Local authorities are responsible for funding schools in Wales. Welsh Government has prioritised support for schools through the local government settlement. We also provide significant additional grant funding to take forward our educational reforms and improve outcomes for learners.

The Welsh Government identifies and provides support for raising standards through a partnership of local authorities and the four regional consortia. The proportion of students achieving a good GCSE standard in South Wales Central rose last year and is above the all-Wales average.

The Welsh Government continues to collaborate with the future generations commissioner and partners to implement the Act across all aspects of our work.

Public services across Wales work hard to remain resilient in the face of nine years of unremitting austerity. 

The Welsh Government fully funds its small business rates relief scheme. The scheme provides £110 million a year, supporting 70,000 small businesses across Wales. This includes businesses occupying properties that were previously domestic dwellings, whether first or second homes.

Officials have been and will continue to work with the Home Office and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport around online safety issues. Officials have had discussions about social media as part of input into the UK Government’s internet safety strategy and subsequent online harms White Paper. 

Preventing ill health throughout Wales is a central ambition of 'Prosperity for All' and 'A Healthier Wales'. Welsh Government in partnership with Public Health Wales, health boards and local authorities is working to deliver our priorities to improve population health. Central to this is supporting targeted interventions to encourage healthy lifestyles.

In January the Minister for Health and Social Services launched a 12-week consultation on ‘Healthy Weight: Healthy Wales’. The consultation outlines potential actions to be taken to improve diet and nutrition across the population. A final strategy will be launched in October this year.