No advance knowledge...

Tweet It was only last Friday, at the Question Time session in Narberth, that one of the questioners asked the panel why the budget announcement of more rate relief for small businesses applied only to England, and why nothing similar had been announced for Wales. The questioner obviously had no advance knowledge of yesterday's announcement by the Welsh Government - and neither did any of the panellists.

My response was that Darling had no power on the matter in England, and had not discussed his budget with the Welsh Government in advance, so that there was no way at all that the Welsh Government was able to respond instantly. Yesterday's announcement that the Welsh Government will indeed use the extra cash to provide more rate relief for small businesses in Wales is welcome.

It won't help all businesses of course, but it will do a great deal for a lot of the smaller businesses in this part of the world.