Senedd Member Jane Dodds explains why she allowed the Welsh budget to pass

Whilst the final Budget was a vast improvement on the initial proposed Budget, it was still not one I could wholeheartedly support.

I’m particularly concerned that Labour in Westminster aren’t giving us the deal we deserve. I believe Wales should manage its own Crown Estate, just as Scotland does, and that Wales

should receive billions in additional funding as a result of HS2 being built in England.

But after lengthy discussions with the Welsh Government, I decided to put party politics to one side to get a better deal for people across Wales by abstaining on the Budget.

As part of my deal with the Welsh Government, they agreed to spend an additional £107.8 million on public services in Wales. 

This is money being spent on Welsh Liberal Democrat priorities, which will improve the lives of people across Wales.

The deal has enabled us to invest an additional £30 million in social care, to give people the care they need in an environment best suited to them, £30 million in childcare, securing 12.5

hours of funded childcare for every two-year-old across Wales, and more money for local councils to protect and invest in local services.

Beyond that, we won additional funding for new healthcare facilities in Mid Wales and more money for leisure centres and playgrounds, so it’s easier for people of all ages—but

especially young people—to stay healthy.

Further investment in areas such as road repairs, additional rail services on the Heart of Wales line, and a bus fare cap for people aged 21 and under will provide an economic boost

to areas like ours by making it easier for people to get to work and making our area more accessible for tourists.

There are some who feel opposition politicians should simply reject proposals because their side didn’t write them. 

But if the Senedd had failed to pass a Budget, our public services would have lost £5bn in funding—just imagine what cuts of that scale would have done to our public services.

So, while the Budget is far from ideal, the changes the Welsh Liberal Democrats won are a really positive first step in making Wales a fairer, more caring, and more prosperous country

that we want it to be.

Mid and West Wales Senedd Member Jane Dodds.