Mark Drakeford: Llywydd, I don’t have the accurate information immediately to hand and I wouldn’t want to do anything other than to make sure that the Member got the best information that he’s asking for. I’m very happy to write to him to provide the answer to the question that he’s raised this afternoon.
Mark Drakeford: Yes. The finance system for local government will need to change to support the wider reforms I am considering and to make councils more sustainable and self-sufficient.
Mark Drakeford: My vision is a strong Wales within a reformed United Kingdom. The governance of the union must reflect the reality that it is a voluntary union of four parts working together for mutual benefit. It must be a union of equals underpinned by fair funding.
Mark Drakeford: We continue to make the case to the UK Government to guarantee all EU Structural Funds for the 2014-2020 programmes.
Mark Drakeford: I have regular discussions with a variety of stakeholders and colleagues on financial issues, including priorities within the Communities and Children portfolio.
Mark Drakeford: I will announce the provisional local government settlement for 2017-18 on 19 October, the day after the draft budget.
Mark Drakeford: A report published by the Public Policy Institute for Wales estimates that Wales needs around 8,700 new homes every year, of which 60 per cent should be in the market sector. Our target of delivering 20,000 additional affordable homes during this Assembly term will make a significant contribution towards this.
Mark Drakeford: The Welsh Government is committed to transforming the expectations, experiences and outcomes for all learners, including those with additional learning needs. The forthcoming introduction of the Additional Learning Needs and Education Tribunal (Wales) Bill will be a key milestone in the transformation journey that is already under way.
Mark Drakeford: Wide-ranging support is available towards economic development, including, Business Wales, road and information and communications technology infrastructure improvements and the Haven Waterway enterprise zone. We are enhancing Pembrokeshire’s attractiveness by creating the right infrastructure for businesses to flourish and improvements in the transport network, particularly along the A40.
Mark Drakeford: I set out in ‘Taking Wales Forward’ last week my Government’s commitment to ‘take further action on the living wage’. This is part of constructing a fair society and will build on our achievements during the last Assembly.
Mark Drakeford: The ‘North Wales Conversation—delivering a healthier North Wales’ is delivering on our commitment to engage with people throughout North Wales on the future of the health service in the region to ensure it delivers improved outcomes.
Mark Drakeford: Thank you, Presiding Officer. And thank you for the opportunity to make a statement today on the proposals for the reform of local government. Local government plays a vital part in the lives of every citizen in Wales. Councils provide the services that educate our children, look after our elderly, dispose of our waste, and light our streets. They go on doing so, moreover, during a period...
Mark Drakeford: The pressures that austerity produces are real, and there is real need also to build new resilience into local authorities. That is why reform is a requirement and not a choice. As far as reform is concerned, of course, there was much in the Draft Local Government (Wales) Bill that was published during the last Assembly that was welcomed by local authorities and their partners. However, as...
Mark Drakeford: Thank you very much for those questions, and I thank the Member for what she said at the beginning about the discussions that happened over the summer with local authorities and other stakeholders in the field. Wrth gwrs, rwy’n cydnabod yr hyn y mae hi'n ei ddweud am yr hyn a oedd ym maniffesto Plaid Cymru; byddwn yn gwybod hynny o’r nifer o arweinwyr cynghorau Plaid Cymru a ddywedodd...
Mark Drakeford: Thank you for the questions. I won’t spend a lot of time going over previous history, but there are a series of things in the draft Bill that was published that were very much welcomed by local authorities—the general power of competence, the new local government performance framework, the strengthening of the role of local councillors and so on. So, there is quite a lot to build from....
Mark Drakeford: I thank the Member for the questions. I agree with his starting point that people who work in our local authorities in Wales are, by and large, people with families, with children who go to school, with mortgages to pay, and the uncertainty has not been good for them, and that’s why I’m very keen to try and create a consensus about a way ahead. If the committee choose to take an interest...
Mark Drakeford: Could I thank Mike Hedges, who I always listen to very carefully on these matters? I’ve said to him before: it’s never been a claim of mine that size is the determining factor in the success of public services; nor, however, do I think that size is an irrelevant factor in the way that things are organised. Size does bring some advantages in some aspects. So, I don’t rule it out, but I...
Mark Drakeford: Can I thank Simon Thomas for what he said? I look forward to working with him and others who have ideas to contribute as to how we might achieve those ends. I’ll take his questions in reverse order, if I could. I intend town and community councils to be elected next year, on the same day as principal authorities. I’m not sure that I agree with him that we have the blueprint ready for the...
Mark Drakeford: Well, the impact of austerity is real, as the IFS report demonstrated. The loss of European funding adds another layer of uncertainty, which has a direct impact on local authorities, through which many of the very best European schemes have been put into practice. All of that does amount to a compelling case to build new resilience into local authorities in Wales, and that is what I hope the...
Mark Drakeford: Could I agree with the final point that the Member made? That’s what I said to Simon Thomas: when I speak to community councils, one of the things that I want to do is bolster the policy for electing people who represent local people. But, to do that, we will have to have a plan for the council level and persuade people to come forward to do that important work that the councils do. Of...
