Letter: Welsh Liberal Democrat and Welsh Government budget deal.

I was pleased to hear of the agreement that the Welsh Liberal Democrats have brokered with the Welsh Government, securing a budget that provides the help that the most deprived children in Wales need to break the link between poverty and educational attainment.

For every child that receives free school meals schools will receive an additional £450 in funding to help raise standards. This could be used to reduce class sizes, put in extra learning support, or to buy additional books or equipment.

The additional £38.9m economic stimulus package is also something that we can be proud of and which will bring real benefit to the people of Wales. A stimulus package that will protect jobs and target the skills gap that exists in Wales, to help our faltering economy, and to build for the future. If Wales is to compete in the future world economy we need a strong skill base and strong economic foundations.

These plans will not only help the economy short term but also build towards the future. The Yes Referendum in March proved that Wales was ready to make the big decisions, and this deal is a step in the right direction.

Rhys Taylor

Welsh Lib Dems: Effective and responsible opposition.

It has been reported today that Welsh Liberal Democrats and the Welsh Government have come to an agreement on an extra £20m for the education budget to target the poorest students – the Pupil Deprivation Grant. The grant will mean that every pupil receiving free school meals will gain an extra £450 in funding. There were 70,800 pupils receiving free school meals last year in Wales, meaning that this policy will reach thousands of pupils across Wales – an effective and far reaching policy.

The agreement also included the following:

• Young Recruits Programme
• Skills Growth Wales
• Capital Investment in Schools
• Cardiff Housing Project
• Community Energy Saving Programme
• Social Housing
• Enterprise Zones

This package is a £38.9 million economic stimulus that is vital if the Government is to take action on joblessness, skills gap, and to help the most vulnerable children.

This is responsible and effective opposition. Maybe Ed Milliband would benefit from taking a leaf out of the team’s book?