The Funding of Local Authorities

Part of 1. Questions to the First Minister – in the Senedd at 2:04 pm on 21 September 2021.

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Photo of Mark Drakeford Mark Drakeford Labour 2:04, 21 September 2021

Llywydd, that has never been the approach of the Welsh Government because it's never been the approach that local authorities have suggested to us. I imagine that his colleagues on Powys County Council would be outraged if the Welsh Government decided how they should spend the money that they have at their disposal. You can imagine, if we started ring-fencing from here the spending decisions of his local authority—and they would be right, because that is not the way that the system should work. The problem that Powys residents face is the impact of 10 years of austerity from his party, which year after year after year reduced the money available for local authorities. Here in Wales, local authorities have been sheltered from that storm by the decisions made here in this Senedd. Had they been exposed as their English counterparts have been to the decisions of Conservative local government Ministers, they wouldn't be raising money to defend play areas, they'd be selling them off in the way that his party has done elsewhere.