Local government in Wales
Charles III Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales First Minister (list) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS (L) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS (L) Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS (PC) Leader of the Opposition Darren Millar MS (C) Shadow Cabinet Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP (L) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) Principal councils (leader list) Corporate Joint Committees Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections (1979–2020) Local elections Police and crime commissioner elections Referendums Local government in Wales is primarily undertaken by the twenty-two principal councils.
The councils are unitary authorities, meaning they are responsible for providing local government services within their principal area, including education, social work, environmental protection, and most highway maintenance.
The services provided by community councils vary, but they will typically maintain public spaces and facilities.
[2] There are currently 22 principal areas (styled as a county or a county borough) in Wales, with the current configuration established in the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, enacted on 1 April 1996, while the framework was established earlier in the Local Government Act 1972.
[1] Councils are required by law to hold annual general meetings, including after their election.
[11] Each council, both principal and community, are divided into electoral wards, which are decided by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.
First-past-the-post has been used as the sole voting system to elect councils in Wales since their establishment in the late 19th century.
If boundary changes are made to electoral wards they are usually enacted on the first Thursday in May each year, in line with local government elections.
[1] The national park authorities' responsibilities are: There are various forms of strategic partnerships covering regions of Wales, which bring together members of various public services.
The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 allowed for the formation of corporate joint committees (CJCs) made up of two or more principal areas.
[12] CJCs have powers relating to economic well-being, strategic planning and the development of regional transport policies.
The PCfW is responsible to encourage collaboration and dialogue on local government matters, and provide collective political accountability than can improve the outcomes for citizens.
First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "Since public sector budgets are likely to continue to tighten, and demand pressures grow, there is a clear need to examine how services can be sustained and standards of performance raised, so that people in Wales can continue to receive and influence the public services they need and value.
[16] Carwyn Jones, first minister of Wales, stated that the report "addresses many [of the] issues [...] [as] the need for public services is outstripping the resources available to provide them", and that he's "always been clear that the status quo is not an option" and that change is essential and has to be done "so that our public services can become more efficient, effective, accessible and responsive".
The bill did not propose names for the local authorities, only listing them by number as a combination of existing principal areas.
[18] Following the 2016 assembly elections, Carwyn Jones, first minister of Wales, announced that the proposals for local government reform would be taken "back to the drawing board" and that a new consensus on how to reform local government in Wales would be sought.
The number of councils are to remain as they currently are, unless two or more local authorities wish to pursue a voluntary merger.
[20] A white paper titled "Reforming Local Government: Resilient and Renewed" was published in January 2017.
The bill contains provisions to reduce the voting age from 18 to 16 for local elections in Wales and will extend the franchise to include eligible foreign nationals.
The bill does not include provisions to restructure local councils but does contain mechanisms that can allow for two or more authorities to merge on a voluntary basis.
[23] The bill received Royal Assent in January 2021 and four Corporate Joint Committees covering all of Wales, were established the following month by statutory instruments.
However, no Welsh council has introduced the role, with Ceredigion voters rejecting the idea in a 2004 referendum.
[26] For a council to adopt the model, either the public in the local authority's area must start a petition, which then must pass a threshold to trigger a local referendum, or the council announces it wishes to adopt such a system, but must call a referendum to approve such system.
