Consultation on legislation for Welsh ministers to pay grants to Corporate Joint Committees

The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (‘the 2021 Act’) provided for the establishment of Corporate Joint Committees as a vehicle to support regional collaboration between local authorities in Wales.

Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 (‘the 2003 Act’) allows Welsh Ministers to pay a grant to a ‘local authority in Wales’. The definition of which bodies are a local authority for the purposes of that section is set out in section 33. The list does not include CJCs, and Welsh Ministers are therefore unable to provide grant funding directly to CJCs using this local government specific legislation.

This consultation is seeking views on a proposed amendment to include CJCs in the list of bodies able to receive a grant under section 31 of the 2003 Act.   

A CJC is a separate corporate body which can employ staff, hold assets and budgets, and undertake functions conferred on it.

The 4 CJCs were established by regulations from 1 April 2021, based on the geographical areas requested by local government and reflecting existing regional collaborative arrangements. The established CJCs and the principal councils within their areas are as follows:

• The North Wales Corporate Joint Committee: Gwynedd, Denbighshire, Anglesey, Wrexham, Conwy and Flintshire.
• The Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee: Powys and Ceredigion.
• The South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee: Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan, Monmouthshire, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Newport, Merthyr Tydfil, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Bridgend.
• The South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee: Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea. 

The following functions have been conferred on all 4 CJCs:

• To prepare a Strategic Development Plan.
• To prepare a Regional Transport Plan.
• An economic well-being function which enables the CJC to do anything to enhance or promote the economic well-being of its area. 

The 2021 Act requires that the regulations establishing a CJC provide that the leaders of each constituent council are to be the members of their respective CJCs. The leaders make the decisions within the CJC on behalf of the councils they are elected to represent. A National Park Authority falling wholly or partly within the area of a CJC must also appoint a specified office-holder to be a member of the CJC for its area for the function of preparing a Strategic Development Plan and any other function agreed by the CJC.

CJCs can engage and involve others in their work through co-option. Who is co-opted and for what purpose is for individual CJCs to decide.

A CJC is scrutinised by its constituent councils and is required to participate in local scrutiny and have due regard to the recommendations made by scrutiny committees of its constituent councils about CJCs.

A CJC must agree its budget requirement and the amounts payable by each constituent local authority, including from the relevant National Park Authority required in relation to the strategic planning function. In the absence of unanimous agreement, the amounts payable by the constituent councils can be directed by Welsh Ministers.

As set out in statutory guidance:

each CJC is required to calculate its budget requirements for each financial year to include the amounts required to exercise its functions, and expenditure associated with administrative costs and overheads, as well as an amount for contingencies, a reserve, and an amount to cover any outstanding liabilities.  The intention is that a CJC must be sufficiently funded to deliver its specified functions/activities, including expenditure associated with administrative costs and overheads.

There is broad recognition that the capacity and capability of CJCs is a key issue in their development. Although it is intended that local authorities will bear the majority of costs for administering CJCs, Welsh Government is considering how it can support CJCs to deliver objectives.

The Government of Wales Act 2006 enables Welsh Ministers to do anything they consider appropriate for ‘the promotion or improvement of the economic, social and environmental well-being of Wales’. This can include entering into an agreement to pay a grant directly to any person, which would include CJCs.

Section 31 of 2003 Act currently enables Welsh Ministers to pay a grant to a ‘local authority in Wales’ for expenditure either incurred or to be incurred by it. What constitutes a local authority for the purposes of section 31 does not include CJCs. Therefore, Welsh Ministers do not have the power to provide funding by way of grant direct to CJCs using this local government specific legislation.

It would be beneficial to have a specific power in local government legislation for Welsh Ministers to provide grants to CJCs.

It was always intended that CJCs would be part of the ‘local government family’. The Welsh Government is therefore consulting to seek views on the development of regulations to amend the 2003 Act so that CJCs are included in the list of local authorities to which Welsh Ministers may pay grant funding under section 31 of that Act.

Question 1

Do you agree with an amendment being made to the Local Government Act 2003 to enable Welsh Ministers to pay grants to Corporate Joint Committees under section 31 of that Act?

Question 2

What, in your opinion, would be the likely effects of the legislation on the Welsh language?  We are particularly interested in any likely effects on opportunities to use the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English. 

• Do you think that there are opportunities to promote any positive effects?
• Do you think that there are opportunities to mitigate any adverse effects?  

Question 3

In your opinion, could the legislation be formulated or changed so as to:

• have positive effects or more positive effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English; or
• mitigate any negative effects on using the Welsh language and on not treating the Welsh language less favourably than English?

Question 4

We have asked a number of specific questions. If you have any related issues which we have not specifically addressed, please use this space to report them:

Submit your comments by 18 June 2025, in any of the following ways:

• complete our online form
• download, complete our response form and email lgpolicy.correspondence@gov.wales
• download, complete our response form and post to:

Local Government Regional Collaboration
Local Government Policy
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

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Data Protection Officer

Data Protection Officer
Welsh Government
Cathays Park
Cardiff
CF10 3NQ

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Information Commissioner’s Office

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Number: WG52056

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