The Assembly Member for Montgomeryshire has taken part in a debate in the National Assembly for Wales to highlight how the proposed local government settlement will disproportionately penalise rural counties such as Powys.
During the debate, Russell George AM, who is also Shadow Minister for Rural Affairs, joined his Welsh Conservative colleagues in calling for an overhaul to the formula that allocates local government funding in Wales following a draft local government settlement which proposes inexplicable variances in funding for different Councils across Wales, with those based in rural areas hardest hit. During the debate, Mr George said:
“For 9 years in a row, Powys County Council has received one of the worst local government funding settlements from the Welsh Government of all 22 local authorities in Wales.
“It is the third year in succession that the cut has been greater than four per cent, and this year, as a result of a 4.1% budget cut, the largest in Wales, Powys will now have to find millions of pounds of additional savings.
“If Powys had received the same settlement as Cardiff City Council over the last 10 years, the Council would now be £38 million better off.
“A child born in Machynlleth or Montgomery should have the same equality of access to a great education as a child born in Cardiff. Vulnerable residents who live in Newtown should have access to the same support that residents have in Rhondda Cynon Taf. The Welsh Government should be a government for the whole of Wales, not just the Labour heartlands.
“This inexplicable inequality now requires urgent action and it is essential that the Welsh Government undertakes a radical overhaul of the formula which it uses to decide how much each council receives.
“For many communities across Wales, this settlement could have a devastating impact on local public services and council tax rates.
“The current system is fundamentally flawed as it doesn’t properly take into account the challenges of delivering vital public services over large rural areas of Mid Wales.
“I hope that all Mid Wales Assembly Members will vote against the Welsh Government’s budget, a budget which not only slashes the rural affairs portfolio, but paves the way for a terrible settlement for Mid Wales.”