Councils in Wales face funding pressures of £178m by 2022-23 as Covid-19 and slower growth in Welsh government funding impact on authority budgets, according to new analysis.
Insourcing ICT services has saved the Welsh Government two thirds less than expected, and the full benefits are yet to be realised, according to a report from Audit Wales.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will be allocated by central government ministers, bypassing devolved administrations, according to Treasury chief secretary Steve Barclay.
The Welsh Government has proposed a one percentage point increase in its residential land transaction tax, the successor to stamp duty land tax, to help “support housing priorities”.
An ambitious IT system for health boards and local authorities in Wales is taking longer to roll out and more “costly than expected”, according to Audit Wales.
The Welsh spending watchdog has warned councils of a significant increase in risk from fraud due to Covid-19, after uncovering £8m of fraud or overpayment over the past two years.
Finance ministers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have expressed concerns over the financial implications the UK Internal Market Bill will have on devolved governments.
Local authorities in Wales are set to receive an additional £260m in funding from Welsh Government, to help cover the increased costs resulting from Covid-19.
The Welsh government is to allocate an additional £22.7m in funding for adult social care services, to help meet the additional costs resulting from Covid-19.
The government has guaranteed £3.7bn of additional funding for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to help the devolved administrations plan their response to Covid-19 in the months ahead.
Wales has worked hard to ensure it has an audit system that can be relied upon and that continues to develop, writes Auditor General for Wales Adrian Crompton.
Failure to accelerate reform within the Welsh primary care sector could jeopardise the sustainability of essential services, according to The Wales Audit Office.
Boards aimed at improving local wellbeing of citizens must start “thinking and acting differently” to achieve their potential, the Welsh Auditor General has said.
