Questions Without Notice from Party Spokespeople

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:43 pm on 30 November 2022.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 1:43, 30 November 2022

I'd just refer to my previous answer to the Member's colleague, but I will say that I do meet very regularly with local government leaders. My officials meet very regularly with officers, including treasurers across local government, to discuss the particular pressures that they are facing. I've got to say that the work that the Welsh Local Government Association presents us with is always very useful in terms of understanding those particular pressures, and understanding the quantum of funding that local government tells us that it would need to continue running the services and to continue delivering for people in their communities. And then, of course, my officials will test those figures with local government to come to a better understanding of them.So, just to reassure, that level of engagement is going on. We are listening very carefully to what local government is telling us that it needs, and also very carefully to what other public services are telling us they need, and, obviously, other parts of Welsh life as well that have an interest. 

But, just to say, really, this budget is probably the hardest one that we've faced, probably since devolution, I think, and there are going to be really difficult decisions made. So, it's not a budget where we're looking to do lots of new things; it's a budget where we're focusing very much in a laser-like fashion on the things that really, really matter and that we need to protect.