Welsh Government responds to Spring Budget 2023

Article summary

The Welsh Government has published a written statement by the Welsh Minister for Finance and Local Government, Rebecca Evans, offering the Welsh Government’s response to the UK’s Spring Budget 2023. Evans has criticised the Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt's, decision to prioritise ‘petrol and potholes’ over investment in public services, pay and economic growth, and has said that the ‘Budget does not go far enough in addressing the very real challenges people are facing’. In particular Evans criticised the Chancellor’s decision not to take advantage of the investment opportunities in rail, research and renewable energy that the Welsh government had previously highlighted as their priorities. However, the minister has praised the government for maintaining the energy price guarantee for a further three months and taking ‘small steps’ to make Universal Credit fairer and to prevent energy companies from penalising people on prepayment meters.