00:00HS2 funding has been a massive issue within the Senate for years now, mainly due to the
00:06cost it's had on Wales itself.
00:10The multi-billion pound project had been labelled an England and Wales project by the UK government,
00:15so that means that for every pound spent on it, Scotland and Northern Ireland, the other
00:19devolved nations in the UK, will receive a proportional amount for their transport budget,
00:25while Wales loses out on that money.
00:29Englanders in Wales had been arguing over the implications for some time, and the First
00:33Minister herself has said that she personally has spoken to Prime Minister Sakia Starmer
00:37over the issue, but that seems to have fallen on deaf ears.
00:41And now, much to the frustration of many people across Wales, another project has had the same
00:46designation which is even further away from Wales.
00:50A new train line between Cambridge and Oxford had been labelled as England and Wales, so
00:54that means, in simple terms, some of the money for that project is now coming from Welsh
00:59coffers.
01:01Pride Company leader Threenaap Yorworth raised the issue in the Senate at First Minister's
01:05questions on Tuesday, asking for Elinad Morgan's thoughts.
01:09But she says it was a totally different issue to HS2, as it was part of wider UK rail plans,
01:16and train infrastructure wasn't a devolved issue, so that means that funding couldn't
01:20come to Wales as part of devolution settlements.
01:25With mounting issues for the Welsh Government relating to allegedly unfair funding deals for
01:29Wales from the UK Government, this latest England and Wales designation will only cause
01:34more debate about how Wales' total funding is managed, and whether a new model will become
01:39increasingly necessary in the future.
01:41James Beach Watkins, reporting for Local TV.
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