Over the last 18 months, the Independent working group on sustainable local government for the future, convened by WCPP and supported by the WLGA, has been exploring how an incoming Welsh Government can work with the sector to develop a new operating model for local government in Wales.
The working group, which is made up of local authority leaders, chief executives and independent local government experts, has issued a set of positions and recommendations ahead of the Senedd election. The group feels that this package of measures would create the conditions for the sector to develop a more sustainable future for councils.
These actions, and the associated recommendations, need to be underpinned by agreement on the purpose and functions of councils, and a shared vision for what the council of the future will look like. In its final report, due in the coming months, the working group will publish a proposed vision with supporting actions for local government and the next Welsh Government to move from fixing the foundations to a sustainable long-term future for local government.
The group stresses that Welsh Government action will need to be accompanied by action within and by the sector - an incoming government can facilitate and enable change, but this will not be enough. The development of a new, more sustainable model for local government can only happen with leadership from within the sector. Leaders within the sector need to take on the challenge of developing more sustainable models in collaboration with other councils, other public bodies, and the communities that they serve.
The group is calling on the incoming government to act quickly to:
- Address the systemic weakness of the current local government finance system by introducing measures that increase the resilience and autonomy of councils.
- Streamline and strengthen the approach to local government accountability, to reduce the administrative burden while also providing a more robust and systemic approach to assessing the performance and financial health of councils.
- Work with the sector to develop a workforce strategy and collaboratively address the current and anticipated skills gaps.
- Invest in rebuilding the capacity for innovation in the sector so that there is a coordinated, sector-led effort to develop, test and implement new models of delivery.
These actions, and the associated recommendations, need to be underpinned by agreement on the purpose and functions of councils, and a shared vision for what the council of the future will look like. In its final report, due in the coming months, the working group will publish a proposed vision with supporting actions for local government and the next Welsh Government to move from fixing the foundations to a sustainable long-term future for local government.
The group stresses that Welsh Government action will need to be accompanied by action within and by the sector - an incoming government can facilitate and enable change, but this will not be enough. The development of a new, more sustainable model for local government can only happen with leadership from within the sector. Leaders within the sector need to take on the challenge of developing more sustainable models in collaboration with other councils, other public bodies, and the communities that they serve.
