08/10/2013

Download Subtitles

Transcript

:00:00. > :00:10.Welcome to Wales Today. Our top story. How would you spend it?

:00:10. > :00:13.Tonight the draft budget sets out the future for your school, your

:00:13. > :00:23.hospital and your local council services. The big winner is the NHS,

:00:23. > :00:28.but cuts for education and council services to pay for it. Our other

:00:28. > :00:39.headlines, they call it the bedroom tax. To some people, it appears like

:00:39. > :00:42.a huge black hole, money pours in and you are never quite sure what

:00:42. > :00:52.you have got out of it as a result of all that money.

:00:52. > :00:58.Are the headlines, they call it the bedroom tax. A Conservative MP tells

:00:58. > :01:09.a tenant the changes to housing benefit are not working here. And

:01:09. > :01:10.it's full time. Wales forward Craig Bellamy confirms he's to retire from

:01:10. > :01:21.international football. Good evening. Councils will see the

:01:21. > :01:23.amount of money they have to spend next year decrease significantly

:01:24. > :01:27.after the draft budget was announced earlier today. The Welsh Government

:01:28. > :01:32.have £15 billion to share between health, education, social services

:01:32. > :01:36.and local government. The biggest chunk of the budget is for health,

:01:36. > :01:41.almost £6 billion, an increase on last year's budget. It was also

:01:41. > :01:44.announced that an extra £750 million will be reinvested in the NHS over

:01:44. > :01:48.the next three years. But spending on local government has been cut to

:01:48. > :01:51.just under £4.5 billion. To ensure the budget is passed, they've

:01:51. > :01:54.already struck a deal behind the scenes with Plaid Cymru and the

:01:54. > :01:58.Liberal Democrats. We can got live now to our political editor, Nick

:01:58. > :02:02.Servini, who is in the Senedd. Up until now, Welsh councils have had

:02:02. > :02:04.an element of protection, certainly in comparison with their

:02:04. > :02:09.counterparts in England. It appears that is now going to change. The big

:02:09. > :02:14.story from today is a shift in emphasis and funding priorities away

:02:14. > :02:20.from councils and towards the NHS, which by any measures have had a

:02:20. > :02:24.desperately tough year. The big question is as a result of today, is

:02:24. > :02:28.it an admission in a way that the Welsh Government has got it wrong

:02:28. > :02:34.and what is it now mean for council budgets? Midway through the Cardiff

:02:34. > :02:38.half marathon this weekend, blood sweat and tears for many runners to

:02:38. > :02:42.get to this stage and plenty of hard yards to go. It is also the halfway

:02:42. > :02:49.mark for the current Labour run Welsh Government and today it

:02:49. > :02:56.introduced what it says is the toughest budget since the junction

:02:56. > :03:00.of devolution. Council spending will fall by 5.8% in real terms. That is

:03:00. > :03:05.after taking into account the impact of inflation. Cuts like these are

:03:05. > :03:11.far higher than any Welsh councils have had to deal with so far. To

:03:11. > :03:14.date, we have been able to cushion local authorities from the impact of

:03:14. > :03:18.the severe cuts from the UK government. They have received

:03:18. > :03:24.higher funding levels than their counterparts in England. Welsh NHS

:03:24. > :03:29.spending is going to rise by around 1.5% in real terms next year,

:03:29. > :03:33.breaking the recent trend which has left the health budget trailing

:03:33. > :03:38.behind inflation. The Welsh Conservatives say this comes too

:03:38. > :03:42.little too late. Even under these new plans, the NHS budget is not

:03:42. > :03:47.being protected, it has been brought to the brink of crisis. And I have

:03:47. > :03:52.to put it to the Minister that the year-on-year real term cuts to the

:03:52. > :03:58.Welsh NHS by this government is now coming back to haunt us today. These

:03:58. > :04:02.runners are only six miles into the Cardiff half marathon and there is a

:04:02. > :04:08.long way to go. The question is, how far is the country into the current

:04:08. > :04:12.round of public sector cuts. The budget being discussed at the

:04:12. > :04:15.assembly behind me would suggest that for local authorities in Wales

:04:15. > :04:21.in particular, they have still got to go through the pain barrier. Ten

:04:21. > :04:25.years ago, Neath Port Talbot council could see that running leisure

:04:25. > :04:28.centres was expensive. They arranged for a trust to take over. They now

:04:28. > :04:34.save money by not paying rates for the buildings. We have now found

:04:34. > :04:39.that the cause of the additional cuts put on as, that figure has now

:04:39. > :04:44.become 41 million. That means we stop doing things. And even the

:04:44. > :04:47.trust is under pressure in having half £1 million taken out of them

:04:47. > :04:53.over the next four years. We have to find ways of saving. The Welsh

:04:53. > :04:59.Government does not have an overall majority so it has 2/ a deal to get

:04:59. > :05:05.the budget through. Even before the budget was sorted out, it did do

:05:05. > :05:10.this with the Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru. They secured £100

:05:10. > :05:14.million for some of their priorities. It is about protecting

:05:14. > :05:19.people in need and we know there is a crisis in the health service, that

:05:19. > :05:22.there are grave problems within the education system and in the

:05:22. > :05:27.economy. Being able to secure a deal that hits all of those three

:05:27. > :05:31.priorities is something I am proud to have achieved today. There is no

:05:31. > :05:36.point in having a row just for the sake of dragging this process of.

:05:36. > :05:38.People out there look aghast at politicians not being able to put

:05:38. > :05:46.some of their differences aside to do what is ride for the country. The

:05:46. > :05:51.more time people have two plan and prepare for this, the better. This

:05:51. > :05:54.is all political parties working together in the national interest to

:05:54. > :06:01.agree a budget and allow displaced function. Getting agreement was the

:06:01. > :06:08.easy bit. There is a long, hard road ahead now to bring these cuts in

:06:08. > :06:11.without affecting services. I am joined by the finance minister who

:06:11. > :06:18.set out the draft budget this afternoon. And as we mentioned, a

:06:18. > :06:24.big change towards the NHS. Is this an admission after an awful lot of

:06:24. > :06:29.criticism that you do not put in a full -- and of money into the

:06:29. > :06:36.budget? This is the toughest budget that we have had to set. We have had

:06:36. > :06:41.cuts from the UK open to -- UK government to handle. Our priorities

:06:41. > :06:47.have always been schools, health, but also recognising that we have to

:06:47. > :06:48.look at the particular needs in the health service. The Francis review

:06:48. > :06:52.was a really strong call for us to health service. The Francis review

:06:52. > :06:59.respond and we are responding accordingly. This was after the

:06:59. > :07:03.scandal but you carried out your own review of this summer and it came to

:07:03. > :07:07.the conclusion that it needed around £500 million more. That is an

:07:07. > :07:11.admission in itself. No, it is a response. It is a responsible

:07:11. > :07:16.government responding to the needs and recognising that supporting

:07:16. > :07:19.staff and care has to be number one. Everyone in Wales would recognise

:07:19. > :07:23.that. We have to make a decision about the budget that we are putting

:07:23. > :07:26.money into local services. There is no question that extra money for

:07:26. > :07:30.schools, protecting schools, the money going into our young people,

:07:30. > :07:36.it is vital and sold local government will benefit. It is going

:07:36. > :07:39.to be tough for councils though. We have protected the local government

:07:39. > :07:42.over the last three years. We have worked with them and they will

:07:42. > :07:46.recognise that it will get tougher. Of course, it is our priorities but

:07:46. > :07:51.it is about working together. And recognising today they are going to

:07:51. > :07:54.benefit from this budget, investment in schools. Tomorrow, we will be

:07:54. > :08:02.announcing capital investment, working together, I think we can

:08:03. > :08:06.come through this time. Back to the studio.

:08:06. > :08:11.Thank you. We've already heard that this is a tough budget for your

:08:11. > :08:13.council. Steve Thomas is chief executive of the Welsh Local

:08:13. > :08:20.Government Association. What does this mean for people using council

:08:20. > :08:24.services? It is a very tough budget. There is money coming out of council

:08:25. > :08:28.services. It will impact. We cannot keep delivering the range of

:08:28. > :08:33.services that we are delivering. It will impact on libraries, reference

:08:33. > :08:40.collection, leisure services, the condition of the roads. There will

:08:40. > :08:44.be a massive impact. But you are not the number one priority. We are not

:08:44. > :08:48.the number one priority and clearly what has happened is that with a

:08:48. > :08:52.mixture of Westminster cuts and the prioritisation of health spending,

:08:53. > :08:57.local government has in effect become the poor relation in terms of

:08:57. > :09:00.this budget. We have heard all the politics and the economics and the

:09:00. > :09:03.finance and all the rest of it. If you are watching this in Holyhead or

:09:03. > :09:09.Swansea or Newport, what does it mean for people using council

:09:09. > :09:12.services? We are already seeing that leisure services are getting badly

:09:12. > :09:21.hit. There are announcements around leisure centre closures around

:09:21. > :09:25.Wales. Consultation is going on around the library services. There

:09:25. > :09:34.will be a range of changes going on. But it will affect the workforce in

:09:34. > :09:43.local government. Councils can find the race of raising money. -- other

:09:43. > :09:49.ways. I suspect the council taxes will not see easy races. You must

:09:49. > :09:52.have spoken to colleagues. We have yet to see the local government

:09:52. > :09:55.settlement but I think that when we do see that, there will be more

:09:55. > :10:01.pressure on the council tax. It is a source of income that we have to see

:10:01. > :10:07.what services the public want to prioritise. Isn't the first thing to

:10:07. > :10:14.do to look at the back office costs? They can be more efficient. There

:10:14. > :10:16.may be a reorganisation of local government but at the end of the

:10:16. > :10:19.day, we have three years to make these cuts and it will be a very

:10:19. > :10:25.tough period for local authorities to do that. Thank you very much. If

:10:25. > :10:28.there was a winner in a budget described by a Welsh Government

:10:28. > :10:33.source as the toughest since devolution, then it was health. The

:10:33. > :10:36.NHS will get £570 million extra over three years, with £150 of that

:10:36. > :10:39.pumped in between now and next April. The announcement follows a

:10:39. > :10:42.summer of negotiations between the Health Minister and Finance

:10:42. > :10:45.Minister. So where the money go and is it enough to solve the problems.

:10:45. > :10:48.Here's our health correspondent, Owain Clarke. It is hard to reach

:10:48. > :10:53.for the stars these days but at least we can take a look at them

:10:53. > :10:56.here. At the centre of it all is health. Dwarfing most other

:10:56. > :11:02.departments. But for the first time in years, its budget just got

:11:02. > :11:05.bigger. It is getting £570 million over three years, starting now. The

:11:05. > :11:10.health service needs more money just to stand still. The other key thing

:11:10. > :11:14.about health service funding is though that to some people it

:11:14. > :11:19.appears like a huge black hole. Money pours and you are never quite

:11:19. > :11:24.sure what you got out of it as a result of all that extra money. For

:11:24. > :11:30.politicians, it is dangerous and frustrating. But where does the

:11:30. > :11:34.money go? Replacing this equipment would cost £1.5 million. But it is

:11:34. > :11:40.not only about the big unconjugated machines. Take these two bits of

:11:40. > :11:44.equipment, they are put inside the body to deal with weaknesses in

:11:44. > :11:50.blood vessels. They might not look like very much but this one costs

:11:50. > :11:54.£6,000 and this one costs £10,000. At the end of the day, you will have

:11:54. > :12:01.major pieces of equipment that need to be funded as big one-off

:12:01. > :12:05.payments. And to try and find out in your everyday running expenses is

:12:05. > :12:09.very difficult. It is like trying to run a house and buy a car at the end

:12:09. > :12:16.of the week. Costs can also go up to two salary increases and new drugs

:12:16. > :12:19.are also expensive. But too many end up in the bin because patients do

:12:19. > :12:31.not use them. But extra money has been found. £9.5 million for robotic

:12:32. > :12:36.equipment like this. Until now, dozens of Welsh men including Kevin

:12:36. > :12:39.Davies have paid £15,000 each to get treated across the border. As a

:12:39. > :12:46.nurse as one as an army commander, he says the new equipment will

:12:46. > :12:51.benefit hundreds. Shorter stays in hospitals, less infection, less

:12:51. > :12:56.blood loss. And greater mobility. And in my experience, a pain-free

:12:56. > :13:02.surgical experience. Other patients are angry because the NHS still

:13:02. > :13:08.cannot afford to treat them. This man served with the RAF during

:13:08. > :13:12.nuclear tests in the Pacific in the 1950s. He is now paying for

:13:12. > :13:18.treatment for his own liver cancer. Why have I paid my taxes and

:13:18. > :13:24.National Insurance all my life? When I actually need the NHS, they are

:13:24. > :13:28.not there. It has virtually bankrupted us. But there will be £50

:13:28. > :13:33.million extra to make sure that those who can get treated in the

:13:33. > :13:37.community not in hospital. We could see more health centres like this

:13:37. > :13:42.one in Builth Wells, which brings beds, GP care, dentist care and

:13:42. > :13:45.council social services together. But despite the extra investment,

:13:45. > :13:51.there are worries. The NHS is notoriously inefficient and we are

:13:51. > :13:55.living longer, putting it in more strain but the key question is, does

:13:55. > :14:00.today's extra money and that the NHS here is better placed to face the

:14:00. > :14:06.huge challenges on the horizon? Much more to come before 7pm. She was

:14:06. > :14:08.beaten up. Why women like Michelle say they want to know more about

:14:08. > :14:18.their partner's past. First the rest of the day's news. A

:14:18. > :14:21.senior Welsh MP has told BBC Wales one of the most controversial

:14:21. > :14:24.changes to housing benefit, what critics call the bedroom tax, isn't

:14:24. > :14:28.working as well here as in other parts of the UK. David Davies says

:14:28. > :14:31.although he supports the reforms, some people will lose out, because

:14:31. > :14:42.there aren't enough one bedroom properties available outside the

:14:42. > :14:46.main cities. Tim Rogers reports. He is, he says, an enthusiastic

:14:46. > :14:53.supporter of what he calls the under occupancy charge and David Davies

:14:53. > :14:59.agreed to join us to meet tenants where they call it the bedroom tax.

:14:59. > :15:05.Among them is Gail. After 25 years in the same house, she is facing the

:15:05. > :15:08.real possibility of losing her home. She is 59 years of age and has

:15:08. > :15:12.always paid their bills and has never missed the rent. Since her

:15:12. > :15:16.children grew up and moved on, she is on her own and for that reason,

:15:16. > :15:21.the new law says she has two bedrooms or and she needs. Housing

:15:21. > :15:24.benefit has been reduced and she is now in arrears. Her only option is

:15:24. > :15:30.to find the extra money or move to a smaller property but you cannot find

:15:30. > :15:33.anywhere else to go. There has to be recognition and maybe ministers are

:15:33. > :15:36.reluctant to say this, when you change the law, there are going to

:15:36. > :15:43.be unforeseen and unfortunate consequences. In other words, there

:15:43. > :15:51.will be some people suffering and we should be upfront about that. Some

:15:51. > :15:56.people do not deserve to lose out. He was less sympathetic when he met

:15:56. > :16:00.this young couple. They are living in a two-bedroom flat and paying

:16:00. > :16:06.extra for the empty room, despite getting £60 between them from a

:16:07. > :16:10.training scheme. The MP met Amy at her grandfather 's house. Mr Davies

:16:10. > :16:14.told her that she would do better to live back with her mother and her

:16:14. > :16:22.boyfriend should go to London to find a job. I would not wait for

:16:22. > :16:30.them to solve my problem. You cannot solve the problems. Thank you very

:16:30. > :16:34.much. If there was a job available for me, I would go for it. I am not

:16:34. > :16:39.expecting for you to give I don't know however much tax you pay but I

:16:39. > :16:44.don't want your money. You obviously do once. And you want me to give it

:16:44. > :16:48.to you in the form of housing benefit. Mr Davies is chairing a

:16:48. > :16:53.House of Commons committee compiling a report on the effect of the new

:16:54. > :16:59.law on Wales. I cannot see this being more of a problem. It is

:16:59. > :17:03.something that we have to keep a careful eye on. Ed Miliband has

:17:03. > :17:08.committed to the abolition of what he calls the bedroom tax if Labour

:17:08. > :17:12.wins the next election. Mr Davies says the country cannot afford to do

:17:12. > :17:18.without it. More on that story on Week In Week Out, 10.35pm on BBC One

:17:18. > :17:21.Wales. Labour leader Ed Miliband has given two Welsh MPs new jobs in a

:17:21. > :17:25.reshuffle of the party's spokespeople at Westminster. Delyn

:17:25. > :17:28.MP David Hanson moves from Shadow Police Minister to take over the

:17:28. > :17:32.immigration brief, previously held by Rhondda MP Chris Bryant. Mr

:17:32. > :17:39.Bryant will move to work and pensions. The Public Services

:17:39. > :17:43.Ombudsman for Wales, Peter Tyndall, is to leave his post for a new job

:17:43. > :17:47.in Ireland. Originally from Dublin, he's held the post since 2008. Now

:17:47. > :17:53.he'll return to Ireland, after being nominated to be the next Ombudsman

:17:53. > :17:57.and Information Commissioner there. He's been one of the most exciting

:17:57. > :18:00.and colourful figures in Welsh football over the past 15 years.

:18:00. > :18:04.Today Craig Bellamy announced his retirement from international

:18:04. > :18:07.football. His last game will be in Belgium next week, the final game of

:18:08. > :18:11.the World Cup qualifying campaign. Only two players have ever played

:18:11. > :18:15.more games for Wales than him. Our sports reporter Ashleigh Crowter now

:18:15. > :18:27.on an eventful career in the red shirt. With a quick brain, quick

:18:27. > :18:33.feet and sometimes a quick temper, Craig Bellamy is a player who

:18:33. > :18:36.demands to be watched. But in a weeks time, his appearances will

:18:36. > :18:42.only be for club and not for country. The Cardiff City striker

:18:42. > :18:47.has decided it is time to retire from the national squad at the age

:18:47. > :18:51.of 34. I have to do what is best for the national team as well and this

:18:51. > :18:56.group of players are the future. The next qualifier, I am not going to

:18:56. > :19:01.see it. For this group of players will have a better opportunity for

:19:01. > :19:06.qualifying if I cut myself short. He made his debut for Wales as a

:19:06. > :19:10.teenager in 1998, coming on as a sub against Jamaica. It was the start of

:19:10. > :19:15.something special. In his 15 years in the national team, he has played

:19:15. > :19:19.76 time, putting himself third on the all-time list. He has also

:19:19. > :19:25.scored 19 goals. Only four other players have scored more. And there

:19:25. > :19:35.is no doubt about his signature moment. His goal to beat Italy in

:19:35. > :19:39.2002 will long be remembered as one of the great moments in Welsh

:19:39. > :19:43.sporting history. But that team still did not qualify for the

:19:43. > :19:47.European Championships. Playing for Great Britain in last year 's

:19:47. > :19:51.Olympics was the closest he came to featuring in a major tournament. His

:19:51. > :19:55.last match for Wales in Wales will be on Friday against Macedonia. If

:19:55. > :19:59.he avoids picking up a yellow card, the final farewell will come in

:19:59. > :20:05.Belgium on Tuesday. His team-mates expect he will demand the best from

:20:05. > :20:09.himself and then write to the end. There are a lot of people in this

:20:09. > :20:13.squad myself included that if he does finish can hold our hands up

:20:13. > :20:17.and say he has helped us improve because you listen to the way he

:20:17. > :20:21.talks at the way he conducts himself around the hotel and everything like

:20:21. > :20:24.that, he is unbelievable. Fans of Cardiff City will be hoping he can

:20:24. > :20:28.continue to play for them for a little while yet. Its contract runs

:20:28. > :20:32.out at the end of the season and he has hinted he is considering other

:20:32. > :20:36.options. Whatever he decides, this is now his last week as an

:20:36. > :20:40.international player. Wales has not had many better. The MMR jab has

:20:40. > :20:44.been offered to pupils at a Neath Port Talbot school which has seen a

:20:44. > :20:49.new case of measles. It's after tests confirmed a student at Cwmtawe

:20:49. > :20:54.School has caught the virus. Four other people are suspected of having

:20:54. > :20:59.contracted measles. Three months ago Wales' worst ever measles outbreak

:21:00. > :21:03.was declared officially over. We have had a very positive response

:21:03. > :21:07.from the community. We have informed parents via social media and the

:21:07. > :21:10.school website and also through letters and those who we knew had

:21:10. > :21:15.not been vaccinated have been sent an individual letter and the uptake

:21:15. > :21:18.has been very positive today. The UK Government will look at how the

:21:18. > :21:21.DVLA, which has its headquarters in Swansea, can save money and offer

:21:21. > :21:24.better services in a three month review. They'll look at how to

:21:24. > :21:28.increase its online services, as well as improving its website. The

:21:28. > :21:31.PCS Union says it's worried it'll lead to cutbacks and job losses A

:21:31. > :21:35.lollipop lady from the Vale of Glamorgan, who stepped in front a

:21:35. > :21:38.car to protect a group of children, has been given an outstanding

:21:38. > :21:42.bravery prize at the Pride of Britain awards. Karin Williams took

:21:42. > :21:44.the full impact of the crash outside Rhoose Primary School, badly

:21:44. > :21:50.injuring her legs, elbow and shoulder. What do you really know

:21:50. > :21:55.about people's past when it comes to a new relationship? A scheme which

:21:55. > :22:00.can tell you about a partner's violent past should be rolled out

:22:00. > :22:04.across Wales. That's the view of a leading domestic abuse charity. The

:22:04. > :22:09.process, often known as Clare's law has been tried out in the Gwent

:22:09. > :22:21.Police force for the past 15 months. Paul Heaney reports. With my first

:22:21. > :22:29.partner, it was mostly violence and he did take me can -- take control

:22:29. > :22:33.and could be from everybody. He wanted to punch me in a shoe shop

:22:33. > :22:37.because they could see my ankles when I was training shoes on.

:22:37. > :22:40.Michelle says she would have benefited from knowing about her

:22:40. > :22:51.ex-partner 's violent past and so with others in similar situations is

:22:51. > :22:58.-- circumstances. You should still have the option. When Clare Wood

:22:58. > :23:02.from Manchester was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 2009, she did not

:23:02. > :23:05.know about his history of violence. Her family campaign for what is

:23:06. > :23:11.known as Clare's law which can lead people know about an individual 's

:23:12. > :23:16.abusive past. In Gwent, 66 people ask for information, 13 disclosures

:23:16. > :23:23.were made. We do not take them lightly. There has to be

:23:23. > :23:27.proportionate law to protect those people and children as well. We do

:23:27. > :23:30.inform perpetrators of domestic abuse at the point that they come

:23:30. > :23:35.into the unit that they could potentially have their details given

:23:35. > :23:44.to a future partner. Some want other areas to benefit too. There should

:23:44. > :23:48.be clarity around the process and accountability. That is helpful and

:23:48. > :23:52.it is something we would like to see rolled out. The Home Office will now

:23:52. > :23:56.look at this scheme to see if it has been a success and whether to roll

:23:56. > :23:59.it out across the country. Real Madrid forward Gareth Bale has been

:23:59. > :24:03.voted the Football Association of Wales' Player of the Year for the

:24:03. > :24:05.second time in three years. The 24-year-old has enjoyed an

:24:05. > :24:09.impressive year, which culminated in his world record £85 million

:24:09. > :24:12.transfer. Meanwhile Arsenal star Aaron Ramsey has been named the

:24:12. > :24:21.Premier League's player of the month for September.

:24:21. > :24:28.Let's return to our main story. The spending plans for next year. It has

:24:28. > :24:32.been called the toughest budget since devolution. Let's talk to Nick

:24:32. > :24:36.Servini in Cardiff Bay for us tonight. Beyond the politics and the

:24:36. > :24:40.economic score what is it me on the ground? Well, I think the

:24:41. > :24:44.calculation will be that if you are waiting for some kind of health

:24:44. > :24:48.service, then you could benefit from today's announcement. On the flip

:24:48. > :24:52.side, if you are a regular user of a council museum or a Council library,

:24:52. > :24:56.the kind of local authority service at will come under severe pressure

:24:56. > :25:01.as a result of the cuts in the coming years, then you may suffer as

:25:01. > :25:05.a result of it. The Welsh Government do not want to see this as an either

:25:06. > :25:10.or situation but frankly, other people will frame it in that light.

:25:10. > :25:14.Local authorities say it has been a difficult couple of years in Wales

:25:14. > :25:17.but the reality years compared to councils in England, they have not

:25:17. > :25:22.gone through the same level of cuts. And then on the NHS, by any measure,

:25:22. > :25:26.it has been a desperately difficult year for the health service in

:25:27. > :25:30.Wales. Funding has not kept pace with inflation. The Welsh Government

:25:30. > :25:33.is saying they are responding to need. Critics say they will be

:25:34. > :25:39.backtracking and they should have done this a number of years ago.

:25:39. > :25:44.Thank you very much. Time now for the weather forecast with Behnaz.

:25:44. > :25:47.The numbers are dropping and the weather is set to bid much colder

:25:47. > :25:50.over the next couple of days. There is a risk of Frost as well. These

:25:50. > :25:57.are the impressive temperatures from today. Look at the drop by the time

:25:58. > :26:02.we get to Thursday. Nine Celsius. You will certainly need your extra

:26:02. > :26:07.layers tomorrow night and into the end of the week. This evening, a

:26:08. > :26:11.fairly quiet night. The odd spot of light rain. But still mild.

:26:11. > :26:14.Temperatures remaining in double figures for most of us. In the

:26:14. > :26:19.countryside, it could get down to eight Celsius. Another cold front

:26:19. > :26:23.pushing southwards tomorrow. A little bit more cloud and rain. But

:26:23. > :26:27.behind that cold front is when we will feel the cold air from the

:26:27. > :26:30.North. First thing tomorrow morning, a cloudy start with the wind getting

:26:30. > :26:36.going from the North West. Taking the temperature -- taking the edge

:26:36. > :26:41.off the temperatures. Look at the dropping temperatures. Around the

:26:41. > :26:46.average for the time of year, which is around 13 Celsius. Tomorrow

:26:46. > :26:50.night, we will start to see the cold, clear skies, a touch of frost

:26:50. > :26:58.forming in clear areas -- southern areas. Overnight and bridges getting

:26:58. > :27:01.down to around five Celsius. That will give us a cold start to

:27:01. > :27:07.Thursday morning. But at least it is dry and bright. As long as you wear

:27:07. > :27:15.an extra layer, it will be all right. The chief executive of the

:27:15. > :27:19.Welsh local government Association has told this programme he suspects

:27:19. > :27:23.council tax bills will go up as a result of the Welsh local government

:27:23. > :27:29.-- Welsh Government strath budget. Spending on local government has

:27:29. > :27:32.been cut to just over £4.5 billion. £570 million more will be spent on

:27:32. > :27:39.the Welsh NHS over the next three years. We will have an update for

:27:39. > :27:40.you at 8pm. Thank you for watching. From all of us on the programme,

:27:40. > :27:43.good evening.