Local government in Wales

Local government in Wales is primarily undertaken by the twenty-two principal councils.^[1] The councils are unitary authorities, meaning they are responsible for the provision of all local government services within their principal area, including education, social work, environmental protection, and most highway maintenance. The principal areas are divided into communities, most of which have an elected elected community council. The services provided by community councils vary, but they will typically maintain public spaces and facilities such as community halls and bus shelters.^[2] Local councils in Wales are elected; the most recent local elections in Wales took place in 2022, and the next are due to take place in 2027.

For police purposes Wales is divided into four territorial forces, and there are three fire and rescue service areas. Wales also contains eight preserved counties, which are based on the counties used for local government between 1974 and 1996 and are the areas to which the monarch appoints lord lieutenants and high sheriffs.

Principal areas

Main article: List of Welsh principal areas

There are 22 principal areas in Wales. They were established on 1 April 1996 by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (1994 c. 19). Eleven are styled "counties", including the cities of Cardiff and Swansea, and eleven are styled "county boroughs", including the cities of Newport and Wrexham.^[3][4][5]

The location of each council headquarters is indicated by a yellow marker. County boroughs are marked by a dagger (†).

Blaenau Gwent † Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) † Caerphilly (Caerffili) † Cardiff (Caerdydd) Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin) Ceredigion Conwy † Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych) Flintshire (Sir y Fflint) Gwynedd Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) Merthyr Tydfil (Merthyr Tudful) † Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy) Neath Port Talbot (Castell-nedd Port Talbot) † Newport (Casnewydd) † Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro) Powys Rhondda Cynon Taf † Swansea (Abertawe) Torfaen (Tor-faen) † Vale of Glamorgan (Bro Morgannwg) † Wrexham (Wrecsam) †

Areas marked † are County Boroughs, while unmarked areas are Counties. Welsh-language forms are given alongside the English where they differ.

Name changes

Five of the principal areas use different names to those given in the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. In each case the council renamed the area immediately, with the changes taking effect on 2 April 1996.^[6] The changes were:

• Conwy from "Aberconwy and Colwyn"
• Isle of Anglesey from "Anglesey"
• Gwynedd from "Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire"
• Ceredigion from "Cardiganshire"
• Neath Port Talbot from "Neath and Port Talbot"

Governance

Main article: List of leaders of Welsh councils

Like councils throughout the UK, Welsh councils are made up of elected councillors and local government elections normally take place every four years. The Wales Act 2017 prevents local government elections from taking place in the same year as elections to the Senedd, meaning the May 2021 local elections to were postponed to May 2022.^[7]

Preserved counties of Wales

Main article: Preserved counties of Wales

For ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty, Wales is divided into eight preserved counties. These were based on the counties (created by the Local Government Act 1972) which were used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.

Communities

Main article: Community (Wales)

See also: List of communities in Wales

At the lowest level of administrative subdivision in Wales are the communities, into which each principal area is subdivided. They may have elected community councils which perform a number of roles, such as providing local facilities, and representing their communities to larger local government bodies. Community councils are the equivalent of English parish councils. A community council may call itself a "town council" if it so wishes. The councils of three communities with city status – Bangor, St Asaph, and St Davids – are known as "city councils". Communities which are too small to have a council may have a community meeting instead: an example of direct democracy. The communities in the urban areas of the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport do not have community councils.^[8][9][10]

Police and fire services

There are four police forces in Wales: Dyfed-Powys Police, Gwent Police, North Wales Police and South Wales Police.

1 2 3 4

North Wales Police Dyfed-Powys Police South Wales Police Gwent Police

There are three fire and rescue services in Wales, established in 1996: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service and South Wales Fire and Rescue Service.

1 2 3

North Wales Fire and Rescue Service Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Regional bodies

Main article: Regions of Wales

 

Map of the four CJCs in Wales:

  North Wales CJC

  Mid Wales CJC

  South West Wales CJC

  South East Wales CJC

Corporate Joint Committees

Main article: Corporate Joint Committee

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.^[11] CJCs have powers relating to economic well-being, strategic planning and the development of regional transport policies.^[12] There are four CJCs, covering Mid Wales, North Wales, South East Wales, and South West Wales.

City deals and growth deals

Main article: Regional economy in Wales

City deals and growth deals are partnerships between local authorities. City deals have been agreed for the Cardiff Capital Region and Swansea Bay City Region, which cover south-east and south-west Wales respectively, and growth deals have been agree for Mid Wales (Growing Mid Wales) and North Wales (Ambition North Wales).

Trunk road agents

Main article: Trunk road agent

Trunk road agents are partnerships between two or more local authorities for the purposes of managing, maintaining, and improving the network of trunk roads (including any motorways) in their respective areas. Each trunk road agent can employ Welsh Government traffic officers. There are two agents, covering North and Mid Wales and South Wales.

International Territorial Level

Wales is divided into statistical regions by the UK's Office for National Statistics, using the International Territorial Level geocode standard since 2021. Before Brexit, as part of the European Union and Eurostat, the system used was Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS). Wales is a level 1 ITL region alongside Scotland, Northern Ireland and the 9 statistical regions of England, with the code "TLL". It is subdivided into two ITL 2 regions, which are themselves divided into twelve ITL 3 regions.

ITL 1	Code	ITL 2	Code	ITL 3	Code
Wales	TLL	West Wales and The Valleys	TLL1	Isle of Anglesey	TLL11
				Gwynedd	TLL12
				Conwy and Denbighshire	TLL13
				South West Wales (Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire)	TLL14
				Central Valleys (Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff)	TLL15
				Gwent Valleys (Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Torfaen)	TLL16
				Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot	TLL17
				Swansea	TLL18
		East Wales	TLL2	Monmouthshire and Newport	TLL21
				Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan	TLL22
				Flintshire and Wrexham	TLL23
				Powys	TLL24

History

Main articles: History of local government in Wales and Historic counties of Wales

Modern ocal government in Wales emerged during the late 19th century, when administrative counties and county boroughs were established in 1889. Urban and rural districts were formed in 1894. These were replaced in 1974 by eight two-tier counties and thirty-seven districts, which were in turn replaced by the present principal areas in 1996.

Reform proposals

Williams Commission

In April 2013, it was announced that a major review was to be undertaken into local government organisation in Wales, with a Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery being established, to be chaired by Sir Paul Williams. 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."^[13]

The Commission reported on 20 January 2014. It recommended that the number of councils be reduced, through mergers rather than through boundary changes, from 22 to 10, 11 or 12; and suggested that the cost of merging the councils would be met through savings made within about two years.^[14]

Wales' First Minister Carwyn Jones said: "This report addresses many issues that are critical at a time when the need for public services is outstripping the resources available to provide them. I have always been clear that the status quo is not an option. Change is inevitable and essential so that our public services can become more efficient, effective, accessible and responsive." Janet Finch-Saunders AM, shadow minister for local government, said: "What matters to the vast majority of hardworking families is not the intricate structures of local government, but knowing that services will be delivered in an efficient and cost effective way.... We believe that public services are best delivered locally so taxpayers can hold local representatives to account for what happens in their community." Rhodri Glyn Thomas, for Plaid Cymru, commented: "The weight of evidence presented to the Williams Commission shows that if the people of Wales are going to get the services they need and deserve then there has to be a radical improvement in the way public services are delivered."^[14]

Draft Local Government (Wales) Bill

In response to recommendations made by the Williams Commission, the Welsh Government published a draft local government bill in November 2015.^[15] The draft bill contained two proposals, one for eight local authorities and one for nine local authorities. The difference between the two proposals is related to North Wales (two or three local authorities). The bill did not propose names for the local authorities, only listing them by number as a combination of existing principal areas. Powys was not affected by either proposal. The changes were planned to take effect in April 2020.^[16]

Eight local authorities model

 

Proposed 8 local authorities model

Proposed local authority	Proposed area
Area 1	Anglesey, Gwynedd, Conwy
Area 2	Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham
Area 3	Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire
Area 4	Swansea, Neath Port Talbot
Area 5	Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Merthyr Tydfil
Area 6	Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan
Area 7	Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Torfaen and Newport
Powys	Powys

Nine local authorities model

 

Proposed 9 local authorities model

Proposed local authority	Proposed area
Area 1	Anglesey, Gwynedd
Area 2	Conwy, Denbighshire
Area 3	Flintshire, Wrexham
Area 4	Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire
Area 5	Swansea, Neath Port Talbot
Area 6	Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Merthyr Tydfil
Area 7	Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan
Area 8	Monmouthshire, Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Torfaen and Newport
Powys	Powys

2016 redrafting and abandonment

Following the 2016 assembly elections, First Minister Carwyn Jones 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.^[17] The merger plans were formally dropped in January 2017, when the Welsh Government instead began a consultation on wider reform of local governance arrangements. The number of councils are to remain as they currently are, unless two or more local authorities wish to pursue a voluntary merger.^[18]

2017 white paper

A white paper titled "Reforming Local Government: Resilient and Renewed" was published in January 2017. It proposed the formation of regional bodies to encourage better collaboration between existing local authorities and a possible change in the electoral system used in local elections from "first past the post" to the "Single transferable vote" system.^[18]

2018 green paper

A new green paper, "Strengthening Local Government: Delivering for People", was published in 2018.^[19] The paper makes the case for a reduction of the number of local authorities from 22 to 10 and suggested three possible approaches, a system of voluntary mergers, a phased approach with authorities merging in either 2022 or 2026 or a comprehensive system of mergers to occur in 2022.^[20]

 

Proposed 10 authority model

Proposed local authority	Proposed area
Area 1	Anglesey, Gwynedd
Area 2	Conwy, Denbighshire
Area 3	Flintshire, Wrexham
Area 4	Powys
Area 5	Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire
Area 6	Swansea, Neath Port Talbot
Area 7	Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Merthyr Tydfil
Area 8	Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan
Area 9	Caerphilly, Newport
Area 10	Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire, Torfaen

Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021

A bill was introduced by the Welsh Government in November 2019 to reform local government in Wales. 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. It extends the term of local councillors from four years to five years. The bill will allow local councils to decide to continue to hold elections under first past the post system or to switch to the single transferable vote system. 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. It also creates a framework for joint regional coordination between local authorities through the formation of "Corporate Joint Committees".^[21] 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.^[22][23]

Cities

See also: List of cities in Wales

There are seven cities in total in Wales: in addition to the four principal areas with city status (Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham), the communities of Bangor, St Davids and St Asaph also have the status. City status is granted by letters patent.

• Bangor – time indeterminate
• Cardiff – 1905
• Swansea – 1969
• St Davids – 1994
• Newport – 2002
• St Asaph – 2012
• Wrexham – 2022

St Asaph, as the seat of a bishopric, was historically referred to as a city, and was described as such in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. The status was, however, not officially recognised for many years. When city status was restored to St Davids in 1994, St Asaph town council submitted a petition for the same purpose. The petition was refused as, unlike St Davids, there was no evidence of any charter or letters patent in the past conferring the status. Applications for city status in competitions in 2000 and 2002 were unsuccessful.^[24] However, city status was finally granted to St Asaph in 2012 as part of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations:^[25] St Asaph was selected "to recognise its wealth of history, its cultural contribution and its metropolitan status as a centre for technology, commerce and business". Wrexham was awarded city status as part of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in September 2022.^[26][27][28]

See also

•  Wales portal
•  Politics portal

• List of political parties in Wales
• List of Welsh principal areas
• List of Welsh areas by percentage of Welsh-speakers
• Welsh Government
• Geography of Wales
• List of communities in Wales
• List of electoral wards in Wales
• ISO 3166-2:GB, subdivision codes for the United Kingdom
• Local government in England
• Local government in Northern Ireland
• Local government in Scotland
• Political make-up of local councils in the United Kingdom#Wales
• Regions of Wales

References

Citations

1. Local Government (Wales) Act 1994
2. "Town and Community Councils - WLGA". www.wlga.wales. Retrieved 2023-11-28.
3. "Local Government (Wales) Act 1994". www.legislation.gov.uk. from the original on 14 September 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
4. "No. 56573". The London Gazette. 21 May 2002. p. 6160.
5. "Newport City Council". Newport City Council. 4 December 2010. from the original on 9 December 2010. Retrieved 5 March 2011.
6. "The Residuary Body for Wales (Levies) Regulations 1996". www.opsi.gov.uk. from the original on 9 December 2009. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
7. Ruth Mosalski (24 September 2019). "The date of the next council elections in Wales has moved". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
8. . Cardiff Council. Archived from the original on 6 September 2018. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
9. "Community/Town Council contact details". City and County of Swansea. 30 September 2003. from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
10. "Community council contact details". Newport City Council. from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
11. "Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021".
12. "The South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee Regulations 2021" (PDF).
13. Local councils in Wales could be cut after review 2013-04-19 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 19 April 2013.
14. Williams Commission report calls for fewer councils 2014-01-22 at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, 20 January 2014.
15. "Consultations - beta.gov.wales". beta.gov.wales. from the original on 30 May 2016. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
16. "Local Government (Wales) Bill = Explanatory Memorandum incorporating the Regulatory Impact Assessment and Explanatory Notes" (PDF). Senedd. September 2015.
17. "'Deeply unpopular' council merger plans scrapped". Monmouthshire Beacon.
18. "Welsh Government - Local Government Reform White Paper unveiled by Mark Drakeford". gov.wales. 31 January 2017. from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 8 May 2018.
19. "Strengthening Local Government: Delivering for people". GOV.WALES. 12 June 2018.
20. "Number: WG34071 - Welsh Government Green Paper Consultation Document - Strengthening Local Government: Delivering for People" (PDF). Government of Wales. 20 March 2018.
21. "Local Government and Elections (Wales) Bill". senedd.assembly.wales. November 18, 2019.
22. "Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021". Senedd. 18 November 2019. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
23. "Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021".
24. Beckett, J V (2005). City Status in the British isles, 1830 – 2002. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing. pp. 133–135. ISBN 0-7546-5067-7.
25. "Three towns win city status for Diamond Jubilee". BBC News. 2012-04-18. from the original on 2012-04-25. Retrieved 2012-04-18.
26. "Queen's Jubilee: Wrexham becomes Wales' seventh city". BBC News. 2022-05-20. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
27. "The City of Wrexham: History made as city status is granted". The Leader. 20 May 2022. Retrieved 2022-05-21.
28. "Official – Wrexham is now a city". Wrexham.com. Retrieved 2022-09-01.

Sources

• CIA World Factbook 2002

External links

• Williams Commission report, January 2014
• LocalGov.co.uk – News updates on UK local government, including reorganisation
• Map of the UK counties and unitary administrations
• Map of all UK local authorities