The Welsh government has outlined cuts to some services amid “unprecedented” financial pressures.

In the Senedd on Tuesday, the finance minister outlined a package of financial measures which she said would protect public services, the NHS and transport.

Rebecca Evans said she was “grateful” to cabinet colleagues for finding savings within their departments’ budgets.

She added the current economic situation meant the devolved government in Cardiff faced “incredibly difficult times”.

First Minister Mark Drakeford had asked members of the cabinet to find savings to combat the Welsh government’s “toughest financial situation” since devolution.

The government has blamed the pressure on a combination of high inflation, austerity and what it called the UK government’s “mismanagement of the economy”.

In response, Wales Secretary David TC Davies said the Welsh government was responsible for its own spending choices on devolved matters.

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“For our part, we are providing the Welsh government with the largest funding settlement in the history of devolution,” he said.

The finance minister added the current financial situation meant the Welsh government would not be able to do “all the things we wish to do”.

Statements such as these are rare outside of a usual budget announcement, with the Welsh government’s next budget not due to be published until February.

The largest cuts have been made to the education and Welsh language budget which sees a £74.7m reduction in funding.

But two departments will see an increase in their budgets.

Health and social care will see an increase of £425m in revenue funding and an increase of £82.6m in climate change revenue funding has also been announced.

Transport sits within the climate change department and Transport for Wales will see an increase of £125m in its budget.

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The Welsh Conservatives – the largest opposition party in the Senedd – have accused the Welsh government of having “grossly mismanaged their budget”.

They also accused Labour of having “the wrong priorities”.

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