An Overview
Working with the Welsh Government
Working with the UK Government
Working with the European Union
Working with Town and Community Councils
An Overview
In Wales, there are five ‘tiers’ of representative democracy. The electorate is served by a Member of Parliament (MP), a Member of the European Parliament (MEP), Members of the National Assembly for Wales (AMs) and their local councillor(s) elected to the unitary council (also known as a local authority). In most rural areas and in some urban areas the electorate is also served by a town and community councillor. There are 22 local authorities in Wales and 735 community and town councils. There are also 3 national park authorities, 4 police authorities and 3 fire and rescue authorities in Wales.
There are 1,264 councillors in Wales, around 8000 community councillors, 4 members of the European Parliament, 40 Members of Parliament and 60 Members of the National Assembly for Wales.
There are also a range of Assembly Government Sponsored Bodies (AGSBs) in Wales – non-elected public bodies charged with responsibilities for public services. Lay persons are appointed by the Assembly Government to serve on the management boards of these bodies in non-executive capacities. Councillors representing the views and interests of the unitary councils also sit on these boards. These include the Arts Council for Wales and the Environment Agency.
Seven Health Boards in Wales are responsible within their geographical area for planning, funding and delivering primary health care services - GPs, pharmacies, dentists and optometrists, hospital services and community services. An elected member from an authority within the Local Health Board area sits on each of the Boards.
Each of the 22 local authority areas in Wales has a Local Service Board. These boards are responsible for ensuring that all the public services in their area work together across organisational boundaries to improve outcomes for citizens, tackling service challenges or ‘systems blockages’ between service providers.
Councils also have an important role in scrutinising the wider public service allowing them to have a say over all public services delivered within their communities.
Under the Welsh Government’s Communities First Programme, local partnerships in over 140 of the most deprived communities in Wales bring together representatives of all interests to manage funding programmes to tackle deprivation and build community capacity.
Working with the Welsh Government
The terms “Welsh Government” and “National Assembly for Wales” mean different things. The Welsh Government consists only of the governing Ministers in Wales; the National Assembly for Wales consists of all 60 elected Assembly Members (AMs). The National Assembly is the Welsh equivalent to the UK parliament in Westminster, which houses every MP from across the UK. The Senedd in Cardiff Bay is the home of the debating chamber for the National Assembly for Wales.
The Welsh Government has a wide-range of powers which impact on local government and the services it delivers. It is responsible for a range of local government policy areas, such as social services, education, the environment, planning, transport, economic development. Critically, it is responsible for distributing Wales’ £15.8billion budget, of which nearly £8.6 billion (2010/11) is spent on local government services.
The Welsh Government sets the national agenda for Wales, and whilst setting strategies and key targets, it gives significant flexibility to local government to work within these national parameters. Most of the funding passed from the Welsh Government to local councils is not ring fenced, giving Councils the flexibility to spend the money on local needs and priorities.
Councils have direct links with the Welsh Government, via elected members and officers, however, much of the national representation and negotiation over policy development and funding is undertaken through the WLGA. This cross-party organisation, representing all councils, elects senior councillors from across Wales as local government spokespersons to meet regularly with Ministers, other AMs, and civil servants, to ensure local government’s concerns and views inform national decision-making. There is also a statutory Partnership Council between the Welsh Government and local government which promotes joint working, co-operation and informed policy development.
Working with the UK Government
Although the Welsh Government and National Assembly for Wales has significant financial, legislative and policy powers over much of what Welsh local government does, it is important that councils continue work closely with Ministers, MPs and civil servants in London.
There are some key areas affecting local government that are not devolved, such as Home Office functions around policing and community safety and the overall system of local taxation (i.e. council tax).
Councils will have direct links with the UK Government, via councillors and officers working with local MPs and relevant Ministers. Much of the national representation is conducted via the WLGA, whose senior spokespersons hold regular meetings with the Secretary of State for Wales and other Wales Office Ministers, as well as Ministers from other non-devolved Departments.
Working with the European Union
The European Union (EU) has a growing influence over all aspects of local government activity. Councils also have a major role in ensuring that the EU delivers practical benefits for Welsh citizens. There are a number of reasons why Europe is important to local government and why local government is important to Europe:
- Councils can contribute to the quality of EU initiatives by identifying ways to make them more workable on the ground.
- For many councils EU funding, whether from the Structural Funds or other programmes, is a very important resource.
- As much as 70% of UK law impacting on councils has its origins in EU legislation.
- Councils have much to gain from exchanging good practice with their counterparts in other European countries.
Working with Town and Community Councils
There are 735 town and community councils in Wales with around 8000 councillors. They are not present in every part of Wales as there is a procedure for forming new councils; they can be established or disbanded at the wishes of the community. They can set a ‘precept’ or ‘rate’ which is collected by the council along with the Council Tax. The level of services these councils deliver varies across Wales. Some are content with largely acting in a representative role but many also deliver a range of services such as maintenance of community halls, bus shelters, public spaces and play grounds on behalf of the community.
One Voice Wales is the organisation which represents and provides support services to community and town councils in Wales. Many councillors in parts of Wales are also town or community councillors for their area. It is important that councillors and town and community councillors work together in representing their communities. Unitary councils and town and community councils are encouraged to establish closer working relationships through voluntary agreements called charters.