Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the Welsh Local Government’s report that higher energy bills could means that councils across Wales have £200 million less to spend than in 2023-24.

We understand the pressure that businesses, charities, and public sector organisations are facing with their energy bills, which is why the UK Government is taking immediate action to ensure customers are protected over the winter period.

Through the new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, the Government will provide a discount on energy prices for local authorities whose bills have been significantly inflated by the global energy crisis.

A Treasury-led review will be launched to inform a decision on future support after March 2023.

Local Government Finance in Wales is devolved and is a matter for the Welsh Government. The Spending Review 2021 set the largest annual block grant, in real terms, of any spending review settlement since devolution.  Over the Spending Review period, the UK government is providing the Welsh Government with 20% more funding per person than equivalent UK Government spending in other parts of the UK.