The existing 22 local authorities in Wales should be merged to create between 10 and 12 larger councils, an independent commission set up by the Welsh Government has recommended.
That is the headline proposal from the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery which published a 250-page report this week. This noted that because of their size, existing councils experienced serious problems attracting specific planning staff with expertise in area like minerals, waste and building conservation.
The commission also made a strong case for merging heritage body Cadw and the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments, a move which the Welsh Government last week rejected.
The Commission urged the devolved administration, local authorities and key stakeholders to agree the arrangements for mergers by Easter this year and called on the Welsh Government to support and incentivise early adopters who wanted to begin a voluntary process of merger.
The report ruled out redrawing council boundaries from scratch but concluded that, as a minimum, the following local authorities should merge:
· Isle of Anglesey and Gwynedd
· Conwy and Denbighshire
· Flintshire and Wrexham
· Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
· Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend
· Rhondda Cynon Taf and Merthyr Tydfil
· Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan
· Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly and Torfaen
· Monmouthshire and Newport
With Carmarthenshire, Powys and Swansea unchanged, this would yield 12 authorities.
The report said other possibilities could result in 11 or 10 new local authorities. For instance, Swansea could merge with Neath Port Talbot and Bridgend to form a single local authority, giving 11 local authorities in total. But in each option suggested by the Commission, Powys would remain a local authority single entity.
Welsh First Minister Carwyn Jones said: ‘This report addresses many issues that are critical at a time when the need for public services is outstripping the resources available to provide them. I have always been clear that the status quo is not an option.
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