Supporting Vulnerable Residents

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 1:57 pm on 14 June 2023.

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Photo of Rebecca Evans Rebecca Evans Labour 1:57, 14 June 2023

Thank you for the question. So, we are working with partners, and with over 3,000 children, actually, to deliver that strategy, and also working with the organisations in the sector. The strategy that we will consult on sets out what we’ve heard, what we’re doing about it, and where we’ll be focusing our efforts in future. The aim then is to produce that final strategy by the end of this year and work with partners to deliver that strategy.

What I would say in terms of ring-fencing funding, actually that moves in a different direction to that which we’re taking at the moment, so we have a programme for government commitment to reduce the administrative burden on local authorities. So, Welsh Government officials held a number of important meetings with local authorities. I’ve spoken to leaders, they’ve spoken to the Society of Welsh Treasurers, and have concluded that one of the biggest burdens administratively on local authorities was the way in which we deal with grants. So, we’re actually going through a process at the moment of reviewing our grants in Wales along the lines of considering whether these grants can be moved into the RSG without having an impact on delivery, because some of the grants that we deal with are very small and probably disproportionate, I think, in terms of the industry of work that is created to administer those grants. So, we are moving in a different direction; it’s more about that trusting relationship that we have with local government. But that said, when we do consider individual grants, we do so having a full impact assessment, because obviously, we don’t want to be doing anything that causes harm to those people who we’re trying to support. So, this is a piece of work that is just starting at the moment, but just to say, really, our broad direction is about the dehypothecation rather than ring fencing.