English: I'm very pleased that, at the last Senedd election, we had a large number of councillors who had been council leaders, like Sam Rowlands, deputy leaders and cabinet members elected to the Senedd - people who know first-hand the importance of local government services and the money needed to run them. I will not always agree with them, but I respect their knowledge and experience of local government. I agree we should thank councillors and local authorities and their staff throughout Wales for the role during the coronavirus pandemic. Councillors and councils played a remarkable role. Just dealing with one single issue, the issue of homelessness, the Welsh Government provided a £10 million fund that enabled local authorities to engage with all those sleeping rough, and ensure they had access to safe and suitable accommodation to meet the pandemic restrictions. But it was the local authorities and their staff who did the work. Within the first two weeks of lockdown, local authorities accommodated or reaccommodated over 500 households who'd either been sleeping rough or were in accommodation unsuitable for social distancing. This figure eventually rose to over 1,000. Local authorities reconfigured teams and redeployed staff to ensure effective provision of services and also found new ways of working with partners. The mechanism of a centralised co-ordination cell within each council brought together partners such as health, registered social landlords, police and probation, third sector organisations and others to collectively plan and deliver services - an example of Welsh local government in action. We had a serious fire in Swansea several years ago, and the local authority were the only people who could take control and ensure it was dealt with, while everybody else, including the fire service, were trying to find reasons why it wasn't really their responsibility, and they shouldn't be having to pay for it. The local authority stepped in and made sure it was dealt with. That's happened in local authorities the length and breadth of Wales, and I'm sure that colleagues here could talk about what was done in their own local authorities. The services provided by the 22 local authorities in Wales provide the basic services that people need. The funding formula, or aggregated external finance, which was previously known as the rate support grant before business rates were centralised, is meant to provide resources to financially support local authorities above their local council tax income. The local government finance settlement determines how much of the funding provided for Wales is given to each local authority. This funding contains the revenue support grant and non-domestic rates, and is distributed on the basis of a needs-based formula. I'm one of those people who thinks that the national non-domestic rates should be returned to local authorities. We talk often about devolution; devolution means that some things have to go down from here to local authorities and other places. Devolution should not stop in Cardiff and the Senedd. Local authorities can raise money themselves locally - not just the council tax, but, depending where you are, things like car parking, fees and charges. But if you look at it, the distribution of properties in each band varies enormously. The number of properties in each council tax band varies. Some, such as Blaenau Gwent, have over half their properties in band A, and very few properties in the top two bands. Monmouthshire, by comparison, has only just over 1 per cent of its properties in band A and 6 per cent of its properties in the top two bands. Monmouthshire, with more high-value properties, has a greater ability to raise money through local taxation. Returning to what the Welsh Government funding is meant to be, it means that, if we intend to be fair, councils such as Monmouth should get less per person than councils like Blaenau Gwent from the Welsh Government. What we need is two things: business rates returned to local councils, which would have a huge effect, and a fairer system of council tax with either additional bands or, preferably, council tax based upon the absolute value of the property. You can take a property just over a band, and all of a sudden, people end up paying substantially more. But we also know, don't we, that if you are band A, you pay about half - two thirds, sorry - of band D, whereas if you're in band G or H, you pay about twice as much? So, it isn't based on the value of the properties, as such, and it discriminates against people with lower value properties. Council tax is regressive, but it doesn't have to be. It can be based on the absolute value of properties, and we've also got a situation - something we need to think about - namely, how do we make sure that everybody gets exactly the same level of service? Now, it's been said that Blaenau Gwent has much higher band D properties for council tax, and Monmouthshire has much fewer, but that's because of the distribution. If you live in a three-bedroomed semi-detached house in Blaenau Gwent, you're lucky to be in band A. If you live in a three-bedroomed semi-detached house in somewhere like Chepstow, you're probably in band D. So, there's that difference as well. But I think that we need to make sure that council tax is fair, it needs to be changed, and it needs to make sure that every local authority gets what it deserves.
Welsh: Rwy'n falch iawn fod gennym, yn etholiad diwethaf y Senedd, nifer mawr o gynghorwyr a fu'n arweinwyr cynghorau, fel Sam Rowlands, dirprwy arweinwyr ac aelodau cabinet wedi eu hethol i'r Senedd - pobl sy'n gwybod yn uniongyrchol am bwysigrwydd gwasanaethau llywodraeth leol a'r arian sydd ei angen i'w rhedeg. Nid wyf bob amser yn cytuno â hwy, ond rwy'n parchu eu gwybodaeth a'u profiad o lywodraeth leol. Rwy'n cytuno y dylem ddiolch i gynghorwyr ac awdurdodau lleol a'u staff ledled Cymru am y rôl yn ystod y pandemig coronafeirws. Chwaraeodd cynghorwyr a chynghorau eu rhan yn rhyfeddol. I drafod un mater unigol, mater digartrefedd, darparodd Llywodraeth Cymru gronfa o £10 miliwn a alluogodd awdurdodau lleol i gysylltu â phawb a oedd yn cysgu ar y stryd, a sicrhau bod ganddynt ffordd o gael llety diogel ac addas i gydymffurfio â chyfyngiadau'r pandemig. Ond yr awdurdodau lleol a'u staff a wnaeth y gwaith. O fewn pythefnos gyntaf y cyfyngiadau symud, roedd awdurdodau lleol wedi cartrefu neu ail-gartrefu dros 500 o aelwydydd a oedd naill ai wedi bod yn cysgu ar y stryd neu mewn llety a oedd yn anaddas ar gyfer cadw pellter cymdeithasol. Cododd y ffigur hwn yn y pen draw i dros 1,000. Ad-drefnodd awdurdodau lleol dimau ac adleoli staff i sicrhau bod gwasanaethau'n cael eu darparu'n effeithiol a hefyd, daethant o hyd i ffyrdd newydd o weithio gyda phartneriaid. Daeth system cell gydgysylltu ganolog ym mhob cyngor â phartneriaid megis iechyd, landlordiaid cymdeithasol cofrestredig, yr heddlu a'r gwasanaeth prawf, sefydliadau'r trydydd sector ac eraill at ei gilydd i gynllunio a darparu gwasanaethau ar y cyd - enghraifft o lywodraeth leol Cymru ar waith. Cawsom dân difrifol yn Abertawe sawl blwyddyn yn ôl, a'r awdurdod lleol oedd yr unig bobl a allai gymryd rheolaeth a sicrhau ei fod yn cael ei drin, tra bod pawb arall, gan gynnwys y gwasanaeth tân, yn ceisio dod o hyd i resymau pam nad oedd yn gyfrifoldeb iddynt hwy mewn gwirionedd, ac na ddylent orfod talu amdano. Camodd yr awdurdod lleol i mewn a gwneud yn siŵr ei fod yn cael ei drin. Mae hynny wedi digwydd mewn awdurdodau lleol ar hyd a lled Cymru, ac rwy'n siŵr y gallai cyd-Aelodau yma siarad am yr hyn a wnaed yn eu hawdurdodau lleol eu hunain. Mae'r gwasanaethau a ddarperir gan y 22 awdurdod lleol yng Nghymru yn darparu'r gwasanaethau sylfaenol sydd eu hangen ar bobl. Nod y fformiwla ariannu, neu gyllid allanol cyfanredol, a elwid gynt yn grant cynnal ardrethi cyn i ardrethi busnes gael eu canoli, yw darparu adnoddau i gefnogi awdurdodau lleol yn ariannol uwchlaw incwm y dreth gyngor yn lleol. Mae'r setliad cyllid llywodraeth leol yn pennu faint o'r arian a ddarperir i Gymru a roddir i bob awdurdod lleol. Mae'r cyllid hwn yn cynnwys y grant cynnal refeniw ac ardrethi annomestig, ac fe'i dosberthir ar sail fformiwla sy'n seiliedig ar anghenion. Rwy'n un o'r bobl sy'n credu y dylid dychwelyd ardrethi annomestig cenedlaethol i awdurdodau lleol. Rydym yn sôn yn aml am ddatganoli; mae datganoli'n golygu bod yn rhaid i rai pethau fynd i lawr o'r fan hon i awdurdodau lleol a lleoedd eraill. Ni ddylai datganoli ddod i ben yng Nghaerdydd a'r Senedd. Gall awdurdodau lleol godi arian eu hunain yn lleol - nid y dreth gyngor yn unig, ond, yn dibynnu ar ble'r ydych chi, pethau fel parcio ceir, ffioedd a thaliadau. Ond os edrychwch arno, mae dosbarthiad eiddo ym mhob band yn amrywio'n fawr. Mae nifer yr eiddo ym mhob band treth gyngor yn amrywio. Mae gan rai, fel Blaenau Gwent, dros hanner eu heiddo ym mand A, ac ychydig iawn o eiddo sydd yn y ddau fand uchaf. Mewn cymhariaeth, dim ond ychydig dros 1 y cant o'i heiddo sydd gan sir Fynwy ym mand A ac mae 6 y cant o'i heiddo yn y ddau fand uchaf. Mae gan sir Fynwy, gyda mwy o eiddo uchel ei werth, fwy o allu i godi arian drwy drethiant lleol. I ddychwelyd at yr hyn yw cyllid Llywodraeth Cymru i fod, mae'n golygu, os ydym yn bwriadu bod yn deg, y dylai cynghorau fel Mynwy gael llai y pen na chynghorau fel Blaenau Gwent gan Lywodraeth Cymru. Yr hyn sydd ei angen arnom yw dau beth: dychwelyd ardrethi busnes i gynghorau lleol, rhywbeth a fyddai'n cael effaith enfawr, a system decach o dreth gyngor gyda bandiau ychwanegol neu, yn well na hynny, treth gyngor yn seiliedig ar werth absoliwt yr eiddo. Gallwch fynd ag eiddo ychydig bach dros fand, ac yn sydyn iawn, mae pobl yn talu llawer mwy. Ond fe wyddom hefyd, os ydych ym mand A, eich bod yn talu tua hanner - dwy ran o dair, mae'n ddrwg gennyf - o fand D, ond os ydych ym mand G neu H, rydych yn talu tua dwywaith cymaint? Felly, nid yw'n seiliedig ar werth yr eiddo, fel y cyfryw, ac mae'n gwahaniaethu yn erbyn pobl ag eiddo gwerth is. Mae'r dreth gyngor yn atchweliadol, ond nid oes rhaid iddi fod. Gall fod yn seiliedig ar werth absoliwt eiddo, ac mae gennym sefyllfa hefyd - rhywbeth y mae angen inni feddwl amdano - sef sut y gallwn sicrhau bod pawb yn cael yr un lefel o wasanaeth? Nawr, dywedwyd bod gan Flaenau Gwent lawer mwy o eiddo band D ar gyfer y dreth gyngor, ac mae gan sir Fynwy lawer llai, ond mae hynny oherwydd y dosbarthiad. Os ydych chi'n byw mewn tŷ pâr tair ystafell wely ym Mlaenau Gwent, rydych chi'n lwcus i fod ym mand A. Os ydych chi'n byw mewn tŷ pâr tair ystafell wely yn rhywle fel Cas-gwent, mae'n debyg eich bod ym mand D. Felly, mae'r gwahaniaeth hwnnw yno hefyd. Ond credaf fod angen inni sicrhau bod y dreth gyngor yn deg, mae angen ei newid, ac mae angen sicrhau bod pob awdurdod lleol yn cael yr hyn y mae'n ei haeddu.