For the last decade or so, most of the focus on local government reform in Wales has centred on the 22 unitary local authorities/counties.
However, the tier of local government below them often gets sidestepped.
The last major independent report on town and community councils was published in October 2018 (pdf) and commissioned by the Welsh Government.
Their recommendations were that:
- Town & Community Councils should be retained and, ideally, established across all of Wales.
- There should be a boundary review of community councils.
- “Place-based services” – those services that can vary from place to place to meet specific local needs (i.e. cemeteries, cultural services like libraries, parks, playgrounds, allotments) – should generally be the responsibility of community councils, while the 22 unitary authorities retain control over people-based services (i.e. schools, social services, highways maintenance, environmental health).
- Clerks should be expected to be properly qualified and training should be mandatory for all community councillors and community council staff.
- Community councils should publish an annual report.
The former Lib Dem MS, Peter Black, echoed this in a piece before the review reported back for the Institute of Welsh Affairs in 2018. He argued that place-based services should be delegated to town and community councils where it was appropriate and responsibility was wanted. This would be supported by a proper transfer of funding (rather than leaving community councils to pick up the bill themselves).
The Local Government & Elections Act 2021 was passed by the Senedd in November 2020. Most of the provisions relate to the 22 unitary authorities, but there were several measures relating to town and community councils as well.
By and large, the provisions in the Act match the recommendations of the independent panel. However, the “general power of competence” is vague enough to sound like a significant change but in practice probably isn’t.
There are also no major reforms to community council finances and it’s unclear how some of the smaller community councils will be able to meet certain requirements for “eligible community council” status – like allowing remote attendance at meetings or setting up a training programme.
