Delivering the first 100 days: progress report May to August 2026

100 days ago, this government embarked on an ambitious programme of early action to drive the change the people of Wales voted for.

The First 100 Days Plan served as a collective compass for this first phase of government, providing focus, pace and direction.

This report outlines the progress made against the commitments set out in that plan. With all initial planned activity now complete, it marks an important milestone in the delivery of our programme. It reflects the work undertaken across government to take forward our 6 priority areas, lay the foundations for long-term change and improve the lives of people and communities throughout Wales.

From the outset, our focus has been on practical action.

I am proud of what has been achieved. The commitments we set ourselves were ambitious by design. We have worked across government with a relentless focus on our priorities. We have taken decisive action to improve health and education, support families, grow the economy and ensure Wales has the powers and resources it needs to succeed.

This work has taken place against a backdrop of significant challenges. We have been clear that meaningful change requires ambition, determination and sustained effort. The first 100 days were never intended to be an end in themselves. Rather, they have provided an opportunity to build momentum, create the conditions for lasting change and begin the work of realising our long-term vision for Wales.

Transparency and accountability remain central to our approach. We will be judged not only by the commitments we make, but by the difference they make to people’s lives. Throughout this period, we have remained focused on outcomes and the real-world impact of our actions, while strengthening the way we track and report progress to ensure government remains focused on delivering better outcomes for the people of Wales.

The work set out here provides a strong basis for the programme of change that will follow. While much has been achieved, there is much more to do, this is just the beginning.

These first 100 days have demonstrated our determination to deliver on the mandate entrusted to us. They have set the course for the years ahead, rooted in our values of fairness, justice and ambition, and underpinned by meaningful action and a clear focus on improving people’s lives. We will build on this progress with the same focus, energy and sense of purpose as we move into the next phase of this Government’s programme.

Rt Hon Rhun ap Iorwerth MS
First Minister of Wales

• Rhun ap Iorwerth MS, First Minister of Wales
• Sioned Williams MS, Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Minister for Social Justice and Equality
• Rt Hon Elin Jones MS, Cabinet Minister for Finance
• Heledd Fychan MS, Trefnydd, Chief Whip and Cabinet Minister for Culture and Sport
• Adam Price MS, Cabinet Minister for Enterprise, Connectivity and Energy
• Anna Brychan MS, Cabinet Minister for Education and the Welsh Language
• Dafydd Trystan Davies MS, Cabinet Minister for Government Effectiveness and the Constitution
• Mabon ap Gwynfor MS, Cabinet Minister for Health and Care
• Llyr Gruffydd MS, Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability
• Siân Gwenllian MS, Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Housing and Planning
• Rt Hon Elfyn Llwyd, Counsel General
• Delyth Jewell MS, Deputy Minister for Social Care, Mental Health and Women’s Health
• Mark Hooper MS, Deputy Minister for Transport
• Cefin Campbell MS, Deputy Minister for Skills and Tertiary Education
• Nerys Evans MS, Deputy Minister for Public and Preventative Health

The first 100 days have shown what a government with energy, ambition and a clear sense of purpose can achieve. We have begun rebuilding trust by being open about what we are doing, honest about the challenges we face, and focused on delivering on the priorities that matter most to communities across Wales.

• Cutting waiting lists and building a health and care service fit for the future.
• Helping families with the cost of living through affordable, quality childcare.
• Unleashing the potential of the Welsh economy and creating good, well-paid jobs.
• Raising standards in our schools and ensuring the best conditions for learning.
• Tackling child poverty.
• Standing up for Wales and demanding fairness from Westminster.

During our first 100 days, we have taken decisive steps to improve NHS performance and access to care, while beginning the shift towards a more preventative and sustainable health and care system.

A key part of this work has been to create a system that focuses not only on treating illness but on improving health outcomes and reducing future demand on services. We began work to better identify and track preventative spending, helping to support earlier intervention and better health outcomes. We have commissioned work to improve our understanding of health inequalities, ensuring future action is targeted where it can make the greatest difference.

Alongside this, we have taken action to improve NHS performance and reduce waiting times. We announced a £145 million investment in the NHS focused on both immediate performance improvement and longer-term system capacity. It includes £100 million to support the reduction of waiting times, £25 million to develop new elective care hubs that will expand elective care capacity, and £20 million to address essential maintenance across the NHS estate.

A clinically led Elective Care Task and Finish Group has been established to develop a delivery plan for the elective care hubs across Wales, helping to build a more resilient planned care system and support faster access to care.

We have also begun work to strengthen primary and community care, supporting our ambition to deliver more care closer to home and reduce pressure on hospital services. We brought Health board leaders together and secured agreement to strengthen primary and community services supported by work on future primary care arrangements, stronger leadership for out-of-hospital care and a greater role for patient voices in shaping services.

We held a Women’s Health Summit bringing together clinicians, researchers, policymakers and people with lived experiences to strengthen influence over Cutting waiting lists, and building a health and care service fit for the future healthcare policy and service design, tackle the under recognition of women’s pain and health concerns, and inform the next phase of the NHS Wales Women’s Health Plan.

We also secured agreement on the ambition to increase the proportion of health board expenditure invested in primary care from 2027-2028, establishing a shared commitment across NHS Wales to this direction of travel.

Progress has been made in developing a new Cancer Plan for Wales, alongside measures to improve access to diagnostic services and strengthen support for patients and survivors. These steps will help improve outcomes and ensure that patients remain at the centre of service development.

We are also modernising how people access health and care services. Engagement has started on a national telehealth implementation plan, while a long-term programme for digital health and care is being developed to improve access, strengthen digital services for patients and support more efficient use of NHS resources.

To support long-term improvement across the NHS, we have taken steps to strengthen workforce planning, reduce reliance on agency staffing and improve how data and resources are used across the health service.

We held a Graduate Health Workforce Summit to review employment opportunities for nurses, midwives, and paramedics, with the aim of improving workforce retention and ensuring suitable opportunities are available for professionals entering the NHS. We have also progressed work to strengthen collaboration between health boards and local authorities through the review of Regional Partnership Boards.

These first 100 days have focused on addressing immediate pressures while laying the groundwork for longer-term improvement. The work is now actively feeding into major programmes aimed at shifting care closer to home, improving prevention, reducing waiting times, modernising digital services, strengthening cancer care, addressing health inequalities, and creating a more sustainable and integrated health and care system for Wales.

A child’s earliest years play a decisive role in shaping their learning, health and wellbeing.

Access to affordable, high‑quality childcare can transform opportunities for children while helping parents and carers balance work, training and family life. It also plays an important role in tackling the cost of living, putting money back into families’ pockets and helping more people access employment and training opportunities.

That is why we have begun delivering a simplified and universal childcare offer for children aged 9 months to 4 years. Once fully rolled out, every child will be entitled to 20 hours of funded childcare each week for 48 weeks of the year, creating the most generous government-funded childcare offer anywhere in the United Kingdom. For families, this could be worth up to £30,000 in childcare support during a child’s first 4 years of life.

We have backed this ambition with an additional £55 million investment for 2026-2027 to deliver the first phase of the expansion. This is accelerating the rollout of 12.5 hours of funded childcare for all 2-year-olds and supporting local authorities to expand provision across Wales. At the start of this Senedd term, only 3 local authorities had confirmed that they are offering funded childcare to all 2-year-olds in their area. By day 100, all 22 local authorities were on track to complete this first phase of expansion by the end of this financial year, thereby creating the foundation of our universal childcare system before the end of our first year in government.

Delivering childcare on this scale requires investment, not only in provision but also in the workforce that underpins it. We have established an Expert Steering Group, bringing together representative bodies of providers, local authorities, workforce representatives and sector experts to help shape and support the expansion programme. Working alongside a dedicated Welsh Government childcare taskforce, the group is helping to address key challenges, including workforce planning, access, delivery and system simplification.

This will help ensure the expansion remains sustainable, accessible and focused on high-quality provision for children and families.

Welsh-medium childcare forms a central part of our approach. We are working with partners across the sector to expand Welsh medium provision and create more opportunities for children to learn and use Welsh from the earliest years of life. This will support our wider ambitions for the Welsh language, increase choice for families and strengthen pathways into Welsh-medium education.

Our first 100 days have focused on turning a transformational commitment into practical delivery. By expanding access to funded childcare, investing in the sector and establishing the partnerships needed to support long-term expansion, we are helping more families with the cost of living, supporting parents into work or training, and giving children the best possible start in life.

A strong economy creates opportunity, helping people access good jobs, enabling businesses to grow and providing the foundation for the public services we all rely on.

However, economic growth does not happen by accident. It requires clear ambition, long-term planning and sustained investment. Less than 3 weeks into this administration, we announced the most ambitious economic goal in Wales for 2 decades: halving Wales’ productivity gap with the UK within 10 years.

Delivering that ambition requires a different approach to economic development. That is why we have taken the first steps towards establishing a new National Development Agency for Wales, appointing an expert panel to shape its remit, governance and operating model. Once established, the agency will help businesses to start, grow and invest, while supporting innovation and attracting investment into Wales. We have also begun developing a new Economic and Fiscal group, strengthening the evidence and expertise that will help shape future economic and fiscal policy and support long-term prosperity.

People are at the heart of a successful economy. Ensuring that people have the skills needed for the jobs of today and tomorrow will help businesses grow and create new opportunities across Wales. That is why we have launched a Wales-wide Skills Audit to identify future skills needs across our economy.

Early findings will inform the Future Skills Summit on 8 October, which will bring together employers, education providers and key partners to shape future policy and ensure our education and training system equips people with the capabilities businesses need to grow and compete.

Reliable, integrated and affordable transport is essential to economic growth, helping people access employment and education while enabling businesses to reach customers and markets more easily. Working with Transport for Wales, we are creating a more integrated public transport network. This includes the rollout of smart ticketing, the expansion of tap-on, tap-off technology to 15 stations on the Wrexham-Bidston line in northeast Wales, with a further 10 stations to follow later this year, and the development of a single digital platform for planning and booking journeys.

We have invested £8 million to extend the £1 bus fare for everyone aged 5 to 21 until March 2027, helping more young people access education, training, employment and leisure. We have announced plans for a new express coach service linking Bangor and Carmarthen to begin in the autumn, improving connections between communities across Wales. Investment in 30 new buses will help strengthen local transport networks and make public transport a more attractive option for more people.

Our ambition for growth extends to every part of Wales. We are taking forward action to revitalise town centres, simplify planning processes and develop a new National Development Framework with local authorities and regional partners, helping to unlock investment and support sustainable development. Alongside this, proposals for a National Energy Strategy and the future development of Trydan Gwyrdd Cymru will help strengthen Wales’ energy future while supporting investment and our transition to a greener, more resilient economy.

Rural communities are at the heart of our work. To ensure rural needs are considered consistently when policies, services and programmes are developed and delivered, we published a white paper seeking views on a statutory duty for rural proofing. We have also committed over £1 billion across 3 years to supporting agriculture through the Sustainable Farming Scheme, confirming a multi-year funding cycle, and have commissioned a review of the bureaucratic burden facing family farms. Taking a farm-to-fork approach and to transform the way we think about food, we announced a National Food Strategy to be shaped by an expert group chaired by Simon Wright, who has over 30 years’ experience in the sector.

Our first 100 days have focused on laying the foundations for long-term economic success. Through investment in people, businesses, infrastructure and communities, we are creating the conditions needed to raise productivity, support good jobs and spread prosperity across every part of Wales.

Education has the power to transform lives. It opens doors to opportunity, strengthens communities and helps build the skilled, confident workforce that Wales needs.

From the outset, we have prioritised raising standards across the education system while ensuring learners and teachers have the backing they need to thrive. At the heart of this work is a determination to ensure every child, in every community, can reach their full potential.

Improving literacy and numeracy has been a central focus during our first 100 days, recognising that strong foundations in these skills are essential to future success. Work is progressing on a new Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Plan, which will be published in the autumn. The plan will introduce clearer national indicators, strengthen the use of evidence and support earlier intervention where learners need additional help, helping to raise standards across Wales while supporting those most at risk of falling behind.

Fostering a love of reading is equally important. Work is underway to ensure every primary school in Wales has access to a dedicated library space by 2030, while efforts continue to embed reading across the curriculum. These changes will help more children develop the confidence, curiosity and habits that reading can inspire.

Children and young people with additional learning needs must have the opportunity to succeed alongside their peers. Recognising the pressures facing learners, families, schools and colleges, we will work with partners to strengthen system clarity, capacity, bilingual support, and workforce confidence, so that children and young people receive the right support at the right time to meet their needs.

To better support and stretch our learners in schools and colleges including those who are disadvantaged, to fulfil their potential, our ambition is to reform Academi Seren to develop a new national learner progression programme. The programme will bring together the strongest elements of Academi Seren and the Reaching Wider Programme, currently funded by Medr, into a single, coherent offer for learners across Wales.

Attendance, behaviour, mental health and wellbeing are closely connected and can have a significant impact on a learner’s experience of education. To help address these challenges, work has begun on a new integrated national framework that will bring together education, health and social care partners around a shared vision: that every learner should feel safe, included and able to participate fully in school life.

Earlier intervention, stronger partnership working and more consistent support will sit at the heart of the framework. This will be complemented by the development of a new Community Schools Plus approach, piloting approaches that support our national framework and bring services closer to children and families and help schools respond more effectively to local needs.

Providing the best conditions for learning also means ensuring pupils are taught in safe, well-maintained and supportive environments. While we progress the development of a national conditions survey, we have announced a further £40 million to address maintenance backlogs and essential repairs across the school estate in Wales. Local authorities are also being empowered to promote pupils’ safety, learning and wellbeing through restrictions on smartphone use in schools for under-16s.

Clear national expectations on the use of mobile phones during the school day will help support a more consistent approach across Wales. In addition, the expansion of free school meals will help ensure more learners are well fed, ready to learn and able to participate fully in school life.

None of these ambitions can be achieved without the teachers and school staff who support learners every day. To help address recruitment challenges, Initial Teacher Education incentives in priority subjects have been increased to £20,000, encouraging more people into areas where shortages are most acute, including mathematics, science, Welsh and digital subjects.

We have also begun implementing recommendations to reduce unnecessary workload and bureaucracy, helping to improve teacher retention and enabling more time to be focused on teaching and learning.

Higher education is one of Wales' greatest national assets. It educates our future workforce, drives research and innovation, supports public services, strengthens communities, and makes an important contribution to our culture and language.

We need to secure a sustainable higher education sector and student finance system for the 2030s and beyond. This is why we have launched a comprehensive review of the sector, rather than focusing on individual funding streams or short-term solutions.

The terms of reference for the review have been launched and it will examine student support, institutional funding, research and innovation, participation, graduate outcomes, and the organisation and resilience of the higher education sector in Wales.  The review will be led by an independent panel. The membership of the panel will be confirmed shortly and will include experts in higher education policy from both within and outside Wales.

Our first 100 days have focused on raising standards, supporting the education workforce and ensuring every learner has the opportunity to succeed. From literacy and numeracy to wellbeing, attendance and school environments, we have taken important steps to create the conditions for higher standards and better outcomes across Wales. As we move into the next phase, we will continue working with schools, families and partners to build an education system that delivers excellence, opportunity and ambition for all.

Every child should be able to learn, participate and fulfil their potential, regardless of their family’s income.

Yet too many children in Wales continue to experience the effects of poverty, which can impact health, educational attainment and life opportunities. Tackling child poverty is therefore both a moral imperative and an investment in Wales’ future.

“Our approach is focused on addressing the immediate pressures facing families while tackling the underlying causes of poverty.”

Work has begun on a new child poverty strategy, backed by ambitious clear targets and milestones, and a stronger focus on evidence, prevention and long-term outcomes. We have also commissioned a review of existing ‘Welsh benefits’ to better understand their reach, effectiveness and impact, helping ensure support is targeted where it can make the greatest difference.

A key part of our work is Cynnal, the Welsh Child Payment. We have established an expert group to help design, deliver and evaluate a pilot that will provide £10 a week to up to 15,000 children living in households receiving Universal Credit. Shaped by evidence, expert advice and the experiences of families themselves, the pilot will help build our understanding of how direct financial support can improve outcomes for children and reduce the impact of poverty.

We have also committed an additional £15 million to expand free school meals to secondary school pupils whose households receive Universal Credit, removing the existing £7,400 income threshold.

From September, parents of pupils in Years 7 and 8 will be able to apply for the expanded offer. This investment includes funding to improve school kitchens and dining facilities, helping ensure more children can sit down to a healthy meal at school each day while reducing the financial pressures faced by families.

Our first 100 days have marked the beginning of a renewed approach to tackling child poverty. Through the development of a new child poverty strategy, work to establish the Cynnal pilot, the expansion of free school meals and significant investment in childcare, we are bringing together a coordinated package of support that will help families, improve children’s life chances and create opportunities for future generations.

Standing up for Wales and ensuring our nation is treated fairly has been a defining principle of this government from the outset.

We have taken action to strengthen Wales’ voice, secure a fairer settlement, ensure the Welsh Government has the right fiscal and constitutional powers, and make sure Welsh interests are represented at every opportunity.

We have made the case to the UK government for a fairer settlement for Wales, pressing for a new Wales Bill that would equip Wales with the powers needed to improve outcomes for people and communities across Wales.

This includes seeking devolution in priority areas such as justice and policing, rail infrastructure, youth justice and probation, welfare, and the Crown Estate. We have also raised with the UK government the need to strengthen intergovernmental relations and place the Sewel Convention on firmer footing, defending devolution and helping ensure Wales’ interests are properly reflected in UK-wide decision-making.

We have raised directly with the Treasury and the devolved government finance ministers our priority to make improvements to the operation of the Barnett formula, whilst exploring a new, needs-based funding formula that better reflects the needs of Welsh communities over the longer-term. This will be an area of discussion at the meeting of UK finance ministers in September.

“We have also begun discussions with the Prime Minister and other senior UK government ministers on the need for fair rail investment to address the HS2 funding injustice and support connectivity and economic growth.”

We have pressed for environmental justice by raising directly with the Treasury the importance of UK government funding to continue our joint efforts to address the legacy of Wales’ industrial past, including through restoring coal tips and remediating contaminated land. This will help protect communities for future generations and bring land back into productive use to support economic growth. We have also progressed discussions on the devolution of further powers through the UK government’s Clean Water Bill, so Wales can have full control over its water.

Recognising the important role broadcasting and communications play in supporting democracy, culture and language, we have published plans and a timetable for establishing a Shadow Broadcasting and Communications Authority for Wales. Under this phased approach, recommendations on its future role and operation are expected in 2028. This work represents an important step towards strengthening Wales’ voice in broadcasting and communications matters, while promoting Welsh voices and supporting Welsh language and cultural content.

Our first 100 days have demonstrated our determination to stand up for Wales at every opportunity. We have made the case for fair funding and investment, pressed for the powers Wales needs to improve outcomes for people and communities, progressed work to establish a National Commission to encourage the public to engage with discussions on Wales’ future constitutional arrangements and championed the Welsh language. Through this work, we have begun delivering on our commitment to strengthen Wales’ voice, widen opportunities for people to help shape the nation’s future, and ensure Wales has the powers, tools and influence needed to meet the aspirations of communities across Wales.

While our 6 priorities have provided a clear focus for the first 100 days, important work has also been underway across a range of other areas.

From improving the way government operates to supporting communities and culture, these actions are helping to strengthen public services, support delivery of our priorities and improve people’s lives across Wales.

A key part of this work has been strengthening the way government delivers. We have introduced new methods to support delivery across government, including dedicated ministerial oversight and stronger monitoring. We have also published the first iteration of a digital dashboard, enabling people to track progress against our priorities and see how our actions are making a difference across Wales. To support this, we have established a digitally enabled Welsh Cabinet Office, bringing together expertise in policy, delivery and data to support evidence-led decision making and improve the way government works across departmental boundaries.

We have also begun work on Arwain, a new National School of Government, helping to strengthen leadership, learning and capability across the Welsh public sector.

Supporting strong, resilient communities has also remained central to our approach. We have progressed work towards a Right to Adequate Housing, recognising the role safe, secure and affordable homes play in supporting healthier communities. Building on this, proposals for our first Renters’ Bill have also been set out, aimed at strengthening rights and protections in the private rental sector. We have also reviewed the Warm Homes Programme and announced £17 million of additional investment to improve home energy efficiency, helping households reduce energy costs, tackle fuel poverty and lower carbon emissions. We have protected funding for specialist survivor-centred violence against women, domestic abuse and sexual violence services, while taking forward cross-government work to strengthen prevention and improve support for victims.

Welsh is a language for everyone in Wales, and we will ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn, use and live their lives through it. We have begun to take forward the aims of the Commission for Welsh-speaking Communities and to explore how Welsh Language Standards can be extended to UK government bodies and services operating in Wales. These actions will help strengthen opportunities to use Welsh in everyday life and support the language in communities across Wales.

Culture, creativity and sport make a vital contribution to Wales’ national life, supporting wellbeing, community cohesion and preventative health. We have launched a national conversation on a new Culture and Sport Strategy for Wales, helping to shape a shared long-term vision for these sectors and their contribution to Welsh society. We have also established a Creative and Culture Forum and begun exploring future opportunities for investment across the arts, heritage, sport and creative industries. Together, these actions will help unlock the full contribution culture and sport make to stronger communities, healthier lives and a more vibrant cultural landscape across Wales.

Promoting healthier lives from an early age is another important part of our wider approach to prevention. The rollout of the Active Mile programme, alongside the development of the Nofio Ysgol programme and the Drowning Prevention Strategy will help ensure more children can learn to swim, develop water safety skills and build healthier habits from an early age.

Preparing Wales for future challenges has also been a key area of focus. We have begun work on a Climate and Nature Action Plan for Wales as a programme of action. This will support sustainable development by strengthening climate and nature resilience, ensuring environmental sustainability, supporting a just transition and charting a practical pathway to net zero by 2040 and a substantive nature recovery by 2050. In developing the plan, we will identify opportunities for integrated action across government and society that look beyond symptoms, address root causes and recognise the role of Wales’s natural resources and ecosystems in supporting healthier communities, resilient places, a stronger economy, rural resilience, cleaner air, warmer homes, green skills and jobs, and better places to live.

We have also published a Rural Proofing and Environmental Sustainability White Paper, bringing together proposals for a statutory duty on rural proofing with climate and environmental sustainability measures that support the developing Climate and Nature Action Plan. These proposals will help make legislation clearer and more workable, supporting delivery on climate change, nature recovery, waste, environmental enforcement and the sustainable use of natural resources. In addition, we have outlined the terms of reference for a steering group to establish a dedicated flood forum for Wales, a new independent charity to support communities in the immediate aftermath of flooding and to help build future flood resilience.

“These actions demonstrate our commitment to building a Wales that is fairer, stronger and prepared for the future. They show how government is acting across Wales to improve people’s lives, strengthen communities and deliver lasting change.”