Welsh Liberal Democrat Leader,, Kirsty Williams has responded to the Comprehensive Spending Review statement. She said:
“The Welsh people understand that we can’t pretend that the pain can be stopped at the Severn Bridge. However, this settlement is better news for Wales than many were predicting.
“The decisions being taken today are difficult but they are also necessary. The UK Government has to take action to cut the deficit because of the appalling legacy of debt that the last Labour government burdened us all with. Today, we will see crocodile tears from a Labour party that is in denial about the mess they created and the measures needed to get us out of that mess.
“If the government doesn’t take this action now, things will get worse. We are paying £120 million a day interest. That is equivalent to three times the Welsh Assembly’s budget being spent on the interest on Labour’s debt. Just like a credit card bill we need to start clearing the debt now or the interest will drive us further into debt.
“As the UK Government takes the steps needed to put us on the road to recovery, Liberal Democrats are working to ensure it is a road that leads to fairness too.
“The decisions taken in England to fund the “fairness premium” which will give the poorest children a better start in life, to protect NHS funding and prioritise schools and early years spending will be reflected in the settlement that Wales receives.”
Peter Black AM, the Welsh Liberal Democrats Shadow Finance Minister added:
“The Labour-Plaid Government has indicated that it was planning real terms cuts of 5.8% a year. In fact the coalition’s settlement for Wales is substantially better than real term cuts of less than 2% a year. The Welsh Assembly Government will do proportionately better than the rest of the UK as a whole.
“The savings that the Welsh Government needs to make must be made fairly and equitably. Fair to the poorest parts of society and fair to decent, hard working people and to ensure that as far as possible, front lines of services are protected. Meet that test, and the government in Wales will have our support”
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