Last week was one of the most important weeks of the year in the Senedd’s calendar: it’s when we come together to debate and vote on the Welsh Government’s draft budget for 2023/24.

We all acknowledge things are challenging at the moment, especially for families with the cost of living, plus the serious health crisis in Wales, and businesses are really struggling also. So, it was important that the budget addresses those key themes in a substantial way, but sadly this wasn’t the case.

One would have thought that, given the backdrop, Labour would have prioritised those areas, rather than wanting to create more politicians and spending money on non-devolved areas.

Instead, Labour chose to do the opposite to what I’d hoped. We saw them proposing real terms cuts to the health and education budgets at a time when money should be prioritised to those areas.

And we saw Plaid Cymru arguing passionately to increase the basic rate of income tax, a move that would hit those most in need the hardest.

Many people in Wales don’t realise that the Welsh Government receive £1.20 for every new £1 spent in England on services through what is known as the Barnett consequential, plus they receive billions of pounds in additional funding for Wales. So, the Labour government here have the resources and the levers to improve things and importantly they have choices.

To build on the UK Government’s support to Wales, in the budget debate I outlined the Welsh Conservatives’ immediate six-point action plan that would have put the people of Wales’ priorities at the heart of the Welsh Government budget. It was important to me that we find options to address the three worrying areas mentioned above.

The Welsh Conservatives’ action plan would directly reprioritise £100 million and realign other elements in the budget to put the people of Wales first.

Our six points are:

Clearing the backlogs with care hotels: Immediate action to clear the bed blocking, open up hospitals and end the disgrace of ambulances queuing outside of A&E.

Surgical hubs to end waiting Wales: Urgent delivery of facilities to clear the inhuman two year waits for treatment – England can do it, why can’t Wales?

Supporting microbusiness to grow: Creating jobs for local people and restoring aspiration to the economy – Wales needs more than one FTSE 100 company.

Future proofing Welsh businesses: Businesses want to do their bit to support the environment – and we will help them in a green revolution for Wales.

Freezing Council Tax to help with the cost of living: Councils collectively have more than £2.5 billion in usable reserves – this money should be used to help those that need it in these difficult times, not sat in council bank accounts.

Kickstarting empty houses back into homes: 20,000 houses sit empty in Wales – instead of punishing landlords, we need to get these houses back into being homes.

At present, waiting lists in Wales are now the longest in the United Kingdom, the Welsh economy is still stuck in reverse and our children’s futures are being held back still.

And let’s not forget that Labour is the only party in our history to have cut the NHS budget. They did that right here in Wales, so no wonder we are well behind England with our waiting lists.

Wales desperately needs our potential to be unlocked by a Welsh Government that makes the right decisions.

It’s only the Welsh Conservatives who will really put the people of Wales first.