, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thank you very much to you both for coming in today, and in circumstances where you're going through changes currently. I'm very grateful to you for giving us your time and your availability to be with us. There was very interesting information and discussion…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Diolch yn fawr. A final question from me, and it's about the Multiply programme. Five hundred and sixty million pounds of the UK shared prosperity fund is allocated to the programme. What's your understanding of how this will be delivered in Wales?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
And within the local authorities and the bodies that are applying for these funds, do you think we've got the pool of talent of people—the people resource in that pool to be able to deliver these plans, or is it something longer term that we need to look at…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
You've touched slightly on the question of the UK Government providing support for developing the investment plans. Is that going far enough? Is there enough being done to give the support to fleshing these plans out and doing the detailed work? I appreciate…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Would I be right in saying that if there was a way of having that rolling over, you'd be very much in favour, to be able to have better quality projects, rather than potentially rushed projects?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
So, would it be prudent for the UK Government to allow these funds to be rolled over into the following years?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thanks, Peter. A couple of final questions from me. The First Minister suggested that application timescales mean that funding will be less well spent. To what extent do you agree with the First Minister's concerns, and how are local authorities preparing…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Peter.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thank you very much. I'd like to go over to Mike Hedges now to ask some questions. There we are.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thank you for that. The last question from me for now: the strategic forum for regional investment in Wales suggested the idea that funds have been devolved to local government was a fallacy and that local government is more of an administrator—do you…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Yes. I mentioned at the start of the meeting that we'd invited the Secretary of State or the Under-Secretary of State to come and give oral evidence to this committee. Do you find that the lack of engagement by UK Government with the Senedd on this issue…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Yes, of course, Chris.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Okay. Thank you for that. Conwy County Borough Council notes the challenge local government in Wales faces to build up relationships with the UK Government. How do you assess the current state of those relationships between local authorities in Wales with UK…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Okay. And with the complexity, do you think that the sector's experience—? As they're applying for the various bids, how have the timescales impacted on the potential quality of the bids, because if you're having to produce a lot of information and produce…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
You were talking about capacity, and obviously it takes a lot of resource to get these bids in and then possibly they would be unsuccessful. Do you think that that is reflected in the fact that some of the local authorities didn't apply?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
From what you've seen so far, is it simpler than the applications for the European funding, or at the moment is it too early to tell?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Okay. Thank you very much. So, how have the processes of these funds compared to the processes you had around the EU funding for local authorities?
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Okay. So, there's a continuous improvement element to it, in that sense.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Sorry, picking up on your point quickly there, you talked about a competitive process and, in your written evidence, you said that it's inherently wasteful, the competitive process. Is that because of both running at the same time causing issues, or is it…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
That makes a lot of sense, and obviously you're giving evidence with the knowledge that you've got, and we take that into account—that it could change, going forward, and it's likely to, with different leaders coming through, and that sort of thing. But, yes…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thanks for that.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
So, what we'll do is we'll start with some questions and, again, thank you for attending. I want to start this morning to understand how the UK community renewal fund and the first round of the levelling-up fund have been operated. So, a question to one or…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thank you very much. This is our first evidence session in our inquiry into post-EU funding arrangements. Before we begin, I'd like to note that the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities has declined our invitation to appear before this…
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thank you very much. And Tim.
, Finance Committee
Post-EU funding arrangements: Evidence session 1
Thank you so much for joining us. Would you mind giving your full names and what you do, for the record, if you please? If we start with Chris.
