Child poverty, living costs, and NHS waiting times head new Welsh Government priority list

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Shorter NHS waiting lists, improved school standards, and measures to tackle child poverty form the core of the new Welsh Government’s priority list for the next four years.

First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth has published the administration’s Programme for Government, which sets out ministerial goals for the current term, focusing heavily on health services, education, job creation, and living costs.

The government also outlined plans to work across traditional department boundaries to address poverty and bolster school performance, alongside calls for additional funding powers from the UK Government.

Mr ap Iorwerth said: “This Programme for Government is our blueprint for change. It sets a new ambition for Wales to realise our vision of a modern, thriving, ambitious and confident nation.

“For too long, silo working has stood in the way of progress. This new government is taking a different approach.

“By bringing imagination and innovation to the way decisions are made and priorities are set, we will work across government departments – not just within them – to address the greatest challenges facing our society today.”

Mr ap Iorwerth added: “We will be uncompromising in standing up for Wales and demanding fairness from Westminster, making the case for empowering the Senedd with the tools that will enable us to be bolder and more radical in how we change our citizens’ lives for the better.

“We were elected to get Wales moving after years of drift and stagnation. That remains our mission.”

However, because the administration operates without an overall Senedd majority, ministers will need to secure opposition support to pass the legislation and budgets required to implement the plan.

‘A welcome direction’

John Hurst, chair of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Wales, described the Programme for Government as a “welcome direction” which “shows real ambition to unlock the potential of the Welsh economy”.

He continued: “The priority now must be turning these positive commitments into practical delivery that businesses can see and feel on the ground.”

Darren Hughes, of the Welsh NHS Confederation, also welcomed the government’s vision, but warned the public to expect “difficult choices” and service redesigns as health services face tightening public finances and rising demand.

Mr Hughes praised plans to focus on prevention and avoid costly structural reorganisations. However, he warned that ambitious plans for a national public health strategy, long-term workforce planning, and digital modernization will fail without multi-year capital funding, protected digital budgets, and joined-up health and social care performance metrics.

‘More warm words’

Reform’s new leader in Wales, Helen Jenner, said the Plaid administration “should have been focussing on our NHS, improving education and boosting the economy on day one”.

Referring to Mr ap Iorwerth’s recent meeting with fellow Celtic leaders and calls for constitutional change, she continued: “Instead, they’ve been plotting with the separatists in SNP and Sinn Fein to break up the United Kingdom.”

Darren Millar, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, took similar aim, and said: “People across Wales have heard these promises before. What they need now is action to fix the crisis in our NHS, raise standards in our schools and fire up the Welsh economy.

“Instead, Plaid Cymru’s first 100 days have brought more plans, panels and reviews and talk of ripping Wales from the United Kingdom”

He added: “Wales needs a government focused on people’s priorities: lower taxes, support for small businesses, an end to wasteful spending, better schools and an NHS that works. Wales doesn’t need more warm words and constitutional distractions.”