Budgets and Finance

Quick Guides

Quick guides look at complex or technical topics, and provide easily understood guides to these topics.

• Autumn Statement 2011
  
  November 2011
  This quick guide provides information on the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement of 29 November 2011, summarising the headline policy announcements and the potential impact on Wales.

• Barnett Floor
  
  July 2011
  The immediate implementation of a Barnett floor was recommended by the Independent Commission on Funding and Finance for Wales.  This quick guide sets out how such a floor could operate, stresses the importance of it only being applied in the case of positive allocations to Wales and considers how it could be self-financing.

• Budget flexibility: EYF and Budget Exchange
  
  September 2011
  The 2010 Spending Review announced the abolition of the end year flexibility (EYF) mechanism, which allowed the Welsh Government to carry over and accumulate any underspend from their budgets.  This guide summarises how the EYF system operated, discusses how the removal of this system has impacted on Wales, and provides details of the modified Budget Exchange System which will replace EYF in the devolved administrations.

• Budget Series 1: Financing the Welsh budget: the Barnett formula
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide discusses the how the Welsh budget is financed, the difference components of the budget, the operation of the Barnett formula and the Welsh Consolidated Fund.

• Budget Series 2: Draft Budget
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide covers the Welsh Government’s draft budget process, the information provided with the draft budget, guidance on interpreting tables in the draft budget and some scrutiny tips for considering the draft budget proposals.

• Budget Series 3: Annual budget motion (Final Budget)
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide discusses the purpose and process for the Welsh Government’s final budget, the information provided with the final budget, guidance on interpreting tables in the final budget and some scrutiny tips for considering the final budget.

• Budget Series 4: Supplementary budget
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide discusses the purpose of Welsh government supplementary budgets, information provided with supplementary budgets, guidance on interpreting tables in supplementary budgets and some scrutiny tips for considering these budgets.

• Budget Series 5: Budget Glossary
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide provides a glossary of commonly used terminology relating to budgets and financial matters.

• Business rates / Non-domestic rates (NDR)
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide provides an overview to Business Rates/NDR, including how they are calculated and how the contribute to local government funding.

• 'Emergency’ Budget 2010
  
  July 2010
  This quick guide provides a summary of the headline policy announcements contained in the UK Government’s 'emergency' Budget 2010 as published in June 2010. It also provides information on how this may impact on Wales.

• First Report of the Independent Commission on Funding and Finance for Wales (Holtham Commission)
  
  August 2009
  This quick guide provides a a summary of the first report of the Holtham Commission including a short overview of the recommendations.

• Final Report of the Independent Commission on Funding and Finance for Wales (Holtham Commission)
  
  July 2010
  This quick guide summarises the main recommendations from the Commission's report.
  
  The Independent Commission on Funding and Finance for Wales (Holtham Commission) published its final report in July 2010. The report presents the findings and recommendations from the second stage of the review, which aimed to identify possible alternative funding mechanisms, including the scope for the Welsh Government to have tax varying powers and greater powers to borrow.

• Impact of UK Spending Reductions on Wales
  
  May 2010
  This quick guide provides a summary of the implications to Wales of the proposed UK spending cuts.

• Pre Budget Report 2009
  
  December 2009
  This quick guide provides a short overview of the Pre-Budget Report 2009 and its implications for Wales.

• Local Government Settlement
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide provides an overview of the Local Government Settlement process, including how the final amounts are calculated.

• Simplifying Government Finance: The Alignment Project and how it will impact on Wales
  
  June 2010
  This quick guide provides a summary of the UK Governments’ Alignment project and its possible implications to Wales.

• Spending Review 2010 – Impact on Wales
  
  October 2010
  This quick guide provides details of how the UK Government’s Spending Review 2010 (published on 20 October 2010) impacts on Wales.

• Standard Spending Assessments (SSA)
  
  May 2011
  This quick guide provides a short explanation to the purpose of SSA, its composition and distribution.

• Strategic Capital Investment Framework
  
  May 2010
  This quick guide provides a short introduction to the Welsh Government's Strategic Capital Investment Framework, a method used to prioritise competing demands for capital expenditure.