Budget 2016: A chef, a sugar tax, city deals & a museum

Two sugar tax supporters bump into each other at Westminster: what are the chances of that happening?

How was it for you? The main headlines from George Osborne's eighth Budget (to judge from London's Evening Standard) surround the introduction of a tax on the manufacturers of sugary drinks.

Chef Jamie Oliver told BBC Radio Wales listeners he welcomed the news, and at the end of his interview was greeted by a waiting Plaid Cymru leader who asked him: "Can I get a quick picture with you?"

As you can see, he said yes, and was congratulated by Leanne Wood, whose party has long campaigned for a "pop tax". The Welsh Government will get a share of the tax proceeds, which in England will be used to tackle obesity through primary school sport.

Headlines closer to home in Wales may focus on the halving of tolls on the Severn crossings, once they return to public ownership ("subject to public consultation").

It's good news for motorists, who currently pay £6.60, and even better news for van drivers, who currently pay £13.20 but will pay the car rate from (probably) 2018. But opposition parties say the tolls should be scrapped.

There was confirmation of the Cardiff "city deal" and that the UK government "will open negotiations with local partners and the Welsh Government towards a deal for the Swansea Bay city region".

'Museum'

The Budget also "opens the door to a growth deal for North Wales to help strengthen its economy and to make the most of its connection to the northern powerhouse". There was little detail but the Budget red book says: "This government will look to the next Welsh Government to devolve powers down and invest into the region as part of any future deal."

There was good news for CAIS Wales, Change Step Veteran Services: "This will deliver a new referral pathway for peer support and tailored specialist intervention for 800 veterans in Wales."

The chancellor did promise changes to business rates in what he called a "permanent long term saving for all businesses in Britain" although business rates are devolved to Wales.

And there will be £27,000 a year to help fund the council-run David Lloyd George Museum in Llanystumdwy. Chancellors like to preserve the memory of their historic predecessors in the hope their successors might too. A George Osborne museum, anyone?