Statement by Minister for Finance and Trefnydd, Rebecca Evans AM.
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
Today I published our Final Budget for 2020-21. Despite the challenges we have faced as a result of the UK government’s unpredictability, we have remained firm in our plans to deliver on our promises.
Our draft Budget set out our priority to take on the climate emergency with a new £140 million package to help protect the future of our planet, but since this time many communities in Wales have suffered devastating and unprecedented effects from storm damage.
As a responsible government recognising the need for urgent action, on 18 February we announced an emergency flood relief scheme making available up to £10 million for an initial response. Work is ongoing to understand the full scale of the damage and identify the longer term support needed. Given the close proximity to the end of this financial year (2019 to 2020) it is likely that some costs will fall in the current year and some in 2020 to 2021. As a result, we would expect any further financial support to be reflected in the first supplementary budget.
It remains unclear at this stage what the UK Budget on 11 March will deliver for Wales. Should we not see any reduction in revenue funding from the UK Budget I will also look to make further allocations in 2020-21 as part of the first supplementary budget. I will outline which areas I am considering for prioritisation during the Final Budget debate on 3 March.
The Welsh Government’s final Budget 2020-21 is available on the Welsh Government website.