What plans does the Welsh Government have to reduce the administrative workload on local authorities?
We have committed in our Programme for Government to reduce the administrative burden on local authorities so they can get on with their vitally important work. This is a cross-government commitment – recognising that Welsh Government and local government work together across a range of areas, including transport, housing, economy, agriculture, education and social care. I intend to work with the WLGA to determine how best to identify where any unnecessary administrative burdens exist, and then with other ministers to agree how we can do things differently.
Within my own portfolio the Local Government and Elections Act 2021 reduces the administrative burden in a number of ways. It introduces a new performance and governance regime which provides for a more streamlined, flexible, sector-led approach to performance, good governance and improvement. It provides the opportunity to consolidate regional arrangements by creating a single democratically controlled body for effective regional collaboration. It also enables councils to meet remotely and publish papers electronically, and abolished community polls, replacing them with a streamlined petition scheme.
We continue to consider with local government the balance of funding between the unhypothecated Local Government settlement and specific grants which carry additional administrative burdens for both Welsh and Local Government. Throughout the pandemic we have sought to develop financial support with local government so that the administration involved recognises the role of councils as trusted partners and is proportionate to the requirements for managing public money.