It's obvious that the Conservative Party opposite have no idea what the duties and responsibilities of local government are, so thank you for extrapolating on that. So, I rise to support the amendments tabled by Lesley Griffiths. We have now endured more than a decade of Tory austerity, and it will become a teenager this May. From David Cameron through Theresa May to Boris Johnson, Liz Truss and now Rishi Sunak—a right-wing ideology at its heart of shrinking the state, which has totally decimated public services.

The Welsh Government's current funding settlement, which comes mainly from the UK Government, is not sufficient. It is not sufficient to meet all the extraordinary pressures that Wales is now facing, let alone all of our priorities for the people of Wales in 2023-24. Even after the additional funding in the autumn statement, our settlement is still worth up to £3 billion less in real terms and up to £1 billion less next year. An abysmal capital funding for Wales and no electrification for Wales. Despite this, the Welsh Government is providing an additional £227 million—providing an additional £227 million despite this—in 2023-24, and £268 million in 2024-25, to the local government settlement in Wales. This is the reality, so I would like that to be heard.

This builds on the funding that was outlined as part of the Welsh Government's 2022 spending review, now providing—[Interruption.]—now providing £1 billion up to 2024-25. Recently I've met with the leadership of Caerphilly County Borough Council in the Senedd, last week, and I know, from speaking to council leader Councillor Sean Morgan and the deputy council leader, Jamie Pritchard, that Islwyn's local authority greatly values the constructive working relationship—constructive working relationship—it has with the Welsh Government and the Ministers.

So, adjusting for transfers, the core revenue funding for local government in 2023-24 will increase—this is the reality—by 7.9 per cent on a like-for-like basis, compared to the current year, and no authority will receive a less than 6.5 per cent increase. Caerphilly County Borough Council saw a rise of 6.9 per cent. But we all know this is not enough and it creates real challenges, and, thanks to the UK Government, this is what local government is being tasked to do: to work with not enough. This is the reality. And whilst working closely with local authorities, partners continue to advance progressive causes, the settlement including funding to enable authorities to continue to meet the additional costs of introducing the real living wage for care workers and pay demands, something that I know will be hugely welcomed—and, again, it's not enough, and, for care workers, it is not enough—whilst the Welsh Government provided £20 million capital in each year to enable authorities to respond to our joint priority of decarbonisation to meet net zero—and a very confused narrative as to what the party opposite wishes local authorities to do around that.

So, I have a serious question of the Conservative benches opposite. And if they are genuine—really genuine—about reform of tax in this country, perhaps they would like to go straight to the top. Rishi Sunak last week provided a summary of his income and gains, and what they showed was that the richest Prime Minister Britain has ever known—[Interruption.]—if I can finish—is paying—[Interruption.]