English: Now, part of the problem, of course, is that successive Welsh Government Ministers have failed to see their relationship with local government as a partnership. Instead, they've taken a very belligerent approach, particularly with reference to reorganisation. Indeed, some people have suggested across Wales that the withholding of funding for local councils is a deliberate attempt by the Welsh Government to undermine local authority finances, making them unsustainable, and to put forced council mergers back onto the agenda here in Wales. The current Cabinet Secretary, of course, inadvertently exposed his contempt for Welsh local authorities when he compared council leaders just a few weeks ago, when they requested more money for local government, to the starving Oliver Twist, asking for more gruel. It was no surprise to hear a chorus of condemnation and calls for the resignation of the Cabinet Secretary on the back of those comments, because, of course, he was compared quite rightly to Mr Bumble, the cruel beadle of the Dickensian workhouse. Now, it's this distinct lack of respect, I think, that threatens the delivery of the local authority services through the compact that the Welsh Government has with local government. I think it would be incumbent upon you today, in your response to this debate and motion, Cabinet Secretary, to apologise for those comments that you made about local authorities asking for the resources that they need to deliver services. This year's draft settlement was further evidence that councils are being underfunded, and that the funding formula is outdated and no longer fit for purpose. The case for reform in terms of the funding formula has become more and more compelling in recent years. The current funding formula has been there for 17 years. It's based on many different elements and indicators, including how much council tax the Welsh Government considers each local authority should be able to charge, and population data that is based on the 1991 census - 1991, even though we have census information that is bang up to date, and estimates of the population that are much more recent. Under the funding formula, the gap between the best and worst-funded local authorities widens each and every year, and it currently stands at £600 per head. That's tens of millions of pounds of underfunding for largely rural local authorities where, due to geography, delivering services is often much more expensive. The leader of the Vale of Glamorgan Council has quite rightly hit out at the underfunding of schools in poorly funded authorities, and I think - and I'm sure that others in this Chamber will think - that every child in this country deserves the chance to achieve their full potential. But how is it fair if we have a postcode lottery in terms of school spending, because of the arrangements for the distribution of cash from this Government? There's no level playing field for children here in Wales. Just last week, the leader of Pembrokeshire County Council, whose residents face an eye-watering 12.5 per cent increase in their council tax this year, called for the funding formula to be reviewed. While the Welsh Government has tweaked around the edges of the funding formula - adding a little bit of sparsity funding, making arrangements, putting a funding floor in place - the reality is that these are not solving the problem in a wholesale way. That's why the Welsh Local Government Association has described the funding formula as, and I quote, being held together by duct tape and sticking plasters. So, an increasing number of councils have passed motions across Wales this year, calling for better funding and a new funding formula. Many of those councils have Labour representatives on them who have supported those calls and supported those votes. So, we know that there are very low levels of confidence in the formula. It's led to considerable variation in the level of reserves held by Welsh local authorities as well. So, we know, for example, that the well-funded, Labour-run Rhondda Cynon Taf council is sitting pretty on £152 million-worth of reserves, almost eight times the level of reserves in Conservative-run Monmouthshire, almost seven times the level of reserves in Conwy - [ Interruption.] I'll happily take an intervention.
Welsh: Nawr, rhan o'r broblem, wrth gwrs, yw bod Gweinidogion olynol Llywodraeth Cymru wedi methu â gweld eu perthynas â Llywodraeth Leol fel partneriaeth. Yn hytrach, maent wedi cymryd dull ymosodol iawn, gan gyfeirio'n benodol at ad-drefnu. Yn wir, mae rhai pobl wedi awgrymu ledled Cymru bod dal cyllid ar gyfer cynghorau lleol yn ôl yn ymgais fwriadol gan Lywodraeth Cymru i danseilio cyllid awdurdodau lleol, gan eu gwneud yn anghynaladwy, i roi gorfodi uno cynghorau yn ôl ar yr agenda yma yng Nghymru. Wrth gwrs, datgelodd yr Ysgrifennydd Cabinet presennol ei ddirmyg tuag at awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru drwy amryfusedd pan gymharodd arweinwyr cynghorau ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, pan oeddent yn gofyn am fwy o arian ar gyfer Llywodraeth Leol, ag Oliver Twist newynog yn gofyn am fwy. Nid oedd yn syndod clywed corws o feirniadaeth, a galwadau am ymddiswyddiad Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet ar ôl y sylwadau hynny, oherwydd, wrth gwrs, cafodd ei gymharu'n gwbl briodol â Mr Bumble, bedel creulon y tloty Dickensaidd. Nawr, y diffyg parch hwn, fe gredaf i, sy'n bygwth cyflawni gwasanaethau awdurdod lleol drwy'r cytundeb sydd gan Lywodraeth Cymru â llywodraeth leol. Credaf y byddai dyletswydd arnoch heddiw, yn eich ymateb i'r ddadl hon a'r cynnig, Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, i ymddiheuro am y sylwadau a wnaethoch am awdurdodau lleol yn gofyn am adnoddau sydd eu hangen i ddarparu gwasanaethau. Roedd setliad drafft y flwyddyn hon yn dystiolaeth bellach fod cynghorau yn cael eu tanariannu, a bod y fformiwla ariannu yn hen ac yn anaddas i'r diben bellach. Mae'r achos o blaid diwygio'r fformiwla gyllido wedi dod yn fwyfwy grymus yn y blynyddoedd diwethaf. Mae'r fformiwla gyllido bresennol wedi bod yno ers 17 mlynedd. Mae'n seiliedig ar nifer o wahanol elfennau a dangosyddion, gan gynnwys faint o dreth gyngor y mae Llywodraeth Cymru yn ystyried y gall pob awdurdod lleol ei chodi, a data poblogaeth sy'n seiliedig ar gyfrifiad 1991 - 1991, a hynny er bod gennym wybodaeth cyfrifiad sy'n hollol gyfredol, ac amcangyfrifon o'r boblogaeth sy'n llawer mwy diweddar. Dan y fformiwla gyllido, mae'r bwlch rhwng yr awdurdodau lleol a ariennir orau a gwaethaf yn ehangu bob blwyddyn, ac ar hyn o bryd saif ar £600 y pen. Mae hynny'n ddegau o filiynau o bunnoedd o dangyllido ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol gwledig gan mwyaf lle, oherwydd daearyddiaeth, mae darparu gwasanaethau yn aml yn llawer drutach. Mae arweinydd Cyngor Bro Morgannwg yn gwbl briodol wedi ymosod ar danariannu ysgolion mewn awdurdodau a ariennir yn wael, ac rwy'n credu - ac rwy'n siŵr y bydd eraill yn y Siambr hon yn credu - bod pob plentyn yn y wlad hon yn haeddu'r cyfle i gyflawni eu llawn botensial. Ond sut mae'n deg os oes gennym loteri cod post o ran gwariant ar ysgolion, oherwydd y trefniadau ar gyfer dosbarthu arian gan y Llywodraeth hon? Does dim maes chwarae gwastad ar gyfer plant yma yng Nghymru. Yr wythnos diwethaf, galwodd arweinydd Cyngor Sir Benfro, y mae eu trigolion yn wynebu cynnydd poenus o 12.5 y cant o gynnydd yn eu treth gyngor eleni, am i'r fformiwla gyllido gael ei hadolygu. Er bod Llywodraeth Cymru wedi addasu rhywfaint o ymylon y fformiwla gyllido - ychwanegu ychydig o gyllido teneurwydd poblogaeth, gwneud trefniadau, rhoi arian gwaelodol ar waith - y gwir amdani yw nad yw hyn yn datrys y broblem mewn ffordd eang. Dyna pam mae Cymdeithas Llywodraeth Leol Cymru wedi disgrifio'r fformiwla gyllido fel, a dyfynnaf, rhywbeth sy'n cael ei dal at ei gilydd gan dâp cryf a phlaster glynu. Felly, mae nifer cynyddol o gynghorau wedi pasio cynigion ledled Cymru eleni, yn galw am arian gwell a fformiwla gyllido newydd. Mae gan lawer o'r cynghorau hynny gynrychiolwyr Llafur sydd wedi cefnogi'r galwadau hynny a chefnogi'r pleidleisiau hynny. Felly, rydym yn gwybod bod yr hyder yn y fformiwla yn isel iawn. Mae wedi arwain at gryn amrywiaeth yn y lefel o gronfeydd wrth gefn a ddelir gan awdurdodau lleol Cymru hefyd. Felly, gwyddom, er enghraifft, fod Cyngor Rhondda Cynon Taf, sydd wedi'i ariannu'n dda, ac sy'n cael ei redeg gan Lafur, yn eistedd yn braf ar werth £152 miliwn o gronfeydd wrth gefn, bron wyth gwaith y lefel o gronfeydd wrth gefn yn Sir Fynwy sy'n cael ei rhedeg gan y Ceidwadwyr, bron saith gwaith lefel y cronfeydd wrth gefn yng Nghonwy - [ Torri ar draws.] Byddaf yn falch o dderbyn ymyriad.