English: Diolch, Llywydd. While we in this Chamber debate policies and law making, it's our Welsh local authorities, our councils across the country, rather than the Welsh Government, that are actually at the coalface delivering many of the public services that our constituents rely on each and every day. Many of these public-facing services have a key role in reducing inequality, protecting the vulnerable and building a fairer and more prosperous society. Our councils are huge players in the local economy, employing 10 per cent of the Welsh workforce, including 26,000 teachers. And our motion today recognises not only the challenges facing local authorities, but it also urges the Welsh Government to consider further improvements to next year's damaging settlement, and to commission an independent review into the outdated funding formula that it uses to distribute cash to local government. Since 2009, local authorities in Wales have had their funding cut by £1 billion in real terms, equivalent to 22 per cent, and if you exclude money for schools, the core funding to councils has actually been reduced by some 35 per cent. Now, this is at a time when councils are facing many funding pressures, including pension funding shortfalls, public sector pay awards and increasing demand for services like adult social care, due to an ageing population. On top of the cuts that have been inflicted upon our councils, the Welsh Government has also cut funding to other funding streams via grants that are provided, for example post-16 funding, which has been cut by a fifth in the past six years, in spite of promises to protect education spending, and the education improvement grant, which was cut by £13 million in the current financial year. Now, these pressures have had huge implications for local authority services, including libraries, refuse sites, leisure centres, bus routes and even the frequency of bin collections. And, of course, budget reductions have forced our councils to pass on a greater burden in terms of the taxation that is paid by hard-pressed families across the country. The average band D council tax in Wales has trebled - trebled - since Welsh Labour came to power here in Wales back in 1999. Many fees and charges, which are levied by councils, have also had to go up. New ones have also emerged. Many of our local authorities now charge for the childcare element of the Welsh Government's supposedly free breakfast clubs, while collection of garden waste incurs a fee also in many areas. Just a few days ago, we dug out some of the figures regarding local authority parking charges: £10 million-worth of them in the last year alone. And who can doubt that that is not making a contribution to meeting the funding gap that has been exposed as a result of the very poor settlements that many of our local authorities have had? And, of course, charges like that are deterring people from shopping on our high streets. Now, I recognise that councils have to make some difficult choices, but they're having to make these difficult choices because of the pressure that you, as a Government, are putting them under. And, of course, it's not just Welsh Conservatives who have been warning the Welsh Government of the potential damage of its funding decisions. The future generations commissioner, Sophie Howe, was very clear in her statement last month that the Welsh Government is spending too much of its budget treating ill health, and not enough of its budget on preventative services provided by councils, which help to keep people well and to maintain their independence. All 22 council leaders wrote to the First Minister - such was the situation with the draft budget - a few weeks ago, warning that the draft settlement that had been issued at the time for 2019-20 would lead to, and I quote, huge service cuts and significant council tax rises that would be, and I quote, damaging to our communities. Even a Welsh Government Minister has protested about the Welsh Government's council funding cuts by co-signing a letter with other Labour politicians, including Members of this Assembly, calling for a review of the way in which councils are funded. So, I'm very hopeful of her support in this motion today.
Welsh: Diolch, Llywydd. Tra byddwn ni yn y Siambr hon yn trafod polisïau a deddfu, awdurdodau lleol Cymru, ein cynghorau ar draws y wlad, yn hytrach na Llywodraeth Cymru, sydd mewn gwirionedd yn y rheng flaen yn darparu llawer o'r gwasanaethau cyhoeddus y mae ein hetholwyr yn dibynnu i leihau anghydraddoldeb, amddiffyn y rhai sy'n agored i niwed ac adeiladu cymdeithas decach a mwy ffyniannus. Mae ein cynghorau yn chwaraewyr mawr yn yr economi leol, sy'n cyflogi 10 y cant o weithlu Cymru, gan gynnwys 26,000 o athrawon. Ac mae ein cynnig heddiw yn cydnabod nid yn unig yr heriau sy'n wynebu awdurdodau lleol, ond mae hefyd yn annog Llywodraeth Cymru i ystyried gwelliannau pellach i setliad niweidiol y flwyddyn nesaf, ac i gomisiynu adolygiad annibynnol o'r fformiwla ariannu hen ffasiwn y mae'n ei defnyddio i ddosbarthu arian i Lywodraeth Leol. Ers 2009, mae'r awdurdodau lleol yng Nghymru wedi gweld toriadau yn eu cyllid o £1 biliwn mewn termau real, sy'n cyfateb i 22 y cant. Ac os ydych yn eithrio arian ar gyfer ysgolion, mae'r cyllid craidd i gynghorau wedi lleihau tua 35 y cant mewn gwirionedd. Nawr, mae hyn ar adeg pan fo llawer o bwysau ariannol ar y cynghorau, gan gynnwys diffygion cyllid pensiwn, dyfarniadau cyflog y sector cyhoeddus a galw cynyddol am wasanaethau fel gofal cymdeithasol i oedolion, oherwydd poblogaeth sy'n heneiddio. Ar ben y toriadau a orfodwyd ar ein cynghorau, mae Llywodraeth Cymru hefyd yn torri cyllid i ffrydiau ariannu eraill drwy grantiau a ddarperir ar gyfer cyllid ôl-16, er enghraifft, sydd wedi cael eu torri gan un rhan o bump yn y chwe blynedd diwethaf, er gwaethaf addewidion i ddiogelu gwariant ar addysg, a'r grant gwella addysg, a dorrwyd gan £13 miliwn yn y flwyddyn ariannol gyfredol. Nawr, mae'r pwysau hwn wedi golygu goblygiadau enfawr i wasanaethau awdurdod lleol, gan gynnwys llyfrgelloedd, safleoedd sbwriel, canolfannau hamdden, llwybrau bysiau a hyd yn oed amlder casgliadau biniau. Ac, wrth gwrs, mae gostyngiadau yn y gyllideb wedi gorfodi ein cynghorau i roi mwy o faich ar deuluoedd sydd dan bwysau ledled y wlad o ran y trethi a delir ganddynt. Mae'r dreth gyngor band D cyfartalog yng Nghymru wedi treblu - wedi treblu - ers i Lafur Cymru ddod i rym yma yng Nghymru ym 1999. Mae llawer o ffioedd a thaliadau, a godir gan gynghorau, hefyd wedi gorfod mynd i fyny. Hefyd mae rhai newydd wedi ymddangos. Mae llawer o'n hawdurdodau lleol bellach yn codi tâl am elfen gofal plant clybiau brecwast y Llywodraeth sydd i fod am ddim, tra codir ffi am gasglu gwastraff gardd hefyd mewn llawer o ardaloedd. Ychydig ddyddiau yn ôl, tyrchwyd rhai o'r ffigurau ynghylch taliadau parcio awdurdod lleol: gwerth £10 miliwn ohonynt yn y flwyddyn ddiwethaf yn unig. A phwy all amau nad yw hynny'n cyfrannu at y bwlch cyllido a amlygwyd o ganlyniad i setliadau gwael iawn a gafwyd gan lawer o'n hawdurdodau lleol? Ac, wrth gwrs, mae ffioedd fel y rheini yn atal pobl rhag siopa ar y stryd fawr. Nawr, rwy'n cydnabod bod cynghorau'n gorfod gwneud rhai dewisiadau anodd, ond maent yn gorfod gwneud y dewisiadau anodd hyn oherwydd y pwysau yr ydych chi, fel Llywodraeth, yn eu rhoi arnynt. Ac, wrth gwrs, nid dim ond y Ceidwadwyr Cymreig sydd wedi bod yn rhybuddio Llywodraeth Cymru o niwed posibl ei phenderfyniadau cyllido. Roedd comisiynydd cenedlaethau'r dyfodol, Sophie Howe, yn glir iawn yn ei datganiad fis diwethaf bod Llywodraeth Cymru yn gwario gormod o'i chyllideb yn trin salwch, a dim digon o'i chyllideb ar wasanaethau ataliol a ddarperir gan gynghorau, sy'n helpu i gadw pobl yn iach ac i gynnal eu hannibyniaeth. Ysgrifennodd pob un o'r 22 arweinydd cyngor at y Prif Weinidog - oherwydd y sefyllfa o ran y gyllideb ddrafft - ychydig wythnosau yn ôl, yn rhybuddio y byddai'r setliad drafft a ddosbarthwyd ar y pryd ar gyfer 2019-20 yn arwain at, a dyfynnaf, doriadau enfawr mewn gwasanaeth a chodiadau sylweddol yn y dreth g yngor a fyddai, ac rwy'n dyfynnu, yn niweidiol i'n cymunedau. Mae hyd yn oed Gweinidog Llywodraeth Cymru wedi protestio ynghylch toriadau cyllid Llywodraeth Cymru i gynghorau gan gyd-lofnodi llythyr gyda gwleidyddion Llafur eraill, gan gynnwys aelodau o'r Cynulliad hwn, yn galw am adolygiad o'r ffordd yr ariennir cynghorau. Felly, rwy'n obeithiol iawn o'i chefnogaeth yn y cynnig hwn heddiw.