English: Thank you for that, Minister, and I concur with Huw Irranca-Davies. I chaired, or hosted a meeting for Members to join local authority leaders, and, sadly, I was the only one who turned up, even though we had 10 south-east Wales leaders on the call sharing the scale of their issues. And the scale of the challenge is huge, and the financial outlook is challenging. But some councils are far better equipped to face this than others. Minister, as I've said on a number of occasions, the formula for funding councils is out of date and is unfair. It sees some councils able to stack up colossal useable reserves while others struggle to meet their needs. I understand reserves, I can absorb the stock answers, but I understand the situation, as most local government members here will. As Altaf Hussain mentioned in his previous question, we saw an increase of over 35 per cent in useable reserves held at March 2021 to £2.1 billion. Now, sad as I am in taking some time to trawl through the draft statement of accounts for March 2022 over the weekend, I've noticed an increase of well over 30 per cent again, some almost 50 per cent, with a circa increase of probably £600 million at March 2022, leaving a collective useable reserve pot of £2.75 billion. However, it's not a fair distribution. Some, at March of this year, held well over £200 million whilst others hold minimal useable reserves. Minister, do you think that, at a time of such financial pressure for our country, it's right for some councils to hold so much in reserves? I know that a portion will be school balances and some will be capital, but some councils hold significant amounts of useable reserves in dormant, unused, earmarked accounts. So, shouldn't the Government find better and fairer ways to distribute finance? Especially at the moment, so that councils don't have to rely so much on hard-pressed council tax payers who can ill afford -
Welsh: Diolch, Weinidog, a chytunaf â Huw Irranca-Davies. Cadeiriais, neu cynhaliais gyfarfod i Aelodau ymuno ag arweinwyr awdurdodau lleol, ac yn anffodus, fi oedd yr unig un a ddaeth, er bod gennym 10 o arweinwyr de-ddwyrain Cymru ar yr alwad yn rhannu maint eu problemau. Ac mae'r her yn enfawr, ac mae'r rhagolygon ariannol yn heriol. Ond mae rhai cynghorau mewn sefyllfa well o lawer i wynebu hyn nag eraill. Weinidog, fel y dywedais ar sawl achlysur, mae'r fformiwla ar gyfer ariannu cynghorau wedi dyddio ac yn annheg. Golyga fod rhai cynghorau'n gallu cynilo symiau anferthol o gronfeydd wrth gefn y gellir eu defnyddio, tra bod eraill yn ei chael hi'n anodd diwallu eu hanghenion. Rwy'n deall cronfeydd wrth gefn, gallaf amsugno'r atebion parod, ond rwy'n deall y sefyllfa, fel y bydd y rhan fwyaf o aelodau llywodraeth leol yma. Fel y soniodd Altaf Hussain yn ei gwestiwn blaenorol, gwelsom gynnydd o dros 35 y cant yn y cronfeydd wrth gefn y gellir eu defnyddio ym mis Mawrth 2021 i £2.1 biliwn. Nawr, er mor drist yw hi fy mod wedi treulio amser yn pori drwy'r datganiad o gyfrifon drafft ar gyfer mis Mawrth 2022 dros y penwythnos, sylwais ar gynnydd o ymhell dros 30 y cant unwaith eto, bron i 50 y cant mewn rhai achosion, gyda chynnydd o oddeutu £600 miliwn, yn ôl pob tebyg, ym mis Mawrth 2022, sy'n gadael cyfanswm o £2.75 biliwn mewn cronfeydd wrth gefn y gellir eu defnyddio. Fodd bynnag, nid yw'n ddosbarthiad teg. Ym mis Mawrth eleni, roedd gan rai ymhell dros £200 miliwn, er bod gan eraill lawer iawn llai o gronfeydd wrth gefn y gellir eu defnyddio. Weinidog, a ydych yn credu, mewn cyfnod o bwysau ariannol o'r fath ar ein gwlad, ei bod yn iawn fod gan rai cynghorau gymaint o arian mewn cronfeydd wrth gefn? Gwn y bydd cyfran ohono'n falansau ysgolion a rhywfaint yn arian cyfalaf, ond mae gan rai cynghorau symiau sylweddol o gronfeydd wrth gefn y gellir eu defnyddio mewn cyfrifon segur wedi'u clustnodi nad ydynt yn cael eu defnyddio. Felly, oni ddylai'r Llywodraeth ddod o hyd i ffyrdd gwell a thecach o ddosbarthu cyllid? Yn enwedig ar hyn o bryd, fel nad oes rhaid i gynghorau ddibynnu i'r fath raddau ar dalwyr y dreth gyngor, sydd o dan bwysau ac na allant fforddio -