5. Statement by the Minister for Housing and Local Government: The Working group on Local Government - next steps

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:36 pm on 18 June 2019.

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Photo of Julie James Julie James Labour 5:36, 18 June 2019

Well, I don't agree with the basic premise of Caroline Jones's submission there. I'm not looking to reduce the number of principal authorities in Wales. We're specifically not doing that. There will be provision in the Bill for voluntary mergers, where local authorities feel that they want to come together, but there will be no mandatory merging of local authorities. Instead, as I said, we will be looking to have a systematic approach to regional working, developed in line with local government through the sub-group, the terms of reference for which were agreed at the partnership council. I'm more than happy to circulate the terms of reference if Members are interested, but they are to look again at the regional working arrangements for local government. The first report of that group will come back by October and will be used by us to inform the debate for Stage 1 of the Bill as it goes into the Senedd. We very much hope, with the Llywydd's permission, to introduce that Bill in October in order to make the election timetable that she will certainly be aware of, and at the moment we're on target to do that. Then, as we take that through, we will be referencing the new sub-group, the working arrangements and the scrutiny of our committees here to make sure that we take forward a collaborative approach to a new system of working for local government.