Council budgets 'relatively protected' says Carwyn Jones

Council budgets in Wales have been "relatively protected" insisted the First Minister, as the 2016 settlements for local government are revealed on Wednesday.

Ministers will hand out about £4bn to the 22 authorities, allowing councils to set budgets and council tax rates.

The draft budget on Tuesday indicated that overall council funding will shrink by about 2%.

However, that is a smaller cut than some had expected - and smaller than a cut in 2015 of 3.4%.

Speaking on BBC Radio Wales' Good Morning Wales, Carwyn Jones defended the deal for Welsh councils.