Janet Finch-Saunders

First Minister, following your recent Government’s assessment and consultation on protecting assets of community value, what consideration have you given to the 78 per cent of respondents who actually support the power to initiate asset transfer from public sector bodies? We are so far behind in Wales compared to how the UK Government are handling this. In the same consultation, 68 per cent actually reckoned that we should have greater opportunities for a first-refusal basis. How are you taking forward the community asset transfer and, you know, why are you not bringing forward solid proposals, like the community right to bid here in Wales, and allow them to actually make the decisions about how they retain their local assets?

Carwyn Jones The First Minister

Well, the reason, of course, why this is being carried on in England at a great rate is because of the massive cuts in funding that local authorities have received in England—cuts that I’m sure her party would like to replicate. We know that they want to cut local government funding by 12 per cent here in Wales. That seems unambitious compared to their colleagues elsewhere in England. Our view is that, where councils can no longer continue to support assets, we would encourage them to seek community solutions, making the disposal of assets a key decision, as the Minister, in fairness, proposes as part of the draft local government Bill, will facilitate asset transfer and make the whole process more transparent. But, fortunately, local authorities are not under the same pressure in Wales as they are in England, where the cuts are so large.