English: Cabinet Secretary, thank you for your statement. Now, from the start, we as Welsh Conservatives did raise initial concerns about the Green Paper proposals. You and your predecessors, for the past three or four years, have been playing with the hearts, minds and lives of many working within our local government organisation. The aim of your Green Paper in March was supposedly to invigorate the debate on local government in Wales, and you mentioned at the time your vision for stronger, more empowered local authorities, focusing on local leadership. Yet, in reality, you pushed the button of turmoil, demoralisation and destabilisation once again within offices and council chambers across Wales. You might see this as flexing your muscles of power, but, frankly, many, including members of your own party, thought that your actions were insensitive and calculating. You undermined the intelligence and dedicated commitment of our council group leaders, our councillors and our officers in their rejection of your preposterous proposals. You boast about 177 responses to the Green Paper consultation, in a population size of over 3 million people, it's not a lot, and, to be honest, I take credit for some of those, because we were actually writing it up in our news column in the local papers and making people across Wales aware of this consultation, because, too often, these go above the heads of the very people whose lives they affect. You also know that the local authorities were sending copies of their responses to me at my request, so we were ahead of the game in analysing these responses, and we've challenged and scrutinised you since March, all the while, whilst people were very worried in local government about what you were moving towards. This clearly proved that you were going off on a mission well above the heads of these good people who work in local government, delivering vital services. There are other ways of going about achieving some of the fundamentals that you are aiming for. You mention that no-one is bringing forward alternative proposals, yet I would beg to differ. Local authorities and the WLGA broadly noted the ongoing success of collaborative and regional partnership working, and they want longer for these principles to enable and to bed in. Of concern, though, is that you did not actually ask for any alternative suggestions, but merely offered these three possible routes towards forced mergers. You speak of empowerment for local authorities, but your Green Paper gave them very little. Would you not agree with me that expecting responses to a question you did not ask is a very poor way to undertake consultation? Moving on to voluntary mergers, in reviewing the responses of local authorities, I must admit that I did not note the appetite that you describe, still, for voluntary mergers amongst local authorities. Denbighshire stated, 'The past experience of some authorities with regard to voluntary mergers and Government's response to them is hardly encouraging.' Conwy noted that, We do not agree now that merging local authorities is appropriate. That opportunity was lost when Leighton Andrews rejected them offhandedly at the time. The Vale of Glamorgan said that it was, 'taking the position that a merger with any other local authority is an untenable prospect in securing the quality of services rightly expected by our citizens.' Now, given that sections 3 to 10 of the Local Government (Wales) Act 2015 already provide local authorities with the opportunity to voluntarily merge, can you advise as to why, if such an appetite exists, that you are not pushing that model forward? This, what you're bringing forward now, appears to be just another recycling of Leighton Andrews's plans. Why do you not consider amending the Act rather than bringing forward another raft of costly new legislation? I also note your proposal to establish a new working group with the WLGA. As a result of all this local government reorganisation over the years, we've seen a Public Services Staff Commission set up, and there's now been a workforce partnership council. So, what is the point of setting up another costly group for local authorities to feed into? Why not consider streamlining these structures? You say that finding more money is not an option. However, we now know that local government, housing, education, social services and health are all intrinsically linked. Why, oh why, will you not seek to work with your other Cabinet Members around the table and seek a wholesale reform of all our public services across Wales, removing the numerous and costly tiers of bureaucracy and waste that exist within all five areas of this service delivery, and which have actually grown in 20 years of devolution in Wales? The Williams commission gave us 62 recommendations, yet your Government and your predecessors have only ever taken four forward - all relating to local government reform. Is it not time now to get that report out again, blow the dust off it, and work with the panel, who were very good cross-party individuals, to revisit those proposals, and work with key stakeholders towards a wholesale reform of our public service delivery in Wales? Until you grasp that nettle, we are just going to carry on and on on this magic roundabout.
Welsh: Ysgrifennydd y Cabinet, diolch am eich datganiad. Nawr, o'r dechrau, gwnaethom ni fel Ceidwadwyr Cymreig godi pryderon cychwynnol ynghylch cynigion y Papur Gwyrdd. Rydych chi a'ch rhagflaenwyr, dros y tair neu bedair blynedd diwethaf, wedi bod yn chwarae â chalonnau, meddyliau a bywydau llawer o bobl sy'n gweithio o fewn ein sefydliad llywodraeth leol. Nod eich Papur Gwyrdd fis Mawrth, yn honedig, oedd bywiogi'r ddadl am lywodraeth leol yng Nghymru, a gwnaethoch chi sôn ar y pryd am eich gweledigaeth ar gyfer awdurdodau lleol cryfach, mwy grymus, yn canolbwyntio ar arweinyddiaeth leol. Ac eto, y realiti yw eich bod chi wedi pwyso botwm cythrwfl, digalondid ac ansefydlogrwydd unwaith eto o fewn swyddfeydd a siambrau cynghorau ledled Cymru. Efallai eich bod chi'n gweld hyn fel ystwytho cyhyrau eich pŵer, ond, a dweud y gwir, roedd llawer o bobl, gan gynnwys aelodau o'ch plaid chi eich hun, yn meddwl bod eich gweithredoedd yn ansensitif ac yn gyfrwys. Gwnaethoch chi danseilio deallusrwydd ac ymroddiad arweinwyr ein grŵp cyngor, ein cynghorwyr a'n swyddogion pan wnaethon nhw wrthod eich cynigion hurt. Rydych chi'n ymffrostio am 177 o ymatebion i ymgynghoriad y Papur Gwyrdd, ond o boblogaeth o dros 3 miliwn o bobl, nid yw'n llawer, ac, a bod yn onest, rwyf i'n cymryd y clod am rai o'r rheini, oherwydd roeddem ni'n ysgrifennu am y peth yn ein colofn newyddion yn y papurau lleol ac yn gwneud pobl ledled Cymru yn ymwybodol o'r ymgynghoriad hwn, oherwydd, yn rhy aml, mae'r rhain yn mynd dros bennau'r union bobl y maen nhw'n effeithio ar eu bywydau. Rydych chi hefyd yn gwybod bod yr awdurdodau lleol yn anfon copïau o'u hymatebion ataf fi ar fy nghais, felly roeddem ni ar flaen y gad o ran dadansoddi'r ymatebion hyn, ac rydym ni wedi eich herio a chraffu arnoch chi ers mis Mawrth, a drwy gydol yr amser, roedd pobl yn bryderus iawn mewn llywodraeth leol am beth roeddech chi'n symud tuag ato. Roedd hyn yn amlwg yn profi eich bod chi'n mynd ar genhadaeth ymhell dros ben y bobl dda hyn sy'n gweithio mewn llywodraeth leol, yn darparu gwasanaethau hollbwysig. Mae yna ffyrdd eraill o fynd ati i gyflawni rhai o'r hanfodion rydych chi'n anelu atynt. Rydych yn dweud nad oes neb yn cyflwyno cynigion amgen, ond byddwn i'n anghytuno. Mae awdurdodau lleol a CLlLC wedi sôn yn fras am lwyddiant parhaus gwaith partneriaeth cydweithredol a rhanbarthol, a hoffen nhw gael amser hirach i roi'r egwyddorion hyn ar waith a'u sefydlu nhw. Un peth sy'n destun pryder, fodd bynnag, yw na wnaethoch chi ofyn am awgrymiadau amgen a dweud y gwir, dim ond cynnig y tri llwybr posibl hyn tuag at orfodi uno. Rydych chi'n sôn am rymuso awdurdodau lleol, ond ychydig iawn a roddodd eich Papur Gwyrdd iddynt. Oni fyddech chi'n cytuno â mi bod disgwyl ymatebion i gwestiwn na wnaethoch chi ei ofyn yn ffordd wael iawn o gynnal ymgynghoriad? I symud ymlaen at uno gwirfoddol, wrth adolygu ymatebion awdurdodau lleol, rhaid imi gyfaddef na wnes i sylwi ar yr awydd rydych chi'n ei ddisgrifio, o hyd, am uno gwirfoddol ymhlith awdurdodau lleol. Dywedodd Sir Ddinbych, 'Dydy profiad rhai awdurdodau o uno gwirfoddol ac ymateb y Llywodraeth iddynt yn y gorffennol ddim yn union yn galonogol.' Nododd Conwy, Dydym ni ddim yn cytuno nawr bod uno awdurdodau lleol yn briodol. Cafodd y cyfle hwnnw ei golli pan wrthododd Leighton Andrews nhw yn swta ar y pryd. Dywedodd Bro Morgannwg eu bod nhw, 'o'r farn bod uno ag unrhyw awdurdod lleol arall yn bosibilrwydd annaliadwy o ran sicrhau ansawdd y gwasanaethau a ddisgwylir yn ddigon teg gan ein dinasyddion.' Nawr, o ystyried bod adrannau 3 i 10 Deddf Llywodraeth Leol (Cymru) 2015 eisoes yn rhoi'r cyfle i awdurdodau lleol uno'n wirfoddol, a allwch chi ddweud pam, os yw'r fath awydd yn bodoli, nad ydych chi'n hybu'r model hwnnw? Mae hyn, yr hyn yr ydych chi'n ei gyflwyno nawr, yn ymddangos fel ymgais arall i ailgylchu cynlluniau Leighton Andrews. Pam nad ydych chi'n ystyried newid y Ddeddf yn hytrach na chyflwyno tomen arall o ddeddfwriaeth newydd gostus? Rwyf hefyd yn nodi hefyd eich cynnig i sefydlu gweithgor newydd gyda CLlLC. O ganlyniad i'r holl waith hwn o ad-drefnu llywodraeth leol dros y blynyddoedd, rydym wedi gweld sefydlu Comisiwn Staff Gwasanaethau Cyhoeddus, a nawr mae gennym ni gyngor partneriaeth gweithlu. Felly, beth yw diben sefydlu grŵp costus arall i awdurdodau lleol gyfrannu ato? Beth am ystyried symleiddio'r strwythurau hyn? Rydych chi'n dweud nad yw dod o hyd i fwy o arian yn opsiwn. Fodd bynnag, rydym ni'n gwybod erbyn hyn bod cysylltiad cynhenid rhwng llywodraeth leol, tai, addysg, gwasanaethau cymdeithasol ac iechyd. Pam, o pam, na wnewch chi geisio gweithio gydag Aelodau eraill eich Cabinet o amgylch y bwrdd a cheisio diwygio ein holl wasanaethau cyhoeddus ledled Cymru mewn modd eang, gan gael gwared ar yr holl haenau costus o fiwrocratiaeth a gwastraff sy'n bodoli ym mhob un o bum maes cyflenwi'r gwasanaethau hyn, ac sydd a dweud y gwir wedi tyfu mewn 20 mlynedd o ddatganoli yng Nghymru? Rhoddodd comisiwn Williams 62 o argymhellion inni, ac eto dim ond ar bedwar o'r rhain y mae eich Llywodraeth a'ch rhagflaenwyr wedi gweithredu erioed - pob un yn ymwneud â diwygio llywodraeth leol. Onid yw'n amser nawr inni edrych ar yr adroddiad hwnnw eto, chwythu'r llwch oddi arno, a gweithio gyda'r panel, a oedd yn unigolion trawsbleidiol da iawn, i ailystyried y cynigion hynny, a gweithio gyda rhanddeiliaid allweddol tuag at ddiwygiad eang o gyflenwi ein gwasanaethau cyhoeddus yng Nghymru? Hyd nes ichi fod yn ddigon dewr i fynd i'r afael â hynny, byddwn ni'n mynd ymlaen ac ymlaen ar y gylchfan hud hon.