We appreciate the difficult decisions the Welsh Government has had to make in the process of making the draft budget this year, but we believe there is more that could be done to support those most at risk from the cost of living crisis.

“Overall, we welcome the government’s decision to focus support on public services, those most impacted by the cost of living crisis, and supporting the economy through challenging times. Women are more likely to be employed in and rely on public services, and after ten years of austerity we know that public services are already stretched to breaking point.

“While we agree with this focus, there could be more detail on how budgetary decisions are going to impact services on the ground.

“Specifically, the omission of childcare as a frontline public service in the draft budget is disappointing. Like many women’s organisations we have highlighted that the rising cost of childcare risks pushing women out of the labour market. We are clear that the ambition must be free universal childcare and that funding decisions should support this ambition. Although we welcome investments in childcare via Flying Start, investments should be accelerated to ensure that adequate provision is available to all parents across Wales.

"Additionally, we would like to see further clarity on the impact of the government’s spending plans in a number of areas. The risk of rising unemployment is noted, but from the detail currently available it is not clear how budget reprioritisation, inflationary pressures and the end of EU-funded programmes will affect the scope and availability of employability support through 2023-24.

“Further to the financial decisions contained within the draft budget, we welcome improvements to the government’s Strategic Integrated Impact Assessment. We are also glad to see further updates on the gender budgeting pilots and await full evaluations and plans to mainstream gender budgeting tools across government in future budgets.

“We look forward to examining the draft budget in more detail over the coming weeks, and continuing to work constructively with Welsh Government to ensure effective impact assessment and equalities analysis is part of budget processes.