Welsh government has budget talk with independent MS

Russell George said the Welsh government has spoken to him about its budget

A conversation has taken place between independent Montgomeryshire Senedd member Russell George and the Welsh government about passing the government's budget, BBC Wales has learned.

Labour has 29 of the 60 Senedd seats and needs agreement with at least two opposition members to get its £27bn spending plans through the parliament.

George wants extra funding for patients in Powys to access hospital treatment in England more quickly and also supports Conservative calls to scrap a housing tax.

He is currently awaiting trial for alleged betting offences after an investigation into alleged bets on the date of the 2024 general election and has indicated he will deny the charges.

George said: "I support Conservative Senedd leader Darren Millar's tax-cutting agenda and I want to see Powys patients treated equally when accessing care in English hospitals as part of any budget deal."

In a statement the Welsh government said: "We are committed to working with all parties in the Senedd to secure the passage of the Welsh Budget.

"Our door remains open to developing a more ambitious budget."

It is understood that no further budget discussions between George and ministers have yet been scheduled.

Patients in Powys routinely cross the border to England, but in the summer Powys health board asked English hospitals to delay their treatment because it could not afford the cost of how quickly operations over the border were being carried out.

Almost 40% of Powys Teaching Health Board's (PTHB) budget is spent on services outside its own borders - it does not have its own district general hospital.

According to the board's annual plan, applying longer Welsh NHS waiting times would save more than £16m.

The board's decision has been criticised by patients and politicians.

The Liberal Democrat MP for Brecon Radnor and Cwm Tawe, David Chadwick, led a debate in Westminster on Tuesday calling on the Welsh and UK governments to work together to resolve what he called an "injustice".

The Senedd will vote on the budget in January and the First Minister, Eluned Morgan, and Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford have warned of job losses in the public sector and cuts to services it is not passed.

If no deal is struck then the Welsh government would revert to 75% of the current, 2024-25, spending plans.

The Welsh government has also held talks with the Welsh Conservatives who want Land Transaction Tax (LTT) – the Welsh equivalent of stamp duty – scrapped on primary residences.

Drakeford has said that he will not scrap LTT but is open to looking at the thresholds at which it is paid.

The sole Liberal Democrat Senedd member, Jane Dodds, has also spoken to Welsh ministers.

She struck a £100m deal in February to pass the current year's spending plans after securing extra funding for social care, a reduced bus fare scheme for younger people and a ban on greyhound racing.

Dodds has also previously called on the Welsh government to find extra funding to "ensure that patients across Powys do not suffer".

George is one of 15 defendants in the betting trial, which will not start until September 2027 at the earliest.

Before then a court will hear an application to dismiss the charges on 19th January 2026.

He was suspended by the Conservative Senedd group in April this year and in the same month withdrew from the Tory list for the 2026 Senedd election to focus on clearing his name.