Reforming Welsh local government. Alternatives to the empty fag packet solution.

I seems the Welsh government plans for the future of our councils is just a rehash of the previous merger plans. A lazy and possibly disastrous future.

Anglesey and Gwynedd may work . But Bridgend.Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil anyone?


Over at Click on Wales Peter Black has at least put forward real ideas not something drawn up on a empty fag packet . 
Reforming Welsh local government. Alternatives to the empty fag packet solution.
He writes

It isn’t just the extra costs which have to be borne by smaller authorities seeking to deliver education and social services without sufficient economy of scale, or even the shortage of expertise in some specialities that have forced councils to appoint more generic managers to specialist posts, that are forcing change, but more fundamental problems. These include the lack of a diverse council tax base in some areas, forcing bills up to near-unaffordable levels. As a result, in parts of Wales people are paying through the nose for inadequate services.
For these and other reasons it has long been my view that change is needed. My concern, which has not been allayed by the latest announcement, is that when it comes, reorganisation will be another quick fix, defined by vested interests and that we will have to do it all again in another 20 years’ time.
Of course, the other consideration has to be whether reform is worth carrying out at all if it does not produce a radical restructuring of the way councils operate? Moving boundaries around from a Cardiff Bay cubby hole will not cut it. Change has to be meaningful, empowering and bottom-up.
What that means is that new boundaries, based on a realistic number of councils (I would suggest 15 or 16) should be drawn up by the boundary commission, taking account of community links, economic factors such as enhancing major urban centres of employment, the views of local people and of course geography. We should base boundaries on travel-to-work areas, not on the existing map and we should get the boundary commission to do the work properly, as part of a meaningful consultative process, not the politicians.
New powers should be devolved from the Welsh Government to local councils, including economic development, a power of general competence, oversight of further education, and the merger of primary health services, public health and community care with social services within the democratically accountable local government structure. That would necessitate changes to the governance of secondary health services.
In my view there are too many councillors. Their number should be reduced but their role enhanced so as to give them greater responsibility to deliver services in their own area. And there needs to be a rationalisation of community councils to make them more sustainable where they exist, giving them the ability to deliver more services in their own area.
Finally, none of this is worth doing if we don’t ensure that the councillors running these new authorities have a proper mandate. The introduction of the single transferable vote for all council elections is essential. That is the only way that we can ensure that the make-up of councils properly reflect the communities they serve.

 If the outcome of elections does not reflect the way people voted and produces big majorities for single parties on a minority of votes then not only are those councils unrepresentative, but they are less accountable, less sensitive to local opinion, and scrutiny is consequently less effective. The outcome is poorer services.

I take a different path and would create Super Councils to deal with areas like Health ,Education, Social Policy an possibly Policing. With powers devolved by the Assembly to enhance them.


Possibly using the existing Health Boards as template. Maybe if we rename the Assembly as Parliament they could be called Welsh Regional Assemblies.





We would the create 40-60 Councils  which are a mixture of Community councils and the remaining powers of the exiting Councils who are not paid or have expenses of about £2000-5000 per anum.

My solution may be too radical for the assembly bubble so maybe we should support Peter Black's suggestion.

The current plans however do not in anyway lead me to hope that Labour have avoided the Root and Branch reforms we need for the sale of the Lazy solutions of appropriate mergers,







s