DESPITE ALL the problems both they and the country is facing, a pledge was made in the coalition briefing that local councils will NOT be forced to merge, Clive Betts writes from the Assembly press gallery.
Instead, any changes must originate with the local area, said local government minister Brian Gibbons.
He said YES to the on-going merger of Powys county council with Powys Local Health Board, but NO to any forced merger between the successful Gwynedd and the unsuccessful Ynys Mon counties.
The sort of top-down mergers of councils which successive governments are so happy about introducting were ruled out by Dr Gibbons.
In the past, the Assembly government has not been so strident in ruling out such activities. Some Welsh councils are considered to be rather small – certainly, compared with those in England.
Those which have been mentioned include Ynys Mon – much hit by a very long period of internal strife – Merthyr, and Blaenau Gwent.
At one point, Cardiff seemed to be merely waiting for time to give them the courage to institute mergers.
The sort of mergers Dr Gibbons is thinking about are radically different. He talks of “back offices” – meaning, I suppose, pay, personnel, etc.
Dr Gibbons also spoke about adjoining councils merging individual services, with the stronger council in that service taking the lead.
This is something like the system which existed sometimes before the mid-60s mergers which abolished tiny urban and rural district councils. In those days, chief officers would be shared between councils – although, admittedly, the departments concerned were often quite minor.
The political view over mergers varies. Kirsty Williams, Lib Dem leader and Brecon and Radnor AM, was a bit surprising in her open support during her party’s briefing for a merger that would encompass the currently-planned county and LHB, and then add on the Brecon Beacons National Park.
Ms Williams worried about the cost of providing services over such a large area to so few people.
But then she is too young to have any experience of the mass of urban and rural councils which existed within the three old counties of the present Powys.
After all, that system DID work !
Bring back the old Cwmwd (commote). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commote In the rural areas at least they correaspond by and large to the local travel to work area and high school catchment area. They’re bigger than the pointless community councils and so have a local and more strategic presense.
At the same time bring back the ‘old’ counties like Gwynedd and Clwyd.
Also, can we have recognition of Welsh in the drawing up of any new councils e.g. Llanrwst to go with Gwynedd rather the costa geriatrica of Conwy.