Janet Finch-Saunders
Will the First Minister make a statement on the recently published proposals for local government reorganisation in Wales?

Carwyn Jones The First Minister
Yes. We want better and better-value public services.

Janet Finch-Saunders
Thank you. The release of the maps last week has undoubtedly caused anger and dismay to those charged with delivering our vital services across Wales, including the north, with experienced leaders and senior politicians doubting your Government’s own credibility as to whether you understand local government at all. Wrexham: Welsh Ministers have been foolish and rushed, taking people for granted. Ynys Môn: covering populations of around 300,000 would make local democracy remote. Flintshire: mergers alone are not radical enough to cope with the financial pressures, adding that Welsh Labour needs change at the top. I wouldn’t disagree but do you not recognise these concerns, and how are you going to restore some confidence and credibility back into any local government reorganisation in Wales?

Carwyn Jones The First Minister
If her party had any policy at all with regard to local government, I would take them more seriously. They have lurched from being in favour of reorganisation, except for some authorities that they want to control, now to not being in favour of any kind of reorganisation. Can I ask her this? Education authorities: there are four of them still in special measures, including Monmouthshire, which is the only council that they actually run, incidentally. We have seen social services departments struggle because, once they lose one or two people on the sick, they struggle. In the last week, I’ve had businesses—one of which is familiar to him, but I’m not going to mention it—saying to me, ‘The problem we have in Wales is we don’t get pre-app advice from departments. They are overrun with other applications. They can’t give us the kind of advice that we want, but we can get it in England.’ Well, I’m not prepared for the situation to be better in England. I want the situation to be better in Wales. That’s why I want to see local authorities that are properly structured, not strung together on the back of a fag packet by John Redwood—properly structured and with powers. This is an exciting opportunity for local government to gain the powers that it needs, to shape the communities that local government serves, and to empower local councillors. No wonder the Tories are against it.