Calculating the Welsh budget was compared to "shifting deck chairs on the Titanic" yesterday after ministers scrambled to plug funding gaps left by Con-Dem austerity.

Cardiff's Labour administration pumped an extra £225 million into the NHS in its latest budget, which was passed yesterday by the Welsh Assembly with the help of Lib Dem AMs.

Finance Minister Jane Hutt also revealed plans to use limited local government borrowing powers to stave off Tory cuts and invest in schools.

But some local services could face closure after the local government budget was slashed by 5 per cent.

Ms Hutt warned that "there may be worse times to come and our ability to protect and defend may be weakened" if Chancellor George Osborne makes further cuts.

The Welsh government has already had its block grant cut by £1.5 billion in real terms.

And Labour AM Mick Antinow said there would not be a penny to spend on non-essential services like libraries or leisure centres if that continued.

Giving her verdict, Unison head of health Dawn Bowden said Ms Hutt was limited to "shifting of the deck chairs on the titanic."

She told the Star: "The minister has been able to put welcome money into the NHS, although it's not nearly enough, but they've had to do that at the expense of other services.

"It's not what they came in to do but they are having to deal with austerity that's being imposed by Westminster.

"The Tories have waged war on Wales."

The usually well-mannered Welsh Assembly broke out into an angry exchange over health spending as Tory AMs continued their party's attack on the Welsh NHS.

Extra cash for the health services was labelled "too little, too late" by Tory shadow health spokesman Darren Millar.

But back-bench Labour AM and former Swansea council leader Mike Hedges warned against further health spending funded by council cuts.

Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood said it was more important to close the £1.2bn gap in funding between Scotland and Wales.

"Plaid Cymru reiterates the need for us to be treated equally - not special treatment - fair treatment," she said.

Welsh budget could be a player in 2015 election

On the face of it it was like any other Welsh budget.

Finance Minister Jane Hutt set out the Labour government's spending commitments for the services it has been responsible for running since 1999.

But this year's budget may also have an effect on who takes power in Westminster next year.

The £225 million extra cash pledged for the NHS comes in the midst of a sustained Tory attack on the quality of Welsh health services, dubbed their "war on Wales."

The smear campaign, fronted by PM David Cameron himself, was crafted to stop Labour making May's general election a referendum on the NHS.

Labour leader Ed Miliband will hope that the extra cash for the Welsh NHS will stem the tide of Tory attacks in the Commons.

And Ms Hutt will hope in turn that a Labour government will ease the huge financial pressure put on her by a £1.5 billion funding cut.

Only then will she be able to meet Unison's call to give the NHS the resources needed to deal with demand from Wales's increasingly elderly population.