One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru Lyn Cadwallader Chief Executive - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Lyn Cadwallader

Chief Executive Prif Weithredwr

Creating Vibrant Places - The Challenges for Community and Town Councils

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

The Voice of Community and Town Councils Llais Cynghorau Chymuned a Thref www.onevoicewales.org.uk

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Changing times...policy context

• One Wales: One Planet - Welsh Government central
• rganizing principle
• Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 – Power of

Wellbeing

• Local Government Democracy and Planning Bills
• Future Generations Bill (formerly SD Bill)
• Current financial climate – pressure for new models of

working at the local level

• Devolution of services agenda – asset transfers?
• Public Services Commission Review

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Current environment

 Competitive  Reducing finances  Pressure to support ‘what works’  Everything is potentially ‘up for grabs’  Legislative changes

– Future Generations Bill…SD Duty – Planning Bill – Local Democracy Bill – Implementing the Local Government Measure

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

The big challenges…

 Asset and service devolution  Public Services Review  Vibrant Places  Community engagement  Community planning  Joint working and collaboration  Taking up new roles  Building capacity to meet future expectations

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Challenges and Opportunities for the Community and Town Council sector

 Image – dispelling myths  Defining our role  Clarity of purpose

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

What should be our core competencies as a sector?

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

A model for the community council

• f the future (1)…

Future roles for community councils...

 Identifying, utilising and optimising assets – community

leadership role

 Achieving fairness for everyone – Anti-poverty agenda  Empowering local governance – youth councils  Increasing resources for community benefit – community

renewables

 Enjoying locally relevant services – evidence based

decision making

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

A model for the community council

• f the future (2)…

 Enriching social capital and well-being – supporting

social enterprise/entrepreneurs

 Valuing local distinctiveness – historic heritage/tourism  Developing reliable infrastructure – One Stop shops??  Enhancing environmental capacity – Bio-diversity

strategies

 Supporting a dynamic local economy – working with

youth and enhancing local employment opportunities

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Community and Town Council Sustainability Action Plans….’Place Plans’

The main elements of sustainable development that are relevant at the community level can be summarised as follows:

• 1. Energy efficiency
• 2. Community owned renewable energy generation
• 3. Food and allotments
• 4. Management of green space and parks
• 5. Management of local natural resources and ecosystem services
• 6. Reuse, recycling and waste management
• 7. Sustainable travel planning
• 8. Measures to promote well being
• 9. Stimulating local sustainable trade

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Working in partnership…

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales - Representing Councils

• Shaping implementation:
• Welsh Government National Assets Working Group;
• Welsh Government Third Sector Assets Working Group;
• Planning Bill Research Group;
• WG Sustainable Development Bill Reference Group;
• Sustainable Futures Commissioner Advisory Panel;
• LSB ESF Advisory Group;
• Revised Code of Conduct;
• Welsh Government Charter Network Working Group;
• National Training Advisory Group;
• Community Strategies Working Group;
• Participation Cymru National Advisory Panel
• ONS Census Outputs Working Group
• Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales;
• Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales;
• Public Service Ombudsman for Wales.

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Public Services Commission Governance and Delivery Review



Reduce the number of local government principal areas to no more than eight.



Aim for contiguous boundaries between principal areas, health administration areas and any other public sector organisations that are regionalised.



Ensure that no community or town council boundaries cross those of principal areas.



Create community or town councils in all areas where none exist at present.



There should NOT be a presumption in favour of abolishing the very small councils



That there is a new role for our sector in the scrutiny of other public services



There needs to be a focus on bottom up community planning



A model framework for partnership working across determined geographies of ‘Place’ be established across Wales

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Current thoughts…Public Services Review

• Devolve powers, responsibility and finance for a number of locally deliverable

functions to community and town councils. (The precise details and extent of these powers should be the subject of a further review and, possibly, legislation.)

• Core strategic costs of Local Councils met – Audit, Community Engagement,

Financial Management, Performance, Organisational Development eg training

• Consider any appropriate reorganisation of community or town councils and/or

their boundaries and governance in order to make them capable of delivering the services expected of them under these new arrangements.

• ‘Place planning’ as a means of connecting local councils with Single Integrated

Plans of Unitary Authorities

• Fund One Voice Wales to enable it to provide effective support for an enhanced

first tier sector of government, as described.

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales and the future…

• Role in driving sector ambitions - development of

community and town councils by collecting and sharing best practice

• Increased lobbying role – stamping our feet on issues

that matter to us

• Seeking out collaboration partners – procurement role

for OVW for the sector

• Promotion of the role of the sector – a stakeholder

conference…allowing other to get to know us better

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Further organisational developments…

• Focus on improvement and learning
• Broaden training offering to councils eg Health and safety,

Emergency Planning, Leadership skills

• Information driven organisation – sector surveys
• Improve communications – new website; greater reach of

‘The Voice’ quarterly newsletter

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

And finally…

• Continue to influence policy development, e.g. Future

Generations Bill, Planning Bill, Environment Bill, Local Government Democracy Bill

• Ensure sector is aware of partnership opportunities
• Develop knowledge and skills – devolution of services
• Keep pressure on the Welsh Government to support

C&TC sector and on an equal footing as other public services

Mr Lyn Cadwallader

Chief Executive Prif Weithredwr

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru Thank You and Questions

Diolch yn Fawr

www.onevoicewales.org.uk