(Title Image: BBC Wales)
Here’s a summary of what some of the Senedd Committee’s have said about the draft budget for 2021-22. A vote is due on the draft budget itself later today.
If a committee didn’t get their report in on time: not my problem. Some reports are listed on the Senedd website but for whatever reason are unavailable.
Finance Committee (pdf)
- The Welsh Government should outline any changes to the Welsh budget arising from the UK budget as soon as possible.
- The Welsh Government should consider how regularly they update members and alike on spending changes resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic.
- The Welsh Government should continue to press for fair funding for Wales arising from High Speed 2, flooding, the UK shared prosperity fund and coal tip legacies.
- There’s the – seemingly annual – call for a detailed breakdown on spending on core NHS services.
- The Welsh Government should work to simplify access to business support and support for vulnerable people.
Health & Social Care Committee (pdf)
- As you might expect, there’s a call for more detail on health spending, particularly capital spending and mental health.
- The Welsh Government should provide an update on how the statutory code for autism services will be resourced.
- The Welsh Government should provide information on the support offered to unpaid carers and whether it’s sufficient.
- The Welsh Government should update members on how Sport Wales funding is monitored and assurances from Sport Wales that they are meeting Welsh Government priorities.
Environment Committee (pdf)
- The Welsh Government should clarify how a pilot to estimate the carbon impact of spending decisions has influenced the 2021-22 budget.
- The Welsh Government should consider whether budgets to deal with fuel poverty are sufficient.
- Updates should be provided on funding and progress relating to flooding, clean air, pandemic support to the food and drink industry, a deposit return scheme and possible shortfalls in agricultural funding arising from Brexit.
Communities Committee (pdf)
- The Welsh Government should assess the impact that reduced business rates have had on local government finances.
- The Welsh Government should consider extending – and increasing uptake of – the council tax reduction scheme.
- Homelessness budget allocations should be increased.
- The Welsh Government should demonstrate how a new model they’ve used to show how spending is spread across different income groups has influenced the budget.
Economy & Infrastructure Committee (pdf)
- There were concerns that not all of the pandemic business relief funding has been drawn down.
- The Welsh Government should provide more details on sector-specific uptake of pandemic business support.
- The Welsh Government should properly monitor and evaluate the outcomes of long-term investments, such as active travel.
- New subsidy schemes should be justified based on policy objectives and not create “perverse incentives”.
