What the parties promise Welsh voters on the NHS, schools, childcare and tax

"The combination of a slowdown in increases in UK government funding, and growing demands and costs for health and social care, will mean a Welsh budget under significant pressure."

"Voters are already unhappy after years of only slow economic growth, a rising cost of living, and public services that have failed to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic."

"Opinion polls show that the NHS is overwhelmingly Welsh voters' top concern; funding it already takes up almost half the Welsh government's 27.5bn budget."

The Senedd election will see Labour, Plaid Cymru, Reform UK, the Green party, the Conservative party, and the Liberal Democrats competing for power. Polls indicate Plaid Cymru or Reform may lead, with Labour in third. The Institute for Fiscal Studies warns that party manifestos lack detail on spending commitments, and public investment plans exceed current budgets. The Welsh budget faces pressure from slow UK funding growth and rising health and social care costs. Voter dissatisfaction stems from economic stagnation and public service struggles post-Covid-19.

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