Whilst Welsh local government plays a pivotal role in shaping and supporting communities and providing community leadership and democratic representation, councils also provide a range of vital front-line services.
The LGA estimates that councils provide over 700 separate services to the public, including services that are often unseen or are taken for granted.
Councils have statutory responsibilities for many things that affect people’s lives, including, planning and transport, social services and promoting equality and sustainable development.
Local government also provides a range of vital non-statutory services, such as leisure and culture and crucially the regeneration of local areas. In addressing these responsibilities, authorities work closely with communities and other stakeholders.
The public service delivery ‘architecture’ is evolving. Whilst councils are responsible for the provision of many services, they are not always delivered by the council and may be delivered by third sector or private sector partners or jointly with other authorities or agencies. The scale of services is also changing, with an increasing emphasis and expectation from the Welsh Government that certain services, such as education, waste and social services, should be delivered jointly or across regions.
The following list provides background to some of councils key services. The pages will be updated throughout 2011-12, to ensure that they are up-to-date and include the latest key policies and priorities emerging following the National Assembly elections in May 2011.