The Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP), supported by the WLGA, convened the Independent Working Group on Sustainable Local Government for the Future, made up of serving local authority leaders and chief executives in Wales alongside independent expertise, chaired by former WCPP director Professor Steve Martin.
Following the publication of its first position paper in June 2025, the group has been considering some of the structural and cultural changes that would support the development of a more sustainable operating model for councils in Wales.
The group’s second position paper - Foundations for developing a new model of local government in Wales - summarises the context for these discussions and articulates a position or set of propositions on how local government is financed; how councils can develop a new operating model; and the workforce, leadership and culture changes local authorities need to deliver change. The Working Group is seeking feedback on these positions via a short survey.
Independent evidence has been produced to support the group’s discussions. Professor Kevin Muldoon-Smith’s report Foundations for developing a new model of local government in Wales presents an analytical framework on local government finance reform in Wales that assesses the resilience and autonomy of the local government finance system, highlighting clear opportunities for reform. The group’s discussions on developing a new operating model are informed by Rob Ashelford’s working paper Transforming local government in Wales and workshop summary. The working paper presents research into the evidence around local government transformation and proposes recommendations on how local government in Wales might undertake a transformation exercise that leads to a more sustainable future. The workshop summary tests the validity of the challenges facing local authorities and explores some of the proposed solutions with key stakeholders in the sector.
We have has also published a WCPP background paper Workforce, culture and leadership for future local government, which provides a high-level picture of the evidence across these three areas to identify opportunities for improvement and reform in Wales.
The Working Group is developing a vision for the future of local government in Wales, accompanied by proposals to support its delivery, which will be published this spring/summer.
Scan the QR code to provide feedback on the Working Group's latest positions:
