What additional financial support has the Welsh Government made available to local authorities to pay award settlements in the current and next financial year, by Welsh local authority?
The majority of funding for local government is provided though the un-hypothecated local government settlement which for 2023-2024 provides over £5.5bn to support local services. Local authorities are expected to plan for the costs of pay awards as part of their annual and medium term financial planning. In addition, in recognition of the pressures arising from the teachers’ pay awards for academic year 2022-23 additional funding of £21.3m has been provided in the current financial year. The draft budget for 2024-2025 is expected to be published on 19 December 2023.