11. What is the timeline for developing a new map of public service delivery for local government? OAQ(4)1605(FM)
Janet Finch-Saunders;First Minister, when the Williams commission report was published such was the negative response by many councillors and local authority leaders across Wales they simply stated that they would not merge with the neighbouring authority, as was proposed. Many have met formally and resolved not to do this. You said that you would take a position once you had spoken to your party members. Have you done this? How do you intend to move forward with local authorities that simply refuse to merge? Will you force these mergers?Carwyn Jones;I was most impressed by her party leader and his knowledge of my party’s conference. What she seems not to have noticed is that we did exactly that at our conference and got the agreement of both the wider party and the local authority leaders to the principle of mergers. I will, of course, give my support to all that can be done in order to improve services. We cannot carry on with a structure where one local authority could collapse so completely that it had to be taken over by the Government in Cardiff, and we cannot tolerate a situation where six local authorities are in special measures on education.