Thank you, Deputy Llywydd. In June, this Senedd overwhelmingly agreed that the UK Government’s approach to European Union successor funds represented an assault on Welsh devolution. It is clear that these distant and poorly defined plans at present systematically exclude this Senedd on matters that its Members are elected to take decisions upon. We now face a vast reduction in funding this year despite repeated promises that Wales would not be worse off financially after Brexit.

Around £10 million, or an average of £450,000 for each Welsh local authority, is expected this year from the community renewal fund. Some areas, including Bridgend, Caerphilly and Flintshire are excluded from the priority funding list whilst more prosperous English areas are included. Deputy Llywydd, the UK Government cannot maintain the myth that all parts of Wales will benefit and that we are no worse off.

The UK Government continue to point to the availability of remaining funds from the 2014-20 EU programmes, but it is clear that new EU programmes would already have started by now. And removing this overlap matters. It represents an average annual loss to Wales of £375 million at the same time as making the ability to plan impossible. Delivery partners are already looking to dismantle the infrastructure needed to deliver longer term interventions because they need to know now that funding will still be there beyond 2023.