The Welsh Government is calling on the Chancellor to bring forward £1 billion of rail investment for Wales and provide further support for struggling households in next month’s Autumn Budget.
Chancellor is finalising the Budget ahead of its delivery on October 28, with Cabinet Minister for Finance Elin Jones writing to the Chancellor setting out a series of proposals for Wales.
The Welsh Government is seeking what it describes as a fair deal on funding, investment and opportunity, with requests covering rail, the cost of living, public spending and investment in major projects.
Among the proposals is a call to bring forward £1 billion from an existing £14 billion rail investment commitment to accelerate improvement projects across Wales.
The Welsh Government is also seeking targeted cost of living support for households, including unfreezing Local Housing Allowance rates in an effort to prevent people falling into homelessness.
It has also called for Cynnal, Wales’s child payment, to be protected from tax and benefit deductions, with the aim of ensuring families receive additional financial support and helping efforts to reduce child poverty.
On wider public spending, the Welsh Government wants the Chancellor to reverse real-terms cuts to Wales’s day-to-day and capital budgets.
It is also seeking UK Government backing for major investment projects, including the decarbonisation of Pembrokeshire Power Station.
Cabinet Minister for Finance Elin Jones said:
“Wales has waited long enough. This budget is the UK Government’s chance to show it’s serious about delivering for our communities.
“Right now, just 1% of Network Rail’s spending across England and Wales is going towards our railways. That’s not good enough. The UK Government has committed to invest £14 billion to address the historical underfunding of Wales’ railways and I want to see that promise turned into action, starting with this budget.
“Families across Wales are still feeling the squeeze, and I want the Chancellor to go further to help them, whether that’s through housing and energy support or protecting the payments that matter most to families on the lowest incomes.
“Wales already makes a strong contribution to the UK economy, and investing in our future will help deliver the Prime Minister’s own ambition to spread prosperity and opportunity to every part of the UK. This budget is the moment to match that ambition with action.”
