, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Okay. Thank you.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
I understand that you don't have perfect visibility, but the estimates for budget pressures have changed for future years and are now lower than the previous estimates. So, I just wonder if there's anything behind that or if, as you've just said, you're…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Thanks. The paper you submitted in evidence talks about unanticipated demand, which we understand, and the WLGA is projecting an overspend of £238 million for the current year. But it also seems to have downgraded its estimates for cost pressures in future…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Thank you.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Can I follow up on that? Because, on that last point in particular, there was a case study from Caerphilly County Borough Council a number of years ago now about the use of robotic process automation to take away mundane work in administering free school…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Thanks. Yes, I was really interested in that point about the use of data and digital to remodel services, because there's no mention in the WLGA evidence paper at all about collaboration, sharing services, the use of automation to reduce burdens on the way…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Thank you.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
And how confident are you that you'll be able to spend that?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26: Evidence session 1—Welsh Local Government Association
Can I just ask specifically on that question of highways funding, because it's my understanding that the Welsh Government is providing £5 million to enable you to draw down a further £60 million? So, I'd just like to ask Councillor Gebbie to expand on her…
, Plenary
Statement by the First Minister: Delivering for Wales
Last year was the hottest year on record, which follows 2023, which was the hottest year on record. In fact, the United Nations says that all the projections are now at the upper end of what was predicted. The 10 hottest years on record all happened in the…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
No, I'm fine with that.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
No, I understand it is the process. I'm very well aware of that. My question is, given that there are financial constraints, you can't do anything about that, we've all discussed that, these are regrettable—you can't do anything about it. One thing you could…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
It's if there was a consistent approach from the Government that I'm trying to tease out here.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
So is the money we give local authorities.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
But can you explain why it's right for Amgueddfa Cymru, but it's not right for local authorities?
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
What I'm puzzled by is the difference in approach between local authorities, where you're bending over backwards to remove constraints, and here, with these things we still keep calling arm's-length bodies, though, increasingly, I'm struggling to find the…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Is that proportionate? Given that it has to be spent by the end of the financial year, it's money you're giving based on an evidenced need. It's for a trusted arm's-length body. Why then put that additional burden on them?
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Yes, but why do they need to do that?
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I guess the point I'm trying to point to is that you do award money to the arm's-length bodies, sometimes in-year, which is obviously not ideal from anyone's point of view, but it's better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. And then, when you do award…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Okay, thank you. So, given those constraints, which I understand, I guess the question then falls into what flexibility can you give arm's-length bodies with the money that is allocated to them? We know that the agreement reached with local government is to…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Thanks. I just want to touch on the role of the Government in trying to manage all of this difficult funding. We've had various evidence, inevitably saying that bodies would appreciate a longer term funding horizon to plan on, an advance warning of cuts…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
Forgive me, but if the Welsh Government's going to be reducing the amount of money available, by definition there's going to be detriment to access. So, something has to give somewhere. Isn't there a danger of you want your cake and eat it? A Minister, as…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
It's on the role of the Welsh Government vis-à-vis the operational independence of the arm's-length bodies. Because when Ministers are getting involved in these decisions—. I remember evidence to this committee some years ago from Ken Skates when he was…
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
It was just on that point.
, Culture, Communications, Welsh Language, Sport, and International Relations Committee
Impact of funding reductions for culture and sport: Evidence session with the Minister for Culture, Skills and Social Partnership (10)
I just want to ask more of a reflective question, I suppose, because when there are cuts to be made, inevitably decision makers want to prioritise what are perceived as key services, or those that have immediate harm to the economy, and it seems, again, that…
