Ambitious projects to help combat climate change outlined in the Welsh Government’s draft budget for 2020-21 have been welcomed by Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Cymru.
The draft budget, the first following the declaration earlier this year of a climate emergency in Wales, includes significant new funding for low carbon transport and housing, as well as support to strengthen Wales’ natural environment.
The Welsh Government says that the budget also protects major ongoing funding for renewable energy, the development of zero carbon technologies and access to nature.
RTPI Cymru also welcomed the announcement of an almost £200m boost for local government, with core funding for local authorities growing to almost £4.5bn.
Director of RTPI Cymru Roisin Willmott said: “We support the commitment to a more preventative approach to housing, decarbonisation, poverty, infrastructure and biodiversity that the Welsh Government has outlined in this Budget.
“We particularly welcome the planned investment in local government and trust this will translate to a real increase in the budgets to support planning services — for too long planning services’ budgets have been reduced to precariously low levels.
“Planning services are essential to deliver many of the ambitions outlined in the budget including those to help fight climate change. We will continue to make the case for investing in planning services at both a local and national level.”
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