Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government

QNR – in the Senedd on 15 February 2017.

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Photo of Steffan Lewis Steffan Lewis Plaid Cymru

(Translated) What steps is the Welsh Government taking to ensure that any collaboration between local authorities is accountable to local people?

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour

Proposals in the White Paper ‘Reforming Local Government: Resilient and Renewed’ put elected members at the heart of collaborative decision making. Elected members are then directly accountable to local people through the ballot box.

Photo of John Griffiths John Griffiths Labour

(Translated) Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the Welsh Government's priorities for public sector procurement in Wales, in the context of leaving the EU?

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour

As the United Kingdom leaves the EU we will further align public sector procurement to priorities of job creation, simplification, community benefits and value for money for the public pound in Wales.

Photo of Llyr Gruffydd Llyr Gruffydd Plaid Cymru

(Translated) Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the location of the Welsh Revenue Authority?

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour

(Translated)

The headquarters of the Welsh Revenue Authority will be at Treforest. The WRA will also have a presence in both Aberystwyth and Llandudno, to ensure staff have direct contact with stakeholders, taxpayers and their agents.

Photo of Russell George Russell George Conservative

(Translated) Will the Cabinet Secretary make a statement on the complaints handling processes of local authorities in Wales?

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour

The majority of local authorities in Wales have adopted the model concerns and complaints policy for public services providers in Wales. The model was introduced in 2011 and was endorsed by Welsh Ministers. Local authorities nevertheless remain responsible for their own complaints handling process.

Photo of David Rowlands David Rowlands UKIP

(Translated) What assessment has the Cabinet Secretary made to ensure that his latest blueprint for change to local governance is fit for purpose?

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour

I am currently consulting on proposals for reform as set out in the ‘Reforming Local Government’ White Paper. These proposals were developed with local government to ensure they are fit for our shared purpose of resilient and renewed local government that is able to deliver better outcomes for the people of Wales.

Photo of David Melding David Melding Conservative

(Translated) What is the Welsh Government doing to help local government adopt new digital technologies to aid citizen participation?

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour

The local government White Paper emphasises the importance of citizens being active partners in the delivery of services and of local authorities using a range of methods, including digital tools, to enable participation. This includes proposals around electronic voting as part of wider efforts to modernise elections.

Photo of Adam Price Adam Price Plaid Cymru

(Translated) What plans does the Cabinet Secretary have to commission a study of unregistered land as part of the Welsh Government's assessment of the scope for land value taxation?

Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour

I intend to explore, in an applied and practical way, whether changes to local taxation in Wales could make our systems fairer. The options include land value tax. It will be important to assess what information would be needed to operate any new tax effectively.