New law aimed at strengthening local councils and giving community councils more powers is backed by Assembly Members
16 December 2010 A cross-party committee of Assembly Members has backed a new law that aims to broaden participation in local government and give community councils the flexibility to do more for their local communities.The Local Government (Wales) Measure was proposed by the Welsh Government and has now been backed by the National Assembly for Wales’s Legislation Committee No. 3.
It aims to put mechanisms in place to bring more diversity to local government as well as strengthening support for backbenchers and the scrutiny process, and in some cases allow community councils to take on more responsibilities.
“Local councils are responsible for a wide range of services we use and the environment that we live in,” said Committee Chair, Dai Lloyd AM.
“This Measure proposes significant changes to the way they operate and how they collaborate with each other.
“The committee feels that the Measure will strengthen the structures and working of local government in Wales at all levels, and to ensure that local councils reach out to and engage with all sectors of the communities they serve.”
If passed the new law will:
Try and attract people from more diverse backgrounds to put themselves forward for election to local government by requiring local councils to provide more flexible working arrangements, including allowing councillors to access meetings remotely, and supporting those who need to take a period of family absence;
improve the support for councillors outside the executive and strengthen the scrutiny activities of local authorities and ensure high quality scrutiny activities take place across all local authorities in Wales;
maintain the role of the Independent Remuneration Panel in making recommendations on allowances and pensions for local councillors. It will enable the Panel to regularly review these arrangements, to reflect the changing nature of local government and councillors’ work and extend the Panel’s remit to include community councils, National Parks and Fire and Rescue Authorities.
Ends.