Finance Minister Rebecca Evans has unveiled a Final Budget with plans to protect public services and the Welsh economy, providing timely support to protect lives and livelihoods in the months ahead.

Building on the £320m reconstruction package announced last October, this Budget delivers a further injection of £224.5m capital funding to support reconstruction efforts and stimulate demand and jobs.

This investment includes an additional £147m to ramp up housing programmes and an extra £30m to accelerate the ambitious 21st Century Schools and Colleges Programme, helping to support economic growth, sustainable jobs and training opportunities across the sector.

The new package also boosts the significant investment dedicated to flood and coastal defence in this Senedd term.

An extra £8m will be invested to help local authorities and Natural Resources Wales repair the damage caused by flood events in December and January and protect communities at risk of flooding.

In recognition of the benefits active travel delivers to employment, education, key services, and bringing communities together, the government is allocating an additional £20m to further extend infrastructure and enable the delivery of new schemes.

This takes the total planned 2021-22 investment for active travel to around £75m.

As set out by the First Minister yesterday the Final Budget also confirms more than £630m to support our NHS and local government over the next six months as they continue to respond to the pandemic.

The Final Budget also sets aside £200m in reserves for additional business support next year to respond to the evolving challenges of the pandemic.

Finance Minister Rebecca Evans said: “The Budget I have published today provides our economy with an investment to help inject jobs and demand into a recovery that takes root today.

“It also provides the NHS and local government with the certainty they need to respond to the next phase of the pandemic.

“We know that our hardest hit businesses need certainty too. That’s why we repurposed budgets to provide more funding for business support in Wales than we received as a share of the package in England.

“We will provide further clarity when our funding position is absolutely guaranteed.

“When the Chancellor confirms the funding Wales will get as its share of the English position on rates relief for next year, I will announce the next steps for Wales.

“Today’s measures build on a budget designed to protect public services and our economy, build a greener future and create change for a more equal Wales.”

The Welsh Government’s final Budget 2021-22 will be published along with associated documents.

Responding to the budget Ian Price, CBI Wales Director, said: “The Welsh Government is doing the right thing by putting Covid support and economic recovery at the centre of the Budget.

’’Their continued engagement with business and transparent decision-making throughout the pandemic have done much to bolster confidence in challenging times.

“While investment in long term priorities like infrastructure will help to put the local economy on the path to growth, consumption and government spending alone can’t deliver the sustainable recovery we need.

“To achieve that, we need business firing on all cylinders and doing what it does best: investing, innovating and creating jobs.

“Covid support from the UK and Welsh governments has saved countless jobs and businesses across Wales, particularly in some of the hardest hit sectors.

’’Avoiding a business rates cliff-edge in April would doubtless help many hospitality, retail and tourism firms – plus those in vital supply chains – to weather the months ahead.

“With jobs and livelihoods still in the balance, all eyes will be on the Budget for measures cementing short-term support, incentivising investment and setting out a path to sustainable growth over the longer term.”