English: I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Cabinet Secretary. Having worked with three former predecessors on the issue of moving towards local government reform, I find it extremely refreshing that we as a party have been able to be consulted and engage with you, and I know I've enjoyed the meetings we've had. I do expect to see that reflected - our policy proposals, our suggestions - throughout the White Paper when it actually arrives. We do have concerns, however, as a group in terms of how, in terms of local government reform, you are now grafting electoral reform onto the process, and we do feel that this is more about appeasing the political group Plaid Cymru in order to get their support. We would rather have seen a more consensual approach, where we could have all worked together and had a model that worked well for our authorities to deliver efficient and good-quality public services for our electorate. We know that the Williams commission, implemented by your Government - technically cross-party - made some firm recommendations, and, to date, we are wanting to see some of those recommendations implemented. The Welsh Government's top priority in local government reform should be what our residents and our council tax payers are asking for. They deserve and they want efficient, well-run services and they also want fair levels of council tax. I can honestly say, in my own constituency of Aberconwy, I haven't had a single person coming through my office or contacting me about the need for electoral reform here in Wales. What they have come to see me about is how the Welsh Government is moving forward after three years of what has been a chaotic period for local government under Welsh Labour. Sian Gwenllian did make some very valid points, actually, about the kind of confusion that might arise from some of the proposals mentioned in the statement today and whether there is a real danger that subdividing local government into different regional layers will create a perception of increased bureaucracy and succeed in taking decision making further away from residents. I welcome your mention, on those benches, of elected mayors. We've advocated directly elected mayors previously. However, in this instance, I would seek assurances from the Cabinet Secretary here today that any proposals going forward for local reform will not actually, ultimately, cost our council tax payers more and that the process doesn't become unwieldy in terms of bureaucracy and cost. Moving on, voluntary mergers are still on the table, and I would ask, Cabinet Secretary, what discussions you've actually had with those authorities that came forward bravely during the last term, put forward really good proposals for joint-authority working and were just rejected out of hand by the previous Minister. It would be interesting to know whether you are taking forward any conversations currently about how, if they want to - it's a cost-effective model - that can go forward? Going on to council tax, when we last looked at this, when the previous Minister was in post, there was the potential for band D property rates to vary by an extra £624 per year. That would not be welcomed in my constituency. We must remember that council tax under Labour in Wales has gone up 178 per cent, and people now really question what you will do as Cabinet Secretary in Government to actually help our hard-working council tax payers and our pensioners. Do you consider council tax harmonisation to be an issue in relation to regional working, and if you do, how do you propose to address this? Cabinet Secretary, you have suggested that there will be no additional reimbursement for any of the structures coming forward in your proposed model, either in scrutiny or the regional actual governance. I would ask you to put that on record here today because, again, I know that my constituents would be very unhappy if they were to see extra costings to the political side of any bureaucracy that may come from this. How will regional working really be scrutinised at regional level, but more importantly, at local level? And how will my constituents be able to feed into a north Wales model in terms of being able to have confidence that there will be really strong, robust scrutiny and financial probity? How will portfolio holders be held to account for the actions of their regional working? And where does the democratic accountability lie in that regard? Now, community councils - I'll move on - the Wales Office report out today found that many councils do not follow the basic procedural requirements set out in law. In 2015-16, community councils received over £43 million of income, yet incurred over £40 million of expenditure, managing reserves worth over £32 million and long-term assets worth over £180 million. I've raised it several times in this Chamber, and with yourself privately, about the need for a fundamental review of our community council system. Thirty-six per cent of councils do not set an appropriate budget. Over 50 councils fail to comply with a statutory timetable for preparing and improving the account statements. Again, what immediate action will you take to ensure that there are far higher rates of compliance with legal requirements in this regard? How will you ensure proper openness and transparency for this level of government, when many of our smaller community councils have had the funding to maintain a website, to maintain published minutes, to maintain a published agenda, and to maintain financial probity, transparency and democratic accountability? So, you know where my views, and those of my Welsh Conservative colleagues, stand here. We wish you luck, moving forward, with local government reform. We want to be a part of it but, as I said, for us, it's not about gerrymandering the electoral system. It is about true local government reform. Thank you.
Welsh: Hoffwn achub ar y cyfle hwn i ddiolch i Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet. Ar ôl gweithio gyda thri o'i ragflaenwyr ar fater symud tuag at ddiwygio llywodraeth leol, rwy'n teimlo ei bod yn hynod o braf ein bod ni fel plaid wedi gallu ymgynghori ac ymgysylltu â chi, ac rwy'n gwybod fy mod i wedi mwynhau'r cyfarfodydd yr ydym ni wedi eu cael. Rwy'n disgwyl gweld hynny wedi'i adlewyrchu - ein cynigion polisi, ein hawgrymiadau - ym mhob rhan o'r Papur Gwyn pan fydd yn cyrraedd mewn gwirionedd. Mae gennym bryderon, fodd bynnag, fel grŵp o ran sut, o ran diwygio llywodraeth leol, yr ydych nawr yn impio diwygio etholiadol at y broses, ac rydym yn teimlo bod hyn yn fwy o fater o fodloni grŵp gwleidyddol Plaid Cymru er mwyn cael eu cefnogaeth. Byddai wedi bod yn well gennym ni weld dull mwy cydsyniol, lle y gallem i gyd fod wedi cydweithio i greu model a fyddai'n gweithio'n dda ar gyfer ein hawdurdodau i ddarparu gwasanaethau cyhoeddus effeithlon o ansawdd da i'n hetholwyr. Rydym yn gwybod bod comisiwn Williams, a weithredwyd gan eich Llywodraeth - yn dechnegol yn drawsbleidiol - wedi gwneud rhai argymhellion pendant, a, hyd yn hyn, rydym un dal i fod eisiau gweld rhai o'r argymhellion hynny'n cael eu rhoi ar waith. Prif flaenoriaeth Llywodraeth Cymru wrth ddiwygio llywodraeth leol ddylai fod yr hyn y mae ein trigolion a thalwyr y dreth gyngor yn gofyn amdano. Maen nhw'n haeddu, ac mae arnynt eisiau, gwasanaethau effeithlon, wedi'u cynnal yn dda ac mae arnynt hefyd eisiau lefelau treth gyngor teg. Gallaf ddweud yn onest, yn fy etholaeth i yn Aberconwy, nad oes yr un person wedi dod drwy fy swyddfa nac wedi cysylltu â mi i ddweud bod angen diwygio etholiadol yma yng Nghymru. Yr hyn y maent wedi dod i fy ngweld ynglŷn ag ef yw sut y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn symud ymlaen ar ôl tair blynedd o'r hyn sydd wedi bod yn gyfnod di-drefn i lywodraeth leol o dan Lafur Cymru. Gwnaeth Siân Gwenllian rai pwyntiau dilys iawn, a dweud y gwir, am y math o ddryswch a allai godi o rai o'r cynigion a nodwyd yn y datganiad heddiw ac a oes perygl gwirioneddol y bydd isrannu llywodraeth leol yn wahanol haenau rhanbarthol yn creu teimlad o fwy o fiwrocratiaeth ac yn llwyddo i fynd â phenderfyniadau'n bellach oddi wrth drigolion. Rwy'n croesawu'r ffaith eich bod wedi sôn, ar y meinciau hyn, am feiri etholedig. Rydym wedi argymell meiri etholedig yn uniongyrchol o'r blaen. Fodd bynnag, yn yr achos hwn, byddwn yn gofyn am sicrwydd gan Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yma heddiw na fydd unrhyw gynigion yn y dyfodol ar gyfer diwygio lleol mewn gwirionedd, yn y pen draw, yn costio mwy i dalwyr y dreth gyngor ac na fydd y broses yn mynd yn anhylaw o ran biwrocratiaeth a chost. I symud ymlaen, mae uno gwirfoddol yn dal i fod yn ddewis, ac rwyf yn gofyn, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, pa drafodaethau ydych chi wedi'u cael mewn gwirionedd gyda'r awdurdodau hynny a ddaeth ymlaen yn ddewr yn ystod y tymor diwethaf, gan gyflwyno cynigion da iawn i gydweithio rhwng awdurdodau, ond a gafodd eu gwrthod yn llwyr gan y Gweinidog blaenorol? Byddai'n ddiddorol gwybod pa un a ydych chi'n bwrw ymlaen ag unrhyw sgyrsiau ar hyn o bryd ynglŷn â sut, os dymunant - mae'n fodel cost-effeithiol - i fwrw ymlaen â hynny? I droi at y dreth gyngor, y tro diwethaf inni edrych ar hyn, pan oedd y Gweinidog blaenorol yn y swydd, roedd posibilrwydd y gallai cyfraddau eiddo band D amrywio gan £624 ychwanegol y flwyddyn. Ni fyddai croeso i hynny yn fy etholaeth i. Mae'n rhaid inni gofio bod y dreth gyngor dan Lafur yng Nghymru wedi cynyddu 178 y cant, ac mae pobl wir yn cwestiynu erbyn hyn beth yr ydych chi'n mynd i'w wneud fel Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet yn y Llywodraeth i roi cymorth gwirioneddol i dalwyr y dreth gyngor sy'n gweithio'n galed, ac i'n pensiynwyr. A ydych chi'n ystyried bod cysoni'r dreth cyngor yn broblem o ran gweithio rhanbarthol, ac os ydych, sut yr ydych chi'n bwriadu unioni hyn? Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, rydych chi wedi awgrymu na fydd ad-daliad ychwanegol ar gyfer unrhyw un o'r strwythurau a gyflwynwyd yn eich model arfaethedig, naill ai ar ffurf craffu nac ar ffurf llywodraethu gwirioneddol ranbarthol. Rwyf yn gofyn ichi roi hynny ar gofnod yma heddiw oherwydd, unwaith eto, rwy'n gwybod y byddai fy etholwyr yn anhapus iawn pe byddent yn gweld costau ychwanegol ar yr ochr wleidyddol o unrhyw fiwrocratiaeth a allai ddod o hyn. Sut y byddant mewn gwirionedd yn craffu ar weithio rhanbarthol ar lefel ranbarthol, ond yn bwysicach, ar lefel leol? A sut y bydd fy etholwyr yn gallu cyfrannu at fodel gogledd Cymru o ran gallu bod yn ffyddiog y bydd craffu gwirioneddol gadarn a chryf ac uniondeb ariannol? Sut y bydd deiliaid portffolios yn cael eu dwyn i gyfrif am weithredoedd eu gwaith rhanbarthol? A phwy sydd â'r atebolrwydd democrataidd yn hynny o beth? Nawr, cynghorau cymuned - symudaf ymlaen - mae adroddiad Swyddfa Cymru heddiw wedi canfod nad oes llawer o gynghorau yn dilyn y gofynion gweithdrefnol sylfaenol a nodir yn y gyfraith. Yn 2015-16, cafodd cynghorau cymuned dros £43 miliwn o incwm, ac eto roedd eu gwariant dros £40 miliwn, wrth iddynt reoli cronfeydd wrth gefn gwerth dros £32 miliwn ac asedau tymor hir gwerth dros £180 miliwn. Rwyf wedi ei godi sawl gwaith yn y Siambr hon, a gyda chi eich hun yn breifat; mae angen adolygiad sylfaenol o'n system cynghorau cymuned. Mae tri deg chwech y cant o gynghorau nad ydynt yn gosod cyllideb briodol. Mae dros 50 o gynghorau yn methu â chydymffurfio ag amserlen statudol ar gyfer paratoi a gwella'r datganiadau cyfrifon. Unwaith eto, pa gamau y byddwch yn eu cymryd ar unwaith i sicrhau cyfraddau llawer uwch o gydymffurfio â gofynion cyfreithiol yn hyn o beth? Sut yr ydych chi'n mynd i sicrhau bod llywodraethu ar y lefel hon yn ddigon agored a thryloyw, pan fo llawer o'n cynghorau cymuned llai wedi cael y cyllid i gynnal gwefan, i gadw a chyhoeddi cofnodion, i gynnal a chyhoeddi agendâu, ac i gynnal cywirdeb ariannol, tryloywder ac atebolrwydd democrataidd? Felly, rydych yn gwybod beth yw fy safbwynt i, a'm cydweithwyr yn y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig, yn hyn o beth. Rydym yn dymuno pob lwc ichi, wrth symud ymlaen, gyda diwygio llywodraeth leol. Hoffem fod yn rhan o hynny, ond, fel y dywedais, i ni, nid yw'n fater o chwarae â ffiniau'r system etholiadol. Mae'n fater o ddiwygio llywodraeth leol o ddifrif. Diolch.