, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Yes.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
But isn't that what a community of practice can achieve?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Thinking of the projects you've all been involved in, have they been evaluated, has the learning from those been shared and spread?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Yes.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Do you have any suggestions?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
So, I think what we're searching for here are some recommendations on how we scale good practice.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Is there a model that you've come across that works better?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Thank you. I just want to develop the question of sharing and spreading good practice, really. What role do you think there should be for communities of practice? I'm aware that there is one that I'm told is fairly successful for the Welsh Government's…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Diolch.
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
But isn't that a good example of good practice emerging, but then how do we scale it and spread it?
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
Just to ask you on that, because much of the evidence is about additional grants, additional funding, how about making sure that, for the money we've already spent, these values are mainstreamed into that? So, take the social housing grant as an example. I…
, Economy, Trade, and Rural Affairs Committee
Foundational Economy: Panel 4 - Housing and decarbonisation
I just want to develop Iwan's point about the high-growth sectors and the fixation on that. It strikes me that part of the problem the foundational economy has—and whether you use the term is irrelevant, I agree—is it's not seen as sexy; it's seen as low…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Relatively good.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Powys comes out well from the audit report, actually.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Yes, I know; I was referring to your official. I think that just underlines my concern, really, that this really isn't anywhere near top of the agenda, and we have now a series of evidence to show that performance is poor. Half of local authorities don't have…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
I just think it's quite telling that you can't exactly recall whether or not it's been on the recent agenda of the partnership council.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
And do you ask them if they're doing that when you meet them? Is this an agenda item?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
There seems to be a parallel here—and this is true not just about you and your organisation; it's true about the NHS and elsewhere—where senior leaders seem to think of digital as a technical function, in a way that you wouldn’t think of procurement or audit…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
That's £5 million out of a budget of—
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Well, not really, in the grand scheme of things, because—. More than you were spending before, which was very little, but £4.2 million for the CDPS in this financial year, in the grand scheme of the local government budget, is not a considerable amount of…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
My slight concern is that, given the discussions that we’ve been having about the pressures on local authorities, both to reduce overheads but also to continue to provide first-rate services, it’s widely acknowledged that digital has an important role to…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
And do you think they've been recruiting at a sufficient level, because it's a very competitive field and skill set, particularly working in local government, which is a difficult context at the best of times? Do you think they're taking this sufficiently…
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Okay.
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Is there somebody in post in that role now?
, Local Government and Housing Committee
Ministerial scrutiny session—Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Half, not some.
