, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
The parking fine, yes.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Because it's about collaboration as well, about local authorities working together across digital services. I paid a parking fine when I parked in Merthyr—no, in Ebbw Vale, actually—to a cluster of local authorities all using one service to pay parking fines…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Relatively good. There was a lot of opposition.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
And that's where I think you've got to have leaders in local authorities, not just officers, but you've got to identify councillors who are willing to drive this agenda as well. So, I'd be interested to know, Cabinet Secretary, how you think you could do that…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
I agree with some of what Lee is saying, actually. I think some senior officers in councils do get it, but I'm afraid the decisions being taken and being done by councillors sometimes—and sometimes I don't think councillors understand digital as well. I don't…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
That’s interesting, because, when I was in local government, we had to put everything out to Sell2Wales, even if there was a preferred contractor, and you thought there was bias. So, I was just interested to make sure that there are no double standards, that…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Yes, that's fine. I just want to get it on the—[Inaudible.] So there’s no double standards—that the Government can do something because it’s basically the Government’s own procurement arm.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
That's fine. If local government decided to do this, not the Government, would the same rule apply? Could they do that, or would there be different rules for local government?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
I want to talk about Sell2Wales, if that's okay, and about research and commissioning. Looking on Sell2Wales’s website, £170,000 was awarded to Cardiff University for the provision of academic research and stakeholder engagement, but this was done without…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
That's fine. I won't press you any more.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Because some councils do tend to reduce council tax increases by use of reserves, which I never used to like doing, because I thought it was a short-term fix for a long-term problem. But I'm just interested—is that something the Cabinet Secretary, with…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Yes, people don't understand, you know.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Yes, before we move on, Chair, from finance, I just want to talk about reserves. There is a bit of a misconception when we talk about reserves—there are usable reserves and there are allocated reserves to other areas. So, I just need to get that clarified…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Yes, that's lovely. Thank you.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Sorry, Chair, I've got another question. Because you mentioned social care, it was something that I can remember, when I was on the Welsh Local Government Association, as being an element that was supposed to be, wanted to be relooked at, so a positive as…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
There are only about four people in Wales who understand it.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
—every year. So, I'm just interested in what's going on around that as well to make sure that there's equal distribution across Wales of funding. I'm done then, Chair—I won't hog the meeting again.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
So just out of interest—sorry, Cadeirydd—if there was, say, a cash-flat settlement from the UK Government, no increases at all, where do the Welsh Government—? They must have done some modelling around this, if no increase comes. What do you see as being the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
It's very difficult, I know, from the other side of the table, in terms of the budget planning process because local authorities are going through budget planning for next year now, aren’t they, so delays aren’t great, but I can understand where the Welsh…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
There's obviously work being done.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
I know it's a very busy time for the Welsh Government at the minute, because I know you're dealing with provisional settlements and everything at the minute, as well, with local authorities. Is there any indication of the provisional settlement yet, or is the…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
On section 114 notices—and from my time in local government, I can remember the section 151 officer and the Society of Welsh Treasurers meetings—are there any local authorities out there—I'll probably address this to the Minister, but you'll probably have to…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Thank you. Cabinet Secretary, given the recent examples of financial pressures in English local authorities, how does the Welsh Government assess the current financial resilience of local authorities across Wales? Are there any specific indicators or metrics…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Diolch, Cadeirydd.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
These are my final two questions, because I'm hogging the session at the minute. The £127 million of capital funding that was made available for building safety, I'm just wondering how much of that has actually been spent this year. And also, with remedial…
