Sam Rowlands, Member of the Welsh Parliament for North Wales and Shadow Minister for Local Government has long been calling for the enormous reserves held by many councils to be put to better use to ease the fiscal situation.
Commenting on the Welsh Government’s draft local government budget, Sam Rowlands MS said:
I welcome the funding settlements for councils that bares a degree of reflection to the substantial usable reserves held by some councils.
It is worth repeating these calls as the hundreds of millions of reserves could certainly be put to better use delivering frontline services to local people.
I was also pleased to see that calls for fair funding for rural communities are being listened to, with North Wales councils finally finding themselves in the top half of the table.
10 of the 22 Welsh councils had usable reserves of over £100 million. Rhondda Cynon Taf council had been sitting on £207 million, according to the Labour Government’s own figures.
Details of the draft local government settlement for 2023/24 are available for download at the bottom of this page.
Sam Rowlands yn ymateb i setliad Llywodraeth Leol Cymru
Mae Sam Rowlands, Aelod o’r Senedd dros y Gogledd a Gweinidog yr Wrthblaid ar Lywodraeth Leol wedi bod yn galw ers tro am wneud defnydd gwell o'r cronfeydd wrth gefn enfawr sydd gan nifer o gynghorau er mwyn lleddfu'r sefyllfa gyllidol.
Wrth sôn am gyllideb ddrafft Llywodraeth Cymru ar gyfer llywodraeth leol, dywedodd Sam Rowlands AS:
Dwi'n croesawu'r setliadau cyllido i gynghorau sy'n adlewyrchu’r cronfeydd sylweddol wrth gefn y gellir eu defnyddio gan rai cynghorau i ryw raddau.
Mae'n werth ailadrodd y galwadau hyn oherwydd heb os, gellid gwneud defnydd llawer gwell o'r miliynau wrth gefn er mwyn cyflenwi gwasanaethau rheng flaen i bobl leol.
Roeddwn i'n falch hefyd o weld bod swyddogion wedi gwrando ar alwadau am gyllid teg i gymunedau gwledig, a bod cynghorau'r Gogledd yn hanner ucha'r tabl o’r diwedd.
Roedd gan 10 o'r 22 cyngor yng Nghymru gronfeydd wrth gefn o dros £100 miliwn. Roedd gan Gyngor Rhondda Cynon Taf £207 miliwn wrth gefn, yn ôl ffigyrau'r Llywodraeth Lafur eu hunain.
Gallwch lawrlwytho manylion y setliad llywodraeth leol drafft ar gyfer 2023/24 ar waelod y dudalen hon.
