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

Mr Lyn Cadwallader

Chief Executive Prif Weithredwr

Cwmbran Community Council

12 November 2013

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

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

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales

Working for Councils across Wales

Key Facts:

• Three quarters of councils in membership, and growing.
• Expanding activities and services.
• High level political support.
• Increasing recognition and influence nationally and locally.

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales Core Aims

• 1. To act as the single representative voice for community

and town councils in Wales, developing One Voice Wales as necessary to meet this aim

• 2. To promote a wider understanding and awareness of

the role and contribution of community and town councils

• 3. To develop and advise on policy relating to the sector

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales Core Aims

• 4. To provide high quality information and advice services

to the member councils of One Voice Wales

• 5. To provide training to develop the knowledge and skills of

councillors and officers

• 6. To promote the sustainable delivery of services by

community and town councils.

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales

Working for Councils across Wales

Three key activities:

• Representing councils nationally – influencing the

work of other bodies in the interests of the sector.

• Facilitating joint development – formally and informally.
• Supporting councils individually – advice, guidance

and lobbying on specific issues.

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Key Services

• Provision of legal advice
• General guidance on system and service improvements
• Information on policy development
• Implementation of National Training Strategy
• Promoting take-up of all-Wales opportunities
• Promotion of Best Practice and providing networking
• pportunities

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Key Services

• Guidance on community involvement and engagement in

local issues

• Co-ordination of an annual conference for members
• Informative Newsletter & website
• Services of Development Officers
• Consultancy Services

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Representing Councils

• Local Government Partnership Council

Raising issues of concern and promoting joint working. Frequent meetings with WG and WLGA.

• Proactively influencing policy:

Shared Services - Shared Responsibility…Single Integrated Planning; Local Service Boards and Charters with LA’s; Planning Bill – Management Development Research Group; Community Development – developing relationship with CREW Wales Audit Office Local Councils Liaison Committee; WG Sustainable Development Bill Reference Group

• Responding to policy consultations: e.g. Local Government (Wales) Measure

2011; Local Government Democracy Bill; Local Government Bye-Laws Bill; Wales Water Strategy; Marine Conservation Zones; Wales Transport Strategy; Health Services re-configuration

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;
• WG War Commemorations Advisory 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;
• Wales Audit Office Local Council Liaison Group.

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales - Representing Councils

• Developing national guidance:

WAO & Audit Good Practice Guide; Revised Good Councillor Guide Planning & Managing Development Research – Planning Bill; Information Commissioner Wales – recent audits and practice advice; Climate Adaptation Case Studies

• Liaising with other bodies/representative bodies: e.g.

Welsh Government Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA) National Association of Local Councils (England); Society of Local Council Clerks (SLCC); Wales Council for Voluntary Associations (WCVA); Planning Aid Wales (PAW) Centre for Regeneration Excellence (CREW)

• Raising Awareness of Local Councils: e.g.

Quarterly magazine – distributed to AM’s and key partner organisations Website – Members area as an information resource; Research/surveys eg IT, Training Needs, GIS Best practice gathering and sharing

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

One Voice Wales - Governance

National Executive Committee

• Meets quarterly
• 34 members – 2 from each Area Committee plus 2 Larger Councils reps
• 3 Committees – Finance and Resources, Policy, Communications and Commercial

Larger Local Councils Committee

• Meets quarterly – Councils representing 3,000+ households
• Larger Councils Conference introduced 2013 – will be annual event

16 Area Committees

• Meet quarterly with each council represented
• Invited speakers on topical issues
• Facilitated by One Voice Wales regional Development Officer
• Local networking opportunity to share experience and best practice
• Opportunity to influence national-level developments
• Each Area Committee elects two representatives onto the National Executive Committee

Audit Panel

• Meets quarterly – monitoring/evaluation/risk management

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Chief Executive Lyn Cadwallader Deputy CEO Paul Egan* Development Officer Dr Del Morgan* Development Officer Luned Evans* Development Officer Shannon Robinson* Administration Manager Tracy Gilmartin-Ward

Member Councils Member Councils Member Councils Member Councils

*Part-time Administration Asst. Paula Evans

Governance & Staffing

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Changing times...policy context

• One Wales: One Planet - Welsh Government central organizing

principle

• Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 – Power of Wellbeing
• Local Government Democracy Bill
• Future Generations (formerly Sustainable Development) Bill
• Current financial climate – pressure for new models of working at

the local level

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

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

A new role for Community and Town Councils...

Under the Local Government Wales Measure 2011, Community and Town Councils have the power to promote wellbeing. “In Wales, sustainable development is defined in terms of the enhancement of the well-being of people and communities, and quality of life. There is broad stated public support for this approach: a 2005 poll, 89% of those surveyed in Wales agreed with the statement: A government’s prime objective should be achieving the greatest happiness of the people, not the greatest wealth. The

• ther important feature of this definition is long-termism – reflecting the

pursuit of wellbeing for future generations, locking in a commitment to maintain ‘endowments’ or natural, social, human and economic capital that will affect wellbeing in the future. It is important to recognise that sustainable development is not only or primarily an environmental concept – it is not ‘greening up’ of government activity, but a broader and deeper concept.” Clive Bates, Director General Sustainable Futures, Welsh Government, July 2011

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  Achieving fairness for everyone  Empowering local governance  Increasing resources for community benefit  Enjoying locally relevant services

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

A model for the community council

• f the future (2)…

 Enriching social capital and well-being  Valuing local distinctiveness  Developing reliable infrastructure  Enhancing environmental capacity  Supporting a dynamic local economy

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

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…

 Sector developments

• WLGA Memorandum of Understanding
• Devolution of Services/Asset Transfer
• WAO new auditing arrangements eg SD Duty
• Independent Remuneration Panel
• EU funding opportunities – RDP 2014-20

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Organisational developments…

 Further development of the role of the Larger Councils

Committee

 Increased lobbying role – Public Services Commission  Seeking out collaboration partners  Grow services - Supplier Directory, Consultancy offering  Grow membership levels/ New Partnerships –

Insurance? Procurement?

 Develop Charters – 10 LA’s do not have one in place

with C&TC’s

 Increase role within LSB’s

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

Further organisational developments…

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

Protection/Freedom of Information, Information Management

• Information driven organisation – sector surveys
• Continue to influence policy development, e.g. Future Generations Bill,

Planning Bill, Environment Bill, Local Government Democracy Bill

• Improve communications – new website; greater reach of ‘The Voice’

quarterly newsletter

• Development of commercial activities – sponsorship of events,

commercial partnerships with suppliers, suppliers directory, website advertising space

One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru

And finally…

• Develop OVW internally – new extended remit for Audit

Panel/ re-alignment of NEC committees activities

• Ensure potential of the sector is fulfilled – raise awareness

with stakeholder organisations

• 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