, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I know that the Minister for Health and Social Services meets regularly, alongside the Deputy Minister for Social Services, with local government colleagues, particularly those who hold the social services portfolio. So, perhaps I'll seek an update from her…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
We do gather a really wide range of data from the public in Wales in terms of what their priorities are and what their views are on services. We've got the national survey, we've got the family survey and so on. If it's okay with the committee, I'll send a…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
Those are the kinds of pressures that local government raise with us all the time. I suppose I started to explore that in the answer to Sam Rowlands earlier, when talking about some of those tough choices that local government will be making. They've…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
These are issues that are raised by local government leaders, actually, in some of the meetings I attend with them as well. I know that, especially in times of constrained budgets, there is a danger of tensions starting to emerge between two very important…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I'll start with the funding floor and then perhaps ask Judith about some of the detail in terms of the funding formula. Normally, when you think about a funding floor, it's to provide a floor below which no authority will fall, rather than a minimum increase…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I think there will be choices that local government won't want to take, just like there have been choices that we haven't wanted to take. Across Government, there are areas where we can always do more, particularly in that preventative space. I was listening…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
So, I know local government won't want to take bad decisions, but they might have to take very unpalatable decisions. So, you've heard local government talking about potential losses of or reductions in service, and potential job losses in some areas. I know…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I think that we should all be mindful and we should be concerned about resilience in councils, because I think it's something that we should all be paying close attention to. I do worry about the funding that we're able to provide local government with. But…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I think the situation is mixed in terms of resilience. So, when we consider the important role that reserves can play in terms of resilience, you see a different picture of reserves across local authorities in Wales—some have significant reserves, others have…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I think there are some differences between the situation that we’re facing now and in the next year, as compared to the situation that we experienced through austerity. And that’s because, during austerity, we saw sometimes local government budgets shrinking…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, so local authorities will have already in place embedded systems whereby they comply with the Welsh language standards and the work that they do in terms of promoting the Welsh language locally. Of course, the overall settlement is unhypothecated, and it…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes, I’m confident we’ve got the right opportunities in place, especially because I think one of the benefits that we have—we’re a small country—is it is possible to have those individual relationships with all 22 leaders; it’s possible for officials to have…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
Did you want to say a bit more about the mechanisms that we have?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I might ask officials to reflect on some of the mechanisms that we have within Welsh Government at official level in terms of that kind of information sharing, but, certainly, for my part, I spend a lot of time doing individual meetings and individual visits…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I should say that this is an important part of the work that the Minister for Social Justice is leading in terms of the benefits charter. I think I'm right in saying that there'll be a launch event for that in the next week—it might even be next…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
So, of course, the RSG forms only part of the funding available to local authorities. We also have our range of specific grants, which I haven't mentioned yet, as well, which are also really important in terms of supporting service delivery. But raising…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
I think that the unhypothecated element is really important and, of course, it then gives local authorities the flexibility that they need to address the particular service areas. Of course, social services, education and housing take up the largest share of…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
Great. Thank you, Chair. I'd just like to, really, begin by reflecting on the fact that I absolutely understand the pressures that local government are under at the moment. We have a really good working relationship with local government and many…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2024-25 - evidence session 2: Minister for Finance and Local Government
Yes. I'll ask themselves to introduce themselves, Chair.
, Plenary
The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements and Default Scheme) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2024
Just to say thank you to the Chair of the committee for the committee’s work, and I’m glad that the response has been received.
, Plenary
The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements and Default Scheme) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2024
Thank you. I welcome the opportunity to bring forward these amending regulations today. The Council Tax Reduction Schemes (Prescribed Requirements and Default Scheme) (Amendment) (Wales) Regulations 2024 amend the 2013 council tax reduction scheme…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Ystadau Cymru
Thank you, again, for the recognition of the work of Ystadau Cymru. Just to that point, really, about the community assets and so on, which I know is also something that you take a particular interest in, I should have referred in response to the previous…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Ystadau Cymru
Thank you very much, again, for those questions this afternoon. I completely agree that the way in which the Welsh Government uses its own administrative estate really sets the tone for the whole of the public sector. And, of course, there was a recognition…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Ystadau Cymru
I'm very grateful to Peter Fox for those questions this afternoon, and also for the welcome that he's given to the work of Ystadau Cymru. I think that, often, Peter Fox and I have debates across the floor of the Senedd about budgets and, often, we're talking…
, Plenary
Statement by the Minister for Finance and Local Government: Ystadau Cymru
Our surplus buildings and land have also been used to support our public sector partners. Our policy is to offer surplus assets within the public sector before placing them on the market for sale. This approach has enabled our former offices in Llandrindod…
