Welsh Budget 2025-26: what’s in it for nature?

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The draft budget for 2025-26 was laid before the Senedd on the 10th December and revealed plans to increase the funding of all departments. This includes a 31% increase in capital spending for Climate Change and Rural Affairs, amounting to an additional £72m together with an additional £36m in revenue funding. These sums include:

  • £23m in capital and £2m in revenue funding for coal tip safety.
  • £5.15m in revenue funding to support Green Energy – Trydan Gwyrdd and Local Energy plans.
  • £5.6m in revenue funding and £14m in capital funding for wider rural investment schemes underpinning the agricultural sector’s transition to the Sustainable Farming Scheme.
  • £3m in capital funding for Flood Risk management and water policy delivery.
  • £24m in capital funding to develop and Implement Climate Change Policy, Energy Efficiency, Green Growth and Environmental Protection (Air quality).

According to the BBC’s Farming Today programme, the embattled environmental regulator, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) — which recently confirmed it would be cutting 233 jobs as part of measures to save £12m — will receive increased funding of almost £15m. Although this figure is not explicitly referred to in the draft budget, some of the £24m in funding for Climate Change Policy, Energy Efficiency, Green Growth and Environmental Protection, will go to NRW. The budget also states that £5m will go towards enhance NRW’s capacity to progress infrastructure consents promptly and provide necessary input in the land use and marine planning processes.

While the budget documents primarily outline financial allocations and high-level policy commitments, they don’t necessarily provide detailed information on all specific programs or initiatives, including:

  • National Park: Funding of £1.6m for developing plans for a new National Park was also mentioned on the Farming Today though, again, this is not explicitly referenced in the budget documents.
  • Scheme for farmers in Designated Landscapes: in the same week an announcement appeared on the website of Tirweddau Cymru/Landscapes Wales to say that a new programme to support farmers and partners to collaborate over designated landscape management, Ffermio Bro: Farming in Designated Landscapes, is in the process of being developed. It says that in developing the programme, officials have built on lessons from Defra’s farming in Protected Landscapes scheme (FiPL), in operation in England since 2021.
  • National Forest for Wales: A leaflet accompanying the budget reaffirms the government’s commitment to a National Forest for Wales, but does not provide specific details about funding or timelines.

The draft budget will be scrutinised and debated by Members of the Senedd (MSs) before a final vote in March 2025.