UK Government accused of ‘lack of transparency’ over transport funding claims
Plaid Cymru has accused the UK Government of a “lack of transparency” over how Wales is funded, after the Secretary of State for Wales failed to clarify claims of £200 million of new transport-related consequentials for Wales.
The party’s Treasury spokesperson, Ben Lake MP, raised concerns after Secretary of State for Wales, Jo Stevens, told the Welsh Affairs Committee last week that Wales would receive “just over £200 million” in Barnett consequentials from recent transport announcements in England – on top of the £445 million already allocated in the 2025 Spending Review.
However, in response to a written question tabled by Mr Lake, the Treasury contradicted this claim, stating that it is “not possible to identify specific Barnett consequentials arising from individual programmes” such as the Transport for City Regions funding announced on 4 June.
During Wales Questions in the House of Commons, Mr Lake MP asked the Secretary of State to explain whether her earlier claim that Wales would receive a £200 million Barnett consequential referred specifically to the Transport for City Regions funding announced on 4 June.
Discrepancy
Mr Lake said that the “discrepancy” between the Wales Office and UK Treasury’s answers “underlines the lack of transparency in the way Wales is funded through the Barnett formula”, and called for “clear and consistent figures”.
Quizzing the minister, Mr Lake said: “I was pleased to hear the Secretary of State, in evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee last week, explain that Wales will receive a Barnett consequential of some £200m as a result of transport announcements for English mayoral combined authority areas made in the lead-up to the spending review.
“Could the Secretary of State clarify whether she was referring to the Transport for City Regions funding which was announced on 4 June, for the Chief Secretary to the Treasury has stated in an answer to a written question that it is not possible to identify the specific Barnett consequential arising from that programme?”
Ms Stevens MP, responded: “My understanding is that the just over £200 million that I referred to in my evidence to the Welsh Affairs Select Committee relates to the combined Mayoral Authority announcement that was made prior to the spending review.”
Transparency
Speaking after the session, Ben Lake MP added: “The discrepancy between the answers provided by the Wales Office and UK Treasury underlines the lack of transparency in the way Wales is funded through the Barnett formula, and strengthens calls for it to be reviewed.
“Without clear and consistent figures from the UK Government, it is impossible to assess whether the funding provided is adequate or indeed fair.
“Ultimately, the Barnett formula is not fit for purpose and requires fundamental reform.”
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“Ultimately, the Barnett formula is not fit for purpose and requires fundamental reform.” Correct but meaningless to the bulk of the population in Wales., should be that the UK Government is stealing your taxes to pay for things in England
All taxes raised in Cymru should be spent in Cymru. Those raised in other parts of the UK should be spent there. ALL Cymru income tax NI VAT Inheritance tax every form of tax raised in Cymru spent in Cymru. No need for any Barnet formula then. We are on our own.
Only 60% of working age adults in Cymru/Wales pay income tax. Like many regions of England, including fairly affluent ones, Cymru/Wales recieves more funding than it pays in taxation, but that isn’t the issue. The issue lies with the fact that our natural resources are exploited by England. England steals our water and we’re the fifth largest net exporter of renewable energy in the world. Imagine how affluent Cymru/Wales would be if we controlled our natural resources and then negotiated a fair price with an English Government for them.
Aka independence. Because the current arrangement doesn’t fairly allow for net zero fiscal balance because much of the tax raised here gets declared elsewhere in the UK, such as the corporation, consumption and excise taxes from the big supermarkets.
England isn’t doing this to Northern Ireland at all and rarely does it Scotland. I guess the truth is that Cymru/Wales would have to have thirty years of Paramilitary violence or elect a majority Nationalist Government to be taken seriously. As for respect, well that will only happen if London has to negotiate on equal terms with Cardiff and that would only be the case in the event of an independent Cymru/Wales.
It’s not “luck of transparency” it’s “complete deceit and lies”.
Wales is being stolen from. The Barnet formula wasn’t fit for purpose at its inception, and the theives have used that to their advantage to steal more.
There needs to be an independent body overseeing the funding of UK nations and regions that’s legally obliged to hunt down shortfalls, and with a binding appeals process. The idea that Treasury officials or politicians can decide on a whim to short-change or clawback is more suited for a department running colonies.
You’re right, but they’ll never do that. The only way we get fair funding is with independence and England paying reparations for almost a thousand years of theft from Cymru/Wales.