Boundary changes for county’s town and community councils challenged
Bruce Sinclair Local Democracy Reporter
A call to challenge proposed changes which will affect the boundaries of nearly every town and community council in a Welsh county has been backed.
A notice of motion heard at the September meeting of Ceredigion County Council, proposed by Councillor Rhodri Evans, seconded by Councillor Gwyn Wigley Evans, asked that the council “calls on the Welsh Government to review and rescind the proposals of the Boundaries and Democracy Commission Wales regarding changes to the boundaries of town and community councils in Ceredigion”.
It added: “We wish to write to Welsh Government and to the Minister with responsibility for Local Government to express our strong opposition to the proposed changes to town and community council boundaries in Ceredigion, including the merger of a number of existing community councils.
“During the previous Senedd term, the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru prepared recommendations to review the boundaries of town and community councils in Ceredigion.
“During the consultation process, 236 comprehensive responses were submitted by town and community councils, organisations and individuals, amounting to approximately 470 pages.
“Of all those responses, only one supported the recommendations; all the others opposed them.
“Despite this clear evidence of local opposition, the Commission decided to maintain its recommendations, proposing changes to the boundaries of 50 of the 51 town and community councils in Ceredigion, with some councils being merged entirely. This creates the impression that the views of local communities have been disregarded.”
It urged the Welsh Government “to reconsider and withdraw this proposal in a respectful manner and to explore alternatives that will preserve the integrity and unique identity of our community councils,” adding: “Any reform should strengthen local democracy; not distance it from the people it is intended to serve.”
Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Gwyn Wigley Evans described the changes as “straight out of ‘Yes Minister’,” with officers “telling the government what to do,” warning the changes would lead to clerks losing their jobs, councils their assets, and amalgamated wards increasing massively in size.
Ceredigion’s chief executive Eifion Evans stressed he was not siding on either side in the discussion but said members had previously accepted a “direction of travel” having formally approved documentation about the review process.
He said that the changes were now “in statute,” any alterations arising from the notice of motion only taking place at elections following next year’s elections.
Cllr Elizabeth Evans, previously a member of a cross-party review on the proposed changes, said they had been assured any such alterations would be flexible, but what had materialised was a “clearly proscriptive desktop exercise”.
“It’s clear that our communities are not happy, we were given that assurance that they would be flexible; let’s just give it one go, let’s just write back [to the Minister] the changes proposed do not represent our communities.”
Members, other than one abstention, backed the notice of motion.
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All the Administration in Wales need a complete overhaul there are far too many councils
They could easily be reduced they are all close together and they all duplicate the same services with chief executives and managers and staff to go with them on inflated salaries and inflated pensions