than half of this increase is in the form of funding which must be paid back to the UK Treasury. £650m of the additional capital funding is in the form of financial transactions – this is a form of capital funding which must be repaid to the Treasury and there are tight restrictions on what it can be spent on.”

The Finance Secretary said the budget was also a missed opportunity to provide additional investment in infrastructure to support the economy during this period of uncertainty.

Professor Drakeford said: “The Office for Budget Responsibility has confirmed the UK economy has slowed markedly and its growth forecasts have again been revised downwards. In my recent letter to the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, I urged the UK government to listen to the International Monetary Fund and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development to take advantage of low interest rates and invest in economic infrastructure.

“This is why we called on the UK government to commit to important infrastructure projects in Wales, including the Swansea Bay tidal lagoon. Once again the UK government has failed Wales by failing to invest in key projects.”

He added that the UK Budget gave little detail regarding additional funding about UK government plans to cut the public sector pay cap and give public sector workers a much-needed pay rise.

“The Welsh Government, standing with our hard working public sector workers and trade unions, has repeatedly called on the UK government to lift the public sector pay cap and provide additional funding to give workers across the UK the pay rise they deserve. I was clear this must be fully funded.

“Today’s Budget was a missed opportunity to do this for all public sector workers. For NHS staff who are waiting the outcome of the independent pay review body, I expect the Chancellor to honour his commitment to fund any pay recommendations in full and to provide a full Barnett consequential.”

The Cabinet Secretary also said there must now be discussions between the Welsh and UK governments about the UK government’s intention to explore a tax on plastics – the Welsh Government is currently investigating a disposable plastic tax as one of four new tax ideas.

“I am pleased the UK government is taking our lead in considering how to use taxation to change behaviour in areas such as disposable plastic.

“I announced a tax on disposable plastic as part of the shortlist of proposed taxes in October, I expect to discuss this in detail with the UK government as part of its evidence gathering.”

BUDGET A MISSED OPPORTUNITY

Welsh Lib Dem Leader Jane Dodds commented: “This budget presents a missed opportunity for Wales. The Welsh Liberal Democrats have presented an ambitious vision for Wales, it is disappointing that the Chancellor lacks this ambition.

“Instead of investing in making Wales a world leader in Tidal Energy by giving the green light to the Swansea Tidal Lagoon or giving South Wales the transport investment it needs the Chancellor decided to throw £3b into a Brexit black hole. It’s clear only the Welsh Liberal Democrats have the ambition and ideas needed to ensure opportunity for Wales.

“As one of the most deprived regions of the UK and even the EU, Wales has suffered more than most from austerity. With the Chancellor failing to take meaningful action on Universal Credit and the public sector pay cap and growth set to be much slower than expected, this suffering will only continue.

“The Chancellor needed to immediately end the roll out of Universal Credit to prevent rising child poverty and homelessness and end the public sector pay cap to end the scandal of public sector workers relying on food banks to survive. It is bitterly disappointing the Chancellor has failed on both counts.

“This budget is yet another example of the crippling damage Brexit is already doing to the Welsh Economy. Instead of investing in public services or vital infrastructure projects, the Chancellor is spending £3b preparing for a disastrous no deal Brexit his party foolishly refuse to rule out. The Welsh people deserve to have the final say on the Brexit deal and a chance to choose an exit from Brexit.”

WALES ‘LEFT OUT IN THE COLD’

Plaid Cymru’s Treasury spokesperson and Carmarthenshire Member of Parliament, Jonathan Edwards, said that the British Government once again delivered a budget for the south-east of England whilst Wales is ‘left out in the cold’.

Mr Edwards said the only we can build a better Wales is to demand the tools to do it ourselves.

Speaking after the Budget statement Jonathan Edwards MP said: “In prolonging austerity well into the next decade and sticking to the most economically damaging form of Brexit, the squeeze on living standards will only get worse.

“There was nothing in the budget to drive up wages, and nothing to push down the cost of living.

“For the second budget in a row, economic growth, business investment and productivity have all been downgraded. The result of the Chancellor’s stubborn insistence on sticking to his failed plan is ultimately felt in people’s pockets through lower wages.

“Once again the British Government has delivered a City-centric budget, deliberately overheating the south east of England while Wales is left out in the cold. Our roads and railways are neglected whilst Welsh taxpayers’ money is pumped into London.

“The only way we can build a better Wales, drive up wages and spread prosperity is to demand the tools so we can get on with the job of doing it ourselves.”

News

Welsh Labour Government invests £10 million to revitalise Pembrokeshire towns

Published

6 hours ago

May 22, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Transforming Towns programme backs regeneration in Haverfordwest and Pembroke

TOWNS across Pembrokeshire are being backed by more than £10 million of Welsh Government investment as part of efforts to breathe new life into local high streets and boost the economy.

Since 2021, the Welsh Labour Government has provided £10,050,000 to Pembrokeshire County Council through the Transforming Towns programme, funding key regeneration projects including the Western Quayside development in Haverfordwest and the South Quay project in Pembroke.

The latest funding figures were released following the Welsh Government’s announcement last week of a further £31.5 million for the Transforming Towns fund in 2024/25. Councils across Wales can now bid for this year’s funding, with an additional £10.8 million earmarked for four local authorities in South West Wales in 2025/26.

The Transforming Towns programme aims to help local authorities regenerate town centres and create vibrant, sustainable places. Since its launch in 2020, the programme has delivered more than £314 million in grant and loan funding across all 22 Welsh local authorities.

In Pembrokeshire, the funding has already supported the Western Quayside redevelopment at the site of the former Ocky White’s department store in Haverfordwest. The scheme will deliver new restaurant and leisure facilities, complementing the town’s existing retail offering on Bridge Street and Riverside Quay.

The council has also purchased the Riverside Shopping Centre in Haverfordwest for future redevelopment and is progressing the South Quay regeneration project in Pembroke, located beside the iconic Pembroke Castle.

Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, Jayne Bryant, said: “Transforming Towns isn’t just a snappy slogan or government jargon – it’s real investment going directly to communities who know how best to renew their local areas. Working in partnership with Pembrokeshire County Council, we’re helping bring new life to the county’s historic town centres.”

Labour Senedd Member for Mid and West Wales, Joyce Watson MS, added: “Our towns and high streets are the beating hearts of our communities. They provide jobs, attract visitors, and grow the local economy – helping put money back into people’s pockets.”

Pembrokeshire MS and First Minister Eluned Morgan also welcomed the investment: “The £10 million already provided by the Welsh Labour Government has helped transform key local sites. These projects will protect and enhance our towns for future generations to enjoy.”

Crime

Kneecap terror charge sparks political row in Wales

Published

7 hours ago

May 22, 2025

Tom Sinclair

Green Man urged to drop Irish group amid Gaza comments and terror charge controversy

A MEMBER of Northern Irish rap group Kneecap has been charged with a terrorism offence, prompting a political backlash and renewed calls for the group to be removed from the line-up of Wales’ Green Man Festival.

Liam Óg Ó hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, is accused of displaying a Hezbollah flag at a London gig last November. The 27-year-old is due to appear at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on June 18, charged under anti-terror legislation. The Metropolitan Police said the flag was allegedly displayed “in such a way or in such circumstances as to arouse reasonable suspicion” of support for a proscribed organisation.

The Belfast-based trio, who rap in Irish and are known for their anti-establishment lyrics, strongly deny the charge and say the case amounts to “political policing” aimed at silencing their criticism of the Israeli government’s war in Gaza.

In a statement released on Thursday (May 22), Kneecap said: “14,000 babies are about to die of starvation in Gaza, with food sent by the world sitting on the other side of a wall, and once again the British establishment is focused on us. This is a carnival of distraction. We are not the story — genocide is.”

The group added that they would “vehemently contest” the charge, which they claim is designed to restrict their ability to travel and perform. They said: “This is an attempt to silence artists who dare speak out.”

The charge comes after Kneecap used a recent performance at California’s Coachella festival to denounce Israel’s military action in Gaza. The group has been the subject of controversy in the UK press, with videos circulating from earlier performances that appear to show provocative political statements and banners referencing banned organisations.

While the group has distanced itself from any formal support for Hamas or Hezbollah, it continues to face criticism from campaigners and politicians.

In Wales, Shadow Minister for Culture and North Wales, Gareth Davies MS, has called for the Green Man Festival to remove Kneecap from its 2025 line-up. He previously wrote to the festival’s organisers on April 28, citing concerns over “violent and extremist rhetoric” and warning that platforming the group risks damaging the festival’s reputation.

Following the announcement of the terror charge, Mr Davies renewed his demand, stating: “It’s deeply concerning that Green Man have remained silent even after terror charges have been brought against a member of this group.

“There is a clear pattern of violent and extremist rhetoric associated with Kneecap that has no place at a respected cultural event in Wales. The festival acted quickly in 2019 to remove Meic Stevens over anti-Muslim comments. The same consistency should be applied here.”

Organisers of the Green Man Festival have yet to respond publicly.

Meanwhile, in the Republic of Ireland, Tánaiste Simon Harris declined to comment on the specific case but condemned the actions of Israel in Gaza, stating that recent attacks amounted to a “consistent pattern of war crimes” and that “we’re very much now in the space of genocidal activity”.

The Campaign Against Antisemitism, which reported Kneecap to the police, welcomed the prosecution and called for “the law to be enforced”.

The case is likely to further inflame tensions over freedom of expression, political activism, and public performances in Wales and beyond, particularly as summer festivals prepare to welcome artists with diverse — and often controversial — viewpoints.

Business

Stepaside dog salon that opened illegally allowed to stay

Published

14 hours ago

May 22, 2025

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to allow a Pembrokeshire village dog grooming salon to keep running as the applicant didn’t realise he needed planing permission, has been backed by county planners.

Andrew Bird, in an application to Pembrokeshire County Council through agent Matthew Hitches Architectural Services, sought permission for a retrospective change of use of a domestic outbuilding at Roslyn Hill, Stepaside, to a dog-grooming salon, along with access alterations.

The change of use was completed last October.

Amroth Community Council has raised no objection to the scheme, other than concerns about its retrospective nature, and has welcomed the access improvements proposed, having previously raised concerns about road safety in the immediate area.

A supporting statement accompanying the application for the part-time business said: 2The applicant has been using the building for this purpose for several months and was unaware of the need to apply for planning permission, as the business is located within an existing outbuilding on the property.”

It added: “The salon is currently used on a part time basis, three days per week. The salon has just one appointment in the morning and one in the afternoon. So, the maximum number of visitors to the property would be six per week. The applicant has no intention of expanding the business any further.

“The vast majority of the applicant’s current clients live within Stepaside and Pleasant Valley and most will journey to the salon on foot. Although the business is situated within the countryside, it is considered essential that this business be situated in this location as it offers a valuable service to the local community.

“If the business were to be located elsewhere, this would mean local residents would need to travel by car to use such services. The number of customers arriving by car is minimal and there is considerable space for parking and turning within the property, if needed. It is therefore considered there will be no detrimental effect on highway safety.”

An officer report recommending approval said: “Whilst the proposal would not derive inputs from the land and would not be an enterprise for which a countryside location is essential. It is considered that due to the re-use of an existing building, associated noise effects a countryside location away from an urban environment would be acceptable.

“Furthermore, it can be considered that an urban/industrial setting is considered to be counterintuitive to the welfare of dogs could result in additional noise. As such, in this instance in can be considered that a countryside location may be acceptable subject to the acceptability of detailed considerations.”

The application was conditionally approved by county planners.