English: Thank you for that question. I was clear with the finance sub-group that I do take a very strong and direct interest in this agenda. So, whereas a finance Minister would normally have a slot on their agenda, I've been clear that I'd like to actually come along for all of it, to hear for myself, really, the kind of pressures that local authorities are under, and the kind of ideas that they have for things that could alleviate the serious pressures they're under. I think it's fair to say that, when Julie James introduced the local government settlement debate, she was very clear that she wasn't planning to sell the settlement as an excellent settlement to local authorities; she very much reflected on the fact that we are living in the ninth year of austerity, and there is huge pressure right across Government. She made all of those points about Welsh Government funding being comparatively so much less than it was a decade ago. The core funding that we currently provide to local authorities, as the Member will know, is distributed according to relative need, and that takes into account a formula that has a wealth of information, such as demographic, physical, economic and social characteristics of those local authorities, and also it takes account of their ability to raise their own funds - through council tax, for example. There have been incremental changes to the formula over the years. So, over 2017-18 and 2018-19 significant changes, actually, were made to the funding formula, to take account of the additional costs incurred as a result of increased travel times in relatively sparsely populated areas, for example. So, as I say, the Minister and I are very much all ears for ideas that would come forward from local authorities.
Welsh: Diolch am eich cwestiwn. Dywedais yn glir wrth yr is-grŵp cyllid fod gennyf ddiddordeb cadarn ac uniongyrchol iawn yn yr agenda hon. Felly, er y byddai gan Weinidog cyllid slot ar eu hagenda fel arfer, rwyf wedi dweud yn glir y buaswn yn awyddus i fod yn rhan o'r broses gyfan, i glywed â fy nghlustiau fy hun y math o bwysau sydd ar awdurdodau lleol, a'r math o syniadau sydd ganddynt am bethau a allai leddfu'r pwysau difrifol sydd arnynt. Credaf ei bod yn deg dweud, pan gyflwynwyd y ddadl ar y setliad llywodraeth leol gan Julie James, ei bod wedi dweud yn glir iawn nad oedd yn bwriadu gwerthu'r setliad fel setliad rhagorol i awdurdodau lleol; pwysleisiodd y ffaith ein bod bellach yn byw yn y nawfed mlynedd o gyni, a bod pwysau enfawr ar bob rhan o'r Llywodraeth. Fe wnaeth yr holl bwyntiau ynglŷn â'r ffaith bod cyllid Llywodraeth Cymru gymaint yn llai, mewn termau cymharol, na'r hyn ydoedd ddegawd yn ôl. Dosberthir yr arian craidd a ddarparwn ar hyn o bryd i awdurdodau lleol, fel y gŵyr yr Aelod, yn ôl angen cymharol, gan roi ystyriaeth i fformwla sy'n cynnwys toreth o wybodaeth, megis nodweddion demograffig, ffisegol, economaidd a chymdeithasol yr awdurdodau lleol hynny, ac mae hefyd yn ystyried eu gallu i godi eu harian eu hunain - drwy'r dreth gyngor, er enghraifft. Mae newidiadau cynyddrannol wedi eu gwneud i'r fformiwla dros y blynyddoedd. Felly, dros 2017-18 a 2018-19, gwnaed newidiadau sylweddol i'r fformiwla ariannu mewn gwirionedd, er mwyn ystyried y costau ychwanegol yn sgil amseroedd teithio hwy mewn ardaloedd cymharol denau eu poblogaeth, er enghraifft. Felly, fel y dywedaf, mae'r Gweinidog a minnau'n awyddus iawn i wrando ar syniadau a fyddai'n cael eu cynnig gan awdurdodau lleol.