Super council plan ‘a back door merger’

FEARS COSTLY EXTRA LAYER COULD TAKE POWER FROM COUNTIES

THE Welsh Government is pressing on with plans to create a new regional committee which critics have dubbed a “super-council” for North Wales.

Mandarins in Cardiff are consulting with public bodies in the region about a new North Wales Regional Corporate Joint Committee (CJC), which will be discussed by Conwy county council’s cabinet today.

The body will cover all six local authority areas and Snowdonia National Park Authority.

The extra tier of bureaucracy will cover the economy, development planning and transport at a regional level and there will be three other CJCs set up in south-east, southwest and mid-Wales from September this year.

It’s feared the new “supercouncil” would swallow up the £1 billion North Wales Economic Growth Deal, which already sees all six councils cooperating on developing business and job opportunities, improving communications and reducing skills shortages in the region.

Conwy County Council’s response to the consultation airs worries it could take power away from local councils and electors, which would still run in parallel to CJCs.

Conwy’s cabinet member for governance Chris Cater, said: “Concerning the proposed establishment of CJCs, it is important that CCBC’s response reflects real concerns about a democratic deficit developing, potential lack of proper scrutiny and high costs for another layer of governance and administration.

“The resultant budgets would have to be met by local authorities in a financially stressful pandemic/post pandemic period.”

It has been estimated the cost of running the CJC for six years could be between £10.9 - £16.5m.

The report to cabinet said:

“Whilst there are some benefits to establishing CJCs, the draft response highlights a number of concerns regarding the undermining of local democracy, scrutiny and accountability, functions, staffing and finance costs.”

The WLGA has also “expressed concern over the principle of mandating the committees which it has argued undermines local democracy”, the report adds.

Plans to voluntarily merge councils were introduced by former public service minister Leighton Andrews in 2015. In 2016 then First Minister Carwyn Jones shelved plans to impose a cut from 22 local authorities to nine. New proposals to reduce the number of councils in Wales to 10 were abandoned by then local government minister Alun Davies in 2018.

In a foreword to the consultation document current local government minister Julie James said collaboration “would be a key” to the country’s post-Covid recovery.

She added: “The model of corporate joint committees builds on the best that has already been achieved in the development of regional arrangements in different parts of Wales.”

Under Part 5 of theLocal Government and Elections (Wales) Bill, the Senedd can extend the areas of responsibility- and therefore the powers - of the new body.

County council leaders, the only representatives of each public body in the decision making process for CJCs, would also be able to vote to apply to Welsh Government for more responsibility for the new regional committees.

It’s been dubbed a “North Wales super-council let in through the back door” and left North Wales local authorities worried about their futures.

Wrexham, Flintshire and Gwynedd councils have all raised concerns about the nature and timing of the pro