External Regulation

Councils regulate their own affairs through their own governance arrangements such as internal reporting, resource management and performance management. Some of these responsibilities are discharged by nominated officers, such as the Section 151 Officer (financial monitoring), Monitoring Officer (legal compliance) and the Chief Internal Auditor.

The compliance and performance of councils is also regulated by external bodies appointed by the Welsh Assembly Government. The Wales Audit Office assesses corporate governance, inspects services, conducts national studies, and provides external audit services to councils alongside appointed private providers. Other regulators include the Care Standards Inspectorate for Wales (care, early years and social services); Estyn (education) and the Benefits Inspectorate (benefits services).

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