Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 2:17 pm on 14 February 2023.
Trefnydd, can I call for a statement on the local government funding formula? Residents in my constituency are very concerned that Conwy County Borough Council has suggested that council tax may have to rise by up to 12.45 per cent, which obviously is in excess of the already very high rate of inflation. That is a matter of great concern to many constituents who are finding it hard to make ends met due to cost-of-living pressures. But one thing we do know is that that funding formula has allowed some local authorities in Wales to stash up hundreds of millions of pounds of reserves, while others have very depleted reserves because they've been having to chop into them on an annual basis because the funding formula is fundamentally flawed and unfair. Can we have an update on what the Welsh Government is doing to address this issue? And will the Trefnydd seek to get the agreement of her Cabinet colleague the Minister for finance, and indeed the Minister with responsibility for local government, for an independent review—an independent review—of the funding formula to make sure that there's equitable access to funding for local government across the country?