Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:13 pm on 28 September 2022.
Thank you very much. I've already called publicly on councils in my region to open warm banks to help people to cope with the worst effects of the high cost of paying for energy over the winter. So, of course, I welcome the fact that the Welsh Government has already provided £1 million to support local authorities to establish warm banks, while being amazed that we need this kind of provision in the twenty-first century. But could the Minister say more about how these funds will be distributed? And does the Minister share my concern that the £1 million across 22 local authorities might not go far enough to tackle the scale of the challenge that the people of Wales will face over the winter? And as councils across my region consider support measures in order to help people to keep warm, for example, extending the opening hours of libraries and youth clubs and providing warm packages to people who can't travel to public areas, what further financial support can the Welsh Government provide to local government to ensure that they can help people on the ground?