I’m still going to be continuing with my optimism with the kinds of questions that we’re having, because what I hear from the spokesperson for Plaid Cymru is a reiteration of history; a historic argument, but without offering any new ideas. That’s what we’re not seeing in this. None of the opposition parties that we’ve heard from already have any ideas at all about how we’re going to move forward.

So, may I say this very clearly? I have been talking to council leaders the length and breadth of Wales, including Plaid Cymru leaders, and I’m going to tell you this: nobody is going to say that they’re content with the current situation and feel that the current structures are sustainable for the future. And I have to face that. I have to face that. It is possible for you to look back to past elections, but I have to look to the future; I have to look forward and think about the kinds of structures that will give a certainty for council staff and for the people who use local services.

It’s not enough not to take part in this debate about the future. And I’ll say this: I want to seek agreement with local government. I don’t want to push change through unless there’s support for it. I want to spend time having these discussions. I want to spend time leading this debate. I want to have the kind of debate across Wales to ensure that we do get that agreement, ultimately, so that there is agreement on the way forward. And I’m willing to invest time to do that. I’m willing to invest the resources, as a Government, to ensure that we do get that agreement. But we also have to have leadership. We have to have that leadership, and it’s not enough to look back. When you’re trying to lead, you have to look forward.

I’m having discussions at the moment about the kinds of powers that we can transfer to local government, and I will be making a statement on that when I’m in a situation to do so. The Member asks whether funding will be available for these new powers. Well, of course, some of these powers can draw their own funds. It depends how the local authorities use these new powers. So, I want to look at how we put together a new package for local government and I’m going to be seeking agreement with local government. But, I’m going to ensure that this agreement is an agreement that is an ambitious one—ambitious for local government, ambitious for the future and ambitious for what we can do as a nation.