Part of 2. Questions to the Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services – in the Senedd at 2:44 pm on 13 June 2018.
I think there are many arguments in favour of direct democracy and there are examples in different parts of the world of where it works well. California is a very good example, I think, parts of the United States—Switzerland might be an example of where, possibly, it doesn't work so well. But it's a part of a way of doing government—it isn't simply a policy that you can insert into a model that is otherwise designed to work in different ways. What is important to me is that we have accountability. I don't believe that we have effective accountability in all parts of Wales at the moment in terms of how we deliver local government. I want to strengthen that accountability, but I also want to see how we can ensure that we have a diversity in representation in local government. There have been a number of reports in front of this place over many, many years that have described the lack of diversity in local government. The Member for Arfon will be making a contribution later today on diversity in this place, and I will be looking towards how all our reform processes will strengthen both accountability and diversity in local government. But, for me, the absolute key ambition is empowerment and strengthened local decision making.