A Federal Wales I looked at the arguments for and against decentralisation within Wales after independence.
This part will look at the options and what each of them would mean more broadly.
A Federal Wales III will consider the options in more detail, including what kind of powers could be decentralised within Wales. A Federal Wales IV will consider how it would all work in practice – the number of regions/states, legislatures, executive arrangements/governance, elections etc.
There are perhaps four realistic options that can be put on the table to decentralise Wales:
- Regional Authorities – Identical to the regional authorities mentioned in Part VI (similar to the London Assembly), with no law-making powers.
- Devolution – A form of internal devolution similar to what Wales currently has within the UK. This means a small number of regional assemblies with law-making powers in policy areas that have been devolved to them by the Senedd.
- Autonomous Communities – Similar to devolution except the autonomous regions would have some control over their devolution settlements through statutes of autonomy – so they can take on as many or as few powers as they like within the bounds of the national constitution.
- Federalism – A written Welsh Constitution divides powers between the national and the state/regional legislatures with a clear boundary between the two.
How does this work?
Wales would be divided into regions and each one would have an elected assembly and executive/government.
The powers of the regions would be set out in law – either by devolving specific policies, or only listing policies in which the regional assemblies can’t make laws (a reserved powers model).
Wales would remain a unitary state. The number of regions would be determined by the Senedd.
What would be the constitutional requirements to set this up?
Wales wouldn’t have the power to do this now; we would have to be independent.
It can either be done via a written constitution or via a Devolution Act. A Devolution Act – proposed, debated and passed in the Senedd – would be similar to how devolution has been enacted in the UK.
Any system where law-making is devolved by the Senedd to regional parliaments would likely require a referendum too.
In principle, it can all be done within a single Senedd term (4-5 years), with the first regional assemblies elected within 7 years or so.
What sort of things would be decentralised under this arrangement (A Federal Wales Part III)?
As mentioned in A Federal Wales I, as an independent country the Senedd would gain more powers and responsibilities from leaving the former UK. This means that many of the powers the Senedd currently holds could be decentralised.
So, for example, policy areas such as health, education, economic development, housing and transport could be devolved to regional assemblies.
Would there be law-making powers (A Federal Wales Part III)?
Yes – in all policy areas devolved to regional assemblies/parliament.
Wales would remain a unitary state, meaning the Senedd would retain the power to make laws in any policy area it wants to.
There would need to be a mechanism similar to the Sewel Convention whereby the Senedd seeks permission from the regional assemblies before making laws in areas devolved to the regions.
How could it be funded (Part VII)?
A block grant similar to the one granted to the Senedd. Each regional assembly/parliament would be able to spend it as they see fit. The regional assemblies/parliaments could have some tax and borrowing powers too (similar to the Senedd).
What would it mean for local government (A Federal Wales Part III)?
Based on the current devolution settlement for Wales, it’s likely local government would end up being a devolved matter. That means each region could reorganise local government in any way it chooses.
The other possibility is that the Senedd “protects” local government as a separate administrative tier and treats it separately from the regional assemblies by retaining powers over local government for itself.
