Of course, some of us have been talking about getting rid of all exploitative contracts, not just zero-hours contracts, for some time.

I see that Plaid Cymru, in their introduction to their debate, recognise the important role played by local authorities in developing local economies in partnership with the business community; ensuring that our streets are clean and safe; delivering quality education; and delivering social service care that looks after the most vulnerable people in communities across Wales. Can I say that I agree entirely with that? But I also say: what about leisure facilities to keep people fit? What about environmental health services? What about trading standards? What about support for the arts? Do they not recognise the importance of these and other services provided by local government? I could continue for another four and a half minutes, but I’m sure all of you will be pleased to know that I won’t. But do you recognise the importance of these and other services provided by local government?

I also see that they regret that, since 2011-12, funding for local authorities in Wales has decreased by 6.5 per cent, disproportionately affecting some of the weakest and most vulnerable people in communities across Wales. Speaking as someone who is often probably just in a minority of one speaking up in favour of local government having more money in the last Assembly, I am very pleased to see other people joining in. Can I remind Members who were here in the last Assembly of the budget we had? The Conservatives asked for more money for health, meaning hospitals. The Liberal Democrats wanted more money for education. Plaid Cymru wanted more money for apprenticeships. No party asked for more money for local government. If all those requests had been accepted, then there would have been even less money for local government. I believe more of the Assembly money should be spent on local government. It would mean less spent on other services.

I also hold what is a novel view here—that health is not only about hospitals, but it is about promoting a healthy lifestyle, which local authorities do, and that local government plays a hugely important role in this. As an Assembly, we have a health committee, but not a dedicated local government committee. Our committee that covers local government covers other areas—local government services are covered by a number of different committees.

I see, also, that you note that the average salary for chief executives running Plaid Cymru-led councils is nearly £22,000 less than those run by Labour in Wales. The councils that Plaid Cymru run are small and medium sized, whilst Labour controls the larger authorities. On the Conservative amendment, we could also note that Monmouth is one of the smallest authorities in Wales. Larger authorities tend to pay higher salaries. I am disappointed that the call I keep on making—and will make again—that the setting of chief executive salaries should be based on advisory bands based on council size, or, like it used to be before the last Tory Government of 1979 to 1997—. It worked, and other chief officers were paid a percentage of the chief executive’s salary.

One of the things that also concerns me, and concerns me greatly, is that we have a situation where a number of people are now being paid between the chief officer’s salary and the principal officer’s salary. They get the POF in the purple book and then they top it up. And that again causes me concern.

To the Conservatives I ask, if funding goes directly to schools, who and how are services such as the following to be addressed: school transport; education otherwise than at school; school improvement? Again, I could give a very long list, but I won’t. The Conservatives continually talk about changes in council support from the Welsh Government. If we look at absolute amount paid per resident, you get an entirely different result. The formula takes into account things like population; number of children; number of older adults; road lengths; deprivation; rurality and sparsity. Unless the absolute amount spent on local government increases, if you change the formula, some people will win and some people will lose. You can’t have everybody winning with a change of formula. Powys and Conwy have more funding per head than Swansea and Cardiff. I would argue that the large authorities in south Wales are doing disproportionately badly—a view probably held by other people who live in an area with a large authority. I’m sure the rural people are saying something very different. But if funding is based purely on a population, it would help Swansea and Cardiff and Monmouth, but devastate Merthyr and Blaenau Gwent and a whole series of rural authorities.

Finally, local government services are important every day, not just in the run-up to council elections. I keep on saying how important they are. I was trying to remind people, just before the Ynys Môn set of elections a few years ago, when they had them a year later, that we were inundated with debates on local government, and Ynys Môn in particular, which have not been copied since. So, local government is important, how people treat it is important—and that we support local government all the time, not just in the week before the election.