We have to recognise that Wales has yet to suffer from the extent of the cuts that have been experienced in England. In England, council budgets were cut by 10 per cent in cash terms in the last five years whereas in Wales overall they went up by 2.5 per cent. That is because schools and social services were ring-fenced, avoiding the cuts that occurred in other services, but obviously there have been huge challenges in trying to deliver the other services that weren’t ring-fenced. It isn’t going to get any easier. It can’t be sustainable in the long term, because of the shrinking budgets coming from the Tory UK Government.

By 2020 the Welsh budget will be nearly £1.5 billion lower in real terms than it was in 2010. So, fundamental reform of how public services are delivered and organised across Wales has to be addressed and addressed now. The salami-slicing and the withdrawal of non-essential activities has already been done. The low-hanging fruit have been eliminated. So, continuing to do less is unlikely to meet anything other than public dismay. Local authorities are going to have to do things differently.

The Welsh Government has set out a range of ideas in the draft local government Bill to improve openness, transparency and public accountability of local government. That is long overdue. In the last five years we had no less than three councils where the chief executive and some senior officers were writing their own remuneration plans, and the elected members were found wanting absolutely in their failure to prevent such a massive level of maladministration. It took the intervention of the Wales Audit Office to expose these governance failings.

Such scandals undermine staff and the public’s confidence and trust in public services, and we need to let in some light if we’re going to attract more people who want to serve in local government. I think that public service boards and their obligations under the future generations Act provide a breath of fresh air and necessary collaboration if they’re going to meet their obligations. In addition to that, the bitter referendum contest that we have all suffered over the last few months has thrown up some challenging issues, which will not go away whatever the result is tomorrow. People have got used to clicking their preferences online rather than getting their jackets off and helping solve problems. Is it really the case that it’s always somebody else’s responsibility? To blame whichever level of government is not hard to do, but instead we need to get people to reflect on what they can do to help resolve problems.

I can agree with Suzy Davies that the status quo is not an option. Some of the things that local authorities can do to grasp the nettle of doing things differently were illustrated in the smarter energy for Wales report, which set out the opportunities that are available to local authorities to harness our natural resources for the well-being of local communities. Sadly, few local authorities at any level have seized the opportunity and the money. Indeed, in many areas, local authorities actively block community-led energy schemes, rather than embracing these initiatives to enhance the well-being and income of their populations.

Suzy Davies recognises there has to be co-production, and that requires us to trust people but also to expect that they will play their part, rather than simply demand. It is not local authorities who throw litter, it is people; it’s not local authorities that churn up the roads and create potholes, it’s vehicles, particularly heavy goods vehicles, which are reluctant to pay the cost in their licences that should reflect the damage they do. It is no use Mohammad Asghar simply decrying the loss of services; we have to think what we’re going to do about it. It is undoubtedly the case that poorer neighbourhoods have lower reserves to fall back on when changes are proposed. For example, Rhydypennau library in Cyncoed, which is a relatively well-off area, threatened with closure, has not just been kept open, the local community has massively enhanced the service, with a huge range of concerts, fundraisers and readings, ably supported by the exemplary librarian, who goes the extra mile to deliver for the public. As it’s Public Service Day tomorrow, I think we should recognise that.

I think virtual mergers and voluntary mergers have to be the way forward, to make people from different organisations feel comfortable with each other, and I wait with interest, for example, to hear about the increased collaboration between health and local authorities in Powys, to find out whether that might be a forward model for other local authorities as well.