Jane Dodds fears that rural areas will be hit by measures unveiled in the Welsh Government’s draft budget for 2024-25.

The Mid and West Wales MS said at the Senedd that she wanted to highlight three concerning areas of the budget - rural affairs, schools and a proposal about potentially increasing dental fees.

She said: “Rural Wales in particular is set to suffer the brunt of these cuts with a more than 10 per cent drop in the rural affairs budget in real terms and a £40 million withdrawal from rural investment schemes.

“This hits at a major transition point for our rural communities, with thousands of farmers facing a cliff edge with the ending of Glastir payments and future funding uncertainty.”

Ms Dodds said the draft budget “cannot help but cause alarm and further erode confidence that rural contributions are valued by the Welsh Government”.

But she welcomed a commitment the Government has made to the NHS and local government and also a decision to maintain a basic payment scheme for farmers despite the loss of replacement EU funding.

Ms Dodds said: “I'm also pleased to see the basic income pilot being supported with additional funding, ensuring that our most vulnerable care-experienced children have the best opportunities going forward.”