News

Welsh Government Finance and Local Government Minister Rebecca Evans has announced plans for a consultation next year on an ambitious package of council tax reforms.

A new £51m package of support will help families facing the cost-of-living crisis to pay their bills this winter, Welsh Ministers announced today.

The Welsh Government is releasing extra funding from its reserves to target support towards lower income households, providing immediate support for people facing rising living costs this winter. 

The first phase of the Household Support Fund will target heating and eating – providing families with extra help to pay their energy bills over the winter and giving extra funding to foodbanks and community food schemes.

It comes as the UK Government has refused to reverse the cut of its £20 Universal Credit lifeline for tens of thousands of families and the Bank of England is warning inflation will rise to 5% by the spring, pushing prices even higher.

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has said the UK Government’s Spending Review and autumn Budget contains “clear gaps in funding” where Westminster has failed to invest in Wales.

Finance and Local Government Minister Rebecca Evans is calling on the UK Government to revise the process for agreeing devolved tax powers, following delays in getting powers for a vacant land tax.

The UK Government should use this autumn’s Spending Review to share responsibility and allocate long-term funding to make Wales’ coal tips safe, Finance and Local Government Minister Rebecca Evans has said.

Views are being sought on potential changes to local taxes which could be used by local authorities to tackle the effects that large numbers of second homes and commercial holiday lets can have in some parts of Wales.

Following changes to the policy on self-isolation, the Welsh Government’s self-isolation support scheme will increase from £500 to £750.

People could be able to elect their local councillors as they finish lessons or as part of their weekly shop, as part of efforts to make voting easier.

Finance and Local Government Minister Rebecca Evans visited a historic garden in Carmarthenshire to see how the project has used funding from the Landfill Disposals Tax to develop the site and increase biodiversity.

The UK Government will undermine devolution if they establish freeports in Scotland and Wales without reaching agreement with devolved governments, according to Scottish and Welsh Ministers.

The Welsh Government scheme which supports people on low-pay with a £500 payment if they have to self-isolate is being extended until March 2022.

The Welsh Government is reminding retail, leisure and hospitality businesses in Wales they won’t have to pay any rates until April 2022 as full discounts in England come to an end tomorrow (1^st July).