Welsh government budget: No crisis in Welsh culture, says minister

With no majority in the Senedd, the Welsh government needs the support of at least one opposition MS to gets its £26bn Budget approved.

After criticism from Plaid Cymru and the Conservatives, it is thought the sole Liberal Democrat MS, Jane Dodds, is the most likely candidate to reach a deal.

Losing Tuesday’s vote on the draft budget would be a blow to the government, but would not be the end of the process.

Negotiations could continue into March when ministers are due to table a final version of their spending plans for the next financial year.

The Welsh government has until the end of the financial year to strike a deal or risk losing billions of pounds in funding.

Dodds said on Monday it was “incumbent on all of us” for the budget to pass, that discussions were taking place, but that she was not in a position to do a deal with the Welsh government.

It is not known whether she will choose to vote against the budget on Tuesday or abstain.

The Welsh Conservatives said on Monday they would vote against the Welsh government budget.

Tory MS Sam Rowlands said: “Without tackling wasteful spending across departments, the Welsh Labour government will never be able to fully prioritise the Welsh NHS and tackle excessive waiting times that are still increasing to new record highs, month after month.”

Plaid Cymru did not say on Monday if it would vote against the budget.

The party’s Heledd Fychan said: “Labour’s Budget is not one that will address the crisis facing the education or culture sectors, it won’t fix the NHS, and neither will it mean that Councils across Wales will be able to properly deliver key public services that our communities rely on.”