New funding announced to support First Minister’s priorities

The Welsh Government has announced £157m of new funding to support its priorities this year.

The additional funding includes £21m for diagnostic equipment for the NHS to help cut waiting times, which comes on top of a £50m package announced last month to cut the longest waits.

£20m will be provided for school and college repairs and maintenance through the Welsh Government’s school and college building programme, Sustainable Communities for Learning, which is in addition to £30m already provided this year.

There will be an extra £1m for arts and cultural organisations, provided through the Arts Council of Wales, which will support 60 organisations, including the Blackwood Miners Institute, the Wales National Opera, National Dance Company Wales, Aberystwyth Arts Centre and the International Eisteddfod at Llangollen.

This new funding is in addition to £1.5m announced by the Welsh Government for the culture sector in September.

Transport

Other funding will support transport, housing and local government to create green jobs and growth. Further details of funding will be announced by the Welsh Government during this week.

First Minister Eluned Morgan, said: “After speaking to people across Wales, I set out my four priorities, which includes cutting the longest waiting times and speeding up access to NHS treatment. The funding for diagnostic equipment will give the NHS the tools to do just that, helping people get diagnosed and treated faster.

“We are delivering on what people want – funding our NHS and cutting the longest waiting times, creating jobs and working to improve education standards.

“I am determined we go further and work faster, and this extra funding will help us do just that in these priority areas.”

Welsh talent

Responding to the extra funding for arts and culture organisations, Jack Sargeant, the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership, said: “I’m pleased to announce additional funding this year to protect jobs and organisations in our arts sector.

“We have a very strong arts sector in Wales, which develops and supports world-class Welsh talent. This investment, for 60 arts organisations including the Welsh National Opera, Wrexham Sounds and Blackwood Miners’ Institute, will provide vital support for our cultural organisations.”

The new £157m package of funding – a combination of revenue and capital – is for the current financial year (2024-25). The Draft Budget, which sets out the Welsh Government’s spending plans for the next financial year (2025-26), will be published on Tuesday 10 December.