Governance in Wales

Overview

In today’s devolved 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 local authority). In most rural areas and in some urban areas the electorate is also served by a town and community councillor. There are also 3 national parks authorities, 4 police authorities and 3 fire and rescue authorities in Wales.

There are 4 members of the European Parliament, 40 Members of Parliament and 60 Members of the National Assembly for Wales and 1264 councillors on the 22 unitary councils. Some 8000 councillors also serve on the 730+ town and community councils.

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.
22 local health boards (LHBs), which mirror local authority geographical boundaries, are charged with the prevention of ill health and the commissioning and performance of local primary and secondary health services. LHBs are a key interface between the NHS and social services, and therefore include senior councillors and council officers as members of the boards.

Councils have a central role on the recently established Local Service Boards covering each local authority area. These boards will bring together the leaders and chief executives of the major public service providers, from all sectors, to tackle key service challenges or ‘systems blockages’ between service providers. Councillors’ roles will be also be enhanced with the developing approach to wider public service scrutiny, allowing them to have a say over all public services delivered within their communities.

Wales’ 22 councils are leading the way in terms of public sector innovation and collaboration. 4 regional boards have been established covering Wales at which Councils are pooling expertise, sharing best practice and will increasingly plan and deliver joint services. This will not only lead to improved public services but should also see substantial efficiency savings.

There are also special ‘participatory’ arrangements in the most disadvantaged communities of Wales to involve local people in identifying and delivering solutions to improve quality of life and life opportunities. Under the Assembly Government’s Communities First Programme, which will become Communities Next, 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.

Back to top