7. How is Welsh Government working with local government in Wales to improve the delivery of services? OQ57015

Welsh Government works closely with local government in Wales through a range of formal and informal engagement mechanisms across all portfolios. Ministers work with leaders, and our officials work together, to achieve better policy development and service delivery outcomes for the people of Wales.

Diolch yn fawr, Gweinidog. I think it's fair to say that there was a general view that, during the pandemic, Welsh Government worked very well with local authorities and local authority leaders, with, sometimes, the new technology aiding that in making weekly meetings and very regular meetings much easier to do, and also that local authorities working with the voluntary sector were able to do so more quickly and with less bureaucracy.

I just wonder, Minister, to what extent that experience of working during the pandemic has been, and is being, evaluated, so that some of those better ways of working, more effective ways of working, might be retained where appropriate. I guess that some of them might have only been appropriate for more or less an emergency situation, as we had. But, presumably, some of them could be retained to benefit the people of Wales.

Also, to what extent is digital transformation, which again has been very important during the pandemic in terms of the delivery of services and new ways of working—? To what extent will the Welsh Government work with local authorities to make sure that those digital possibilities are fully used and utilised, again for the benefit of our communities here in Wales? 

John Griffiths is right to say that relationships were excellent through the pandemic, and the new ways of working really did enable that. It's important that we build on both the relationships and the new technologies that have enabled those relationships to be very strong throughout the pandemic.

So, I just—last week, I think it was—chaired a meeting of the Welsh Government Cabinet and all 22 local authority leaders in Wales, and that was the first time that we'd come together in a forum like that, and we did so digitally. It was an excellent meeting, where we really focused down on two of the big problems and big challenges that we're facing—so, the challenges in social care and also the challenges of climate change—exploring how we can work together to address those two big challenges. So, that was a really, really useful, informative and exciting meeting in terms of the new ways of working and the outcomes of it.

The digital strategy for Wales was published in March of this year. So, it was published very much in the context of COVID, and it sets out a really strong vision and ambition for a co-ordinated digital approach here in Wales. So, we're now working on delivering that strategy, and, as part of that, we are considering what more we can do through the Centre for Digital Public Services Wales, which was set up last year to support the whole of the Welsh public sector in the delivery of better public services, and that's critical, really, to the strategy's success. An example of where it's demonstrating the value of collaboration and designing services around user needs is by working with three authorities, so far, on a digital transformation project on accessing adult social care services and sharing learning. So, huge opportunities, I think, with digital, for us to improve public services and people's experiences.  

Minister, can I ask you about support for community councils, in particular, from Welsh Government? I'm aware that, under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021, there's a requirement for community councils to put in place systems to allow for in-person, remote or hybrid meetings. Many community councils, of course, meet in community centres or village halls, and don't have access to the internet. So, there is an issue for those councils, in particular, that need support. I'm aware that the Welsh Government did have a fund that was available for people to apply for, but that particular fund is now closed to new bids. So, can I ask what further support the Welsh Government will be giving to local community councils in this particular regard?  

Well, I very recently approved funding for a new digital delivery manager for town and community councils in Wales, and the expectation is that they will build on the good work that has already been established. Of course, we consulted on the requirement in terms of future hybrid working, and it should be clear that what's required of town and community councils is that the person who's attending remotely should be heard and can hear. So, I think that that can be done very simply at low cost, if necessary. But I'm keen to work with town and community councils, through the new digital delivery manager, to better understand what the specific issues are and if there are ways that we can help resolve them.

Finally, Vikki Howells, question 8.