Our views on local government reorganisation in Wales

• We were asked to respond to the recent report of the Williams Commission on the proposed reorganisation of public services in Wales. One of the proposals is that Newport and Monmouthshire should be merged to become one local authority.

  We have written to Newport West Constituency Labour Party arguing that a totally different approach to reorganisation was needed at this stage.

   

  

  Newport should continue to exist as a unitary authority in its own right

  but could collaborate in an innovative way with neighbouring authorities in Gwent, Cardiff and South East Wales as a whole. This is our summary:

   

  “In many respects, the Report follows the basic same pattern as earlier

  reforms of local government reorganisation. Perhaps it is time to change this

  and take a more holistic approach to this subject.

   

  “Rather than looking at formally merging existing boundaries, perhaps we

  should be thinking along more regional lines. Perhaps a better solution to

  problems facing us at the moment might be a regional Federation/Alliance

  with areas which we have common interests i.e. Cardiff. Both cities have

  industrial, cultural and historical links. In this respect the report prepared by

  Professor Simon Gibson “The City of Newport … on the Rise” brings the

  conflict between urban and rural areas into sharp focus given that the report

  recommends, inter alia, the establishment of a National Centre for Cyber

  Security in the City. If Professor Gibson’s ideas materialise then it is hard to

  see how a vibrant modern technological Newport would sit easily with rural

  Monmouthshire.

   

  “We wonder if the Commission aren’t seeing the bigger picture. The present

  record on collaboration between authorities doesn’t seem to have achieved

  much, and we suspect the Williams report is correct in making that

  observation. But if there was a city region, centred on Cardiff that might make

  more sense. It would resolve the current problem of having too many local

  authorities, and there could be a more intelligent approach to collaboration.”

  To see our full response click here

  
  
  March 2nd, 2014 | Caerleon Labour | Comments Off on Our views on local government reorganisation in Wales |