Funding worth £31m to support essential flood repair work in Wales has been agreed with the UK Government, Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has said.
The Welsh Government has consistently called on the UK Government to meet the extraordinary costs related to the intense February storms which hit Welsh communities disproportionately hard.
Finance Minister, Rebecca Evans has today confirmed that following a meeting with the UK Chief Secretary to the Treasury, the Welsh Government’s claim for extra funding for this year has been accepted.
Rebecca Evans also reiterated the case for a long term funding settlement to protect Welsh communities affected by legacy coal tips.
The Welsh Government has been consistently calling for urgent action to secure funding to cover flood repair costs and the risks associated with Wales’ industrial legacy, without affecting Wales’ already stretched budget.
Finance Minister Rebecca Evans said:
“I am glad that as a first step, our urgent calls for the initial funding Wales needs to address the intense storms have been met.
“Welsh communities should not be expected to pick up the bill for the remediation of legacy coal tips. The coal tips pre-date devolution, and Wales is disproportionately affected.
“We will continue to push for a long term settlement and joint programme of work to protect affected communities.”
During the meeting the Minister repeated her consistent calls to the UK Government to provide Wales with the fairness, flexibility and clarity needed to support and protect its communities and businesses, and reiterated that current funding does not reflect the scale of the issues Wales faces.
