Latest posts

Bevan and Wales, History, Theory

“The Tito from Tonypandy”: Bevan and Yugoslavia

Posted on 5 June 2019 by Nye Davies

This weekend Wales play a Euro 2020 qualifier in Osijek, Croatia, with travelling fans hoping to see a first-ever Welsh victory against Croatia. Wales have played Croatia 4 times in the past since it became independent from Yugoslavia in 1991. However, the national team had visited Croatia once before it was represented as an independent
Read more

Devolution, Finance

Devolving Welfare: How well would Wales fare?

Posted on 12 April 2019 by Cian Sion

As the Scottish Government prepares for the devolution of eleven welfare benefits to Holyrood, Cian Sion and Guto Ifan from the Wales Fiscal Analysis team explore the fiscal implications of devolving similar powers to Wales.
Read more

Finance

Another small step out of austerity – before a giant leap into the unknown

Posted on 15 March 2019 by Cian Sion

Amidst the political drama of crucial Brexit votes this week, the Chancellor of the Exchequer delivered his Spring Statement on the UK’s economy and public finances. This blog post looks at what the Spring Statement and forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) can tell us about future Welsh budgets and Welsh public services.
Read more

araf slow road sign

Finance, Local Government

Not so fast – for Welsh local authorities, austerity won’t be “coming to an end” any time soon

Posted on 18 February 2019 by Cian Sion

At last year’s Autumn Budget, the UK Chancellor, Philip Hammond, asserted with confidence that “austerity is finally coming to an end”. His claim is unlikely to resonate within the halls of local government in Wales. Despite nearly a decade of sustained budget cuts, the outlook for local government finance suggests that tough choices and trade-offs are here to stay.
Read more