English: I'm going to be supporting the budget. I believe that local government does need more money, but I believe the whole of the public sector in Wales needs more money. But I want to discuss the reason for the aggregate external finance, what we used to call the Welsh Government budget settlement, and then to discuss this year's settlement. The aggregate external finance is a combination of what the rate support grant used to be and the sharing of the national non-domestic rate collected in Wales. The rate support grant is support for the council tax, which used to be rates collected by a local authority, so that each should be funded to its standard spending assessment, after adding the council tax, but not any fees and charges. The greater the ability to collect council tax locally, the less the Welsh Government support for a council needs to be. The number of properties in each council tax band varies massively between local authorities. Some such as Blaenau Gwent have over half their properties in band A. Monmouthshire, by comparison, has just over 1 per cent of its properties in band A and has almost 6 per cent in the top two bands. In Monmouthshire, there are more properties in the top band than there are in band A. So, adding £1 to band E council tax in Monmouthshire raises substantially more - getting on for almost 100 per cent more - than you get for doing exactly the same in Blaenau Gwent. We would thus expect the councils to get the largest Welsh Government support per capita to be those with the least ability to raise council tax revenue, which are Blaenau Gwent, which is independent-controlled, Merthyr, which is independent-controlled, and Rhondda Cynon Taf, which is Labour-controlled. So, it's certainly not a pro-Labour budget. We would then expect the three lowest to be the Vale of Glamorgan, Labour minority-controlled, Monmouth, which is Conservative-controlled, and Cardiff, which is Labour-controlled - due to the scheme being based on making up for the council tax able to be collected. We see from the Welsh local government revenue settlement that the highest support per capita does go to Blaenau Gwent, Merthyr and Rhondda Cynon Taf, and the least to Monmouth, Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff. On band I properties, the top band, there are 5,510 in Wales and 3,020 of them are in three authorities: Monmouth, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. That tells us about where you've got a greater ability to raise money via the council tax. Year on year population changes are the main driver in terms of additional money year on year. It's not the only driver, the population changes, there's a bit on road length that's relative and some other things, but it's mainly population. It is unfortunate that, while the Welsh Government shows the amount under each part of the rate support grant calculation, so it shows how much each local authority gets for each portion of it, it doesn't actually publish the calculations that would show how they have reached those figures. I think it would be very helpful if people could actually see the numbers going into the calculations rather than just the end result. Of course, the formula can be changed. It could simply be an amount per head of population, and people in Cardiff and Swansea would do very well, but it would be catastrophic for Merthyr, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Blaenau Gwent. Changing the formula can cause big swings in funding with minor changes. There was a change in road funding from 52 per cent population and 48 per cent road length to 50 per cent of each, which didn't seem a very major change and seemed fairly reasonable, but it moved hundreds of thousands of pounds from Cardiff, Swansea and Newport to Powys, Ceredigion and other sparsely populated areas. Small changes in the formula can end up producing changes that perhaps you wouldn't want before you changed the formula. Looking at this year's budget compared to last year's, it's the best settlement for a decade and it sets local government core revenue funding at £4.474 billion. Adjusting for transfers, the core revenue funding for local government in 2020-21 will increase by 4.3 per cent on a like-for-like basis compared to the current year. If only that had happened for the last 10 years, we would not be having a debate and people saying, 'Local government needs more money.' It would still need more money, because local government can never have enough money, like most other services, but it would be in a position where it would be able to deal with most of its problems. Every authority has an increase of at least 3 per cent. On the figures published in table 4 of the 'Local Government Finance Report (No.1) 2020-21 (Final Settlement - Councils) ' it shows the standard spending assessments for each council per head, and shows Denbighshire with £2,155 as the highest in Wales. Anglesey, Gwynedd and Powys are all above the average, and Conwy is exactly average. Finally, why not give every council the same percentage rise? Because it would disadvantage those whose population was growing relative to others and it would advantage those with greater capacity to raise money via council tax. The settlement does appear fair. I think we really do need to work out what we're trying to do. We're trying to support local government, but we're trying to do it in such a way that every authority gets the ability to do the same thing. That's what the standard spending assessment is about. Finally, just another plea, can the Welsh Government show their calculations? Because just showing the final end result makes people think maybe they're wrong - or maybe they don't like them. If you actually show the numbers that do those calculations, it would allow people to check them themselves.
Welsh: Byddaf yn cefnogi'r gyllideb. Credaf fod angen mwy o arian ar lywodraeth leol, ond credaf fod angen mwy o arian ar y sector cyhoeddus i gyd yng Nghymru. Ond rwyf eisiau trafod y rheswm dros y cyllid allanol cyfanredol, yr hyn yr arferem ei alw'n setliad cyllideb Llywodraeth Cymru, ac yna trafod setliad eleni. Mae'r cyllid allanol cyfanredol yn gyfuniad o'r hyn yr arferai'r grant cynnal ardrethi fod ar arfer o rannu'r ardreth annomestig genedlaethol a gesglir yng Nghymru. Mae'r grant cynnal ardrethi yn gymorth ar gyfer y dreth gyngor, a arferai fod yn ardrethi a gasglwyd gan awdurdod lleol, fel y câi pob un ei ariannu yn ôl ei asesiad gwariant safonol, ar ôl ychwanegu'r dreth gyngor, ond dim ffioedd na thaliadau. Po fwyaf yw'r gallu i gasglu'r dreth gyngor yn lleol, lleiaf yw'r angen i Lywodraeth Cymru gefnogi cyngor. Mae nifer yr eiddo ym mhob band o'r dreth gyngor yn amrywio'n sylweddol rhwng awdurdodau lleol. Mae gan rai megis Blaenau Gwent dros hanner ei eiddo ym mand A. Mae gan Sir Fynwy o'i gymharu ychydig dros 1 y cant o'i heiddo ym mand A ac mae ganddi bron i 6 y cant yn y ddau fand uchaf. Yn Sir Fynwy, mae mwy o eiddo yn y band uchaf nag sydd ym mand A. Felly, mae ychwanegu £1 at dreth gyngor Band E yn Sir Fynwy yn codi mwy o lawer - bron i 100 y cant yn fwy - na'r hyn a gewch chi o wneud yn union yr un fath ym Mlaenau Gwent. Byddem felly'n disgwyl i'r cynghorau sy'n cael y cymorth mwyaf y pen gan Lywodraeth Cymru, fod y rhai hynny sydd â'r gallu lleiaf i godi refeniw'r dreth gyngor, sef Blaenau Gwent, sy'n cael ei reoli'n annibynnol, Merthyr, sy'n cael ei reoli'n annibynnol, a Rhondda Cynon Taf, sy'n cael ei reoli gan Lafur. Felly, yn sicr nid yw'n gyllideb sy'n cefnogi Llafur. Byddem wedyn yn disgwyl mai'r tri isaf fyddai Bro Morgannwg, sy'n cael ei reoli gan leiafrif Llafur, Mynwy, sy'n cael ei reoli gan y Ceidwadwyr, a Chaerdydd, sy'n cael ei reoli gan Lafur - oherwydd bod y cynllun yn seiliedig ar wneud iawn am y gallu i gasglu'r dreth gyngor. Gwelwn yn setliad refeniw llywodraeth leol Cymru fod y gefnogaeth fwyaf y pen yn mynd i Flaenau Gwent, Merthyr a Rhondda Cynon Taf, a'r lleiaf i Fynwy, Bro Morgannwg a Chaerdydd. O ran eiddo band I, y band uchaf, mae 5,510 yng Nghymru ac mae 3,020 ohonyn nhw mewn tri awdurdod: Mynwy, Caerdydd a Bro Morgannwg. Mae hynny'n dweud wrthym ymhle mae gennych chi fwy o allu i godi arian drwy'r dreth gyngor. O flwyddyn i flwyddyn, y newidiadau yn y boblogaeth yw'r prif ysgogwr o ran arian ychwanegol o flwyddyn i flwyddyn. Nid dyma'r unig ysgogwr, mae'r boblogaeth yn newid, mae elfen yn seiliedig ar hyd ffyrdd a phethau eraill ond yn bennaf, y boblogaeth. Mae'n anffodus, er bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn dangos y swm o dan bob rhan o gyfrifiad y grant cynnal ardrethi, er mwyn dangos faint mae pob awdurdod lleol yn ei gael ar gyfer pob cyfran ohono, nid yw'n cyhoeddi'r cyfrifiadau a fyddai'n dangos sut y maen nhw wedi cyfrifo'r ffigurau hynny. Rwy'n credu y byddai'n ddefnyddiol iawn pe gallai pobl weld y rhifau sy'n sail i'r cyfrifiadau yn hytrach na'r canlyniad yn unig. Wrth gwrs, gellir newid y fformiwla. Gallai fod yn swm y pen o'r boblogaeth yn unig, a byddai pobl yng Nghaerdydd ac Abertawe'n gwneud yn dda iawn, ond byddai'n drychinebus i Ferthyr, Rhondda Cynon Taf a Blaenau Gwent. Gall newid y fformiwla achosi pendiliadau mawr mewn cyllid yn sgil mân newidiadau. Cafwyd newid yn y cyllid ar gyfer ffyrdd o 52 y cant o boblogaeth a 48 y cant o hyd ffyrdd i 50 y cant ar gyfer y ddau, nad oedd yn ymddangos yn newid mawr iawn ac a ymddangosai'n weddol resymol, ond symudodd gannoedd o filoedd o bunnoedd o Gaerdydd, Abertawe a Chasnewydd i Bowys, Ceredigion ac ardaloedd eraill â phoblogaeth denau. Gall newidiadau bach yn y fformiwla yn y pen draw gynhyrchu newidiadau na fyddech eu heisiau efallai cyn i chi newid y fformiwla. O edrych ar gyllideb eleni o'i chymharu â'r llynedd, dyma'r setliad gorau ers degawd ac mae'n pennu cyllid refeniw craidd o £4.474 biliwn i lywodraeth leol. Gan addasu ar gyfer trosglwyddiadau, bydd cynnydd cymharol o 4.3 y cant yn y cyllid refeniw craidd ar gyfer llywodraeth leol yn 2020-21 o'i gymharu â'r flwyddyn gyfredol. Pe bai hynny wedi digwydd dros y 10 mlynedd diwethaf, ni fyddem yn cael dadl a phobl yn dweud, 'Mae angen mwy o arian ar lywodraeth leol.' Byddai angen mwy o arian arno o hyd, oherwydd ni all llywodraeth leol fyth gael digon o arian, fel y rhan fwyaf o wasanaethau eraill, ond byddai mewn sefyllfa lle y byddai'n gallu ymdrin â'r rhan fwyaf o'i phroblemau. Bydd pob awdurdod yn gweld cynnydd o 3 y cant o leiaf. O ran y ffigurau a gyhoeddwyd yn nhabl 4 o 'Adroddiad Cyllid Llywodraeth Leol (Rhif 1) 2020-21 (Y Setliad Terfynol - Cynghorau) ' mae'n dangos yr asesiadau gwariant safonol y pen ar gyfer pob cyngor, ac yn dangos mai Sir Ddinbych â £2,155 yw'r uchaf yng Nghymru. Mae Ynys Môn, Gwynedd a Phowys i gyd yn uwch na'r cyfartaledd, a Chonwy yn union ar y cyfartaledd. Yn olaf, beth am roi'r un cynnydd canrannol i bob cyngor? Gan y byddai'n rhoi mwy o anfantais i'r rhai y mae eu poblogaeth yn tyfu o'u cymharu ag eraill, a byddai o fantais i'r rheini â mwy o allu i godi arian drwy'r dreth gyngor. Mae'r setliad yn ymddangos yn deg. Dwi'n credu bod gwir angen i ni ganfod beth yr ydym ni'n ceisio ei wneud. Rydym yn ceisio cefnogi llywodraeth leol, ond rydyn ni'n ceisio gwneud hynny yn y fath fodd fel bod pob awdurdod yn gallu gwneud yr un peth. Dyna beth yw hanfod yr asesiad o wariant safonol. Yn olaf, dim ond ple arall, a all Llywodraeth Cymru ddangos eu cyfrifiadau? Oherwydd mae dangos y canlyniad terfynol yn unig yn gwneud i bobl feddwl efallai eu bod nhw'n anghywir - neu efallai nad ydyn nhw'n eu hoffi. Os byddwch mewn gwirionedd yn dangos y ffigurau sy'n sail i'r cyfrifiadau hynny, byddai'n caniatáu i bobl eu gwirio nhw eu hunain.