8. Will the Minister make a statement on school budgets in Anglesey? OAQ53548

Thank you, Rhun. Diolch. Local authorities are responsible for school funding in Wales. Anglesey set their spending priorities for the services they provide, taking consideration of local needs and all the resources available to them. How much an authority sets aside for school budgets is a matter for that authority.

Thank you very much. The impact of 10 years and more of austerity imposed by the UK Government, as well as the failure, I'm afraid to say, of the Welsh Government to prioritise local government funding this year, has led to totally unsustainable pressures on education budgets in Anglesey, as in the rest of Wales. I congratulate Anglesey council on succeeding in safeguarding education budgets to a great extent, but, of course, they have had to increase council tax by over 9 per cent in order to do that, and the increase in council tax has been great across Wales. I look forward to hearing more details in terms of what’s happening in terms of the pensions funding, which, without doubt, is going to provide some relief.

On the issue of funding more generally, the grants announced quite late in the day of course are a help, and I welcome anything that can reduce the burden on our schools, but does the Minister agree with me that distributing funds in this way makes it impossible, almost, for headteachers and governing bodies within schools to plan truly strategically for the future?

For a moment there, Presiding Officer, it seems that the Member has forgotten that his party were part of the budget-setting process that has seen that local government settlement this year, and had an opportunity to influence the decisions that were made regarding the overall budget. But the Member makes a very fair point with regard to the timely distribution of grants that may be available to schools from the Welsh Government. Grants late in the day can be really challenging for schools to spend effectively and in a way that has the biggest impact, but sometimes, I myself as the Minister, am aware of moneys that are available quite late in the day and I will always use that opportunity, regardless of the time of year, where I can, to get that money to the front line.

Bethan Sayed is not here to ask question 9 [OAQ53571]. Question 10, Russell George.