Expert Group on Cohesion: terms of reference

The Expert Group on Cohesion has been established in response to recommendations 1 and 4 from the Sened Equality and Social Justice Committee’s Inquiry on Social Cohesion (2025). It is a non-statutory group to advise the Welsh Government.

The Expert Group on Cohesion is convened to provide advice and propose recommended actions to Welsh Government on how to strengthen cohesion across Wales. 

The Group will:

• draw on diverse expertise and lived experience to identify effective actions, frameworks, and collaborative approaches to address challenges and promote inclusive, cohesive communities
• adopt and promote guiding principles for cohesion in Wales
• identify immediate, medium-, and long-term actions to improve cohesion across communities
• pinpoint challenges posed by rising extremism and recommend effective responses to prevent and manage community tensions
• consider and propose a framework for measuring cohesion
• explore and recommend mechanisms for sharing best practice across sectors and regions

In scope:

• Cohesion in Wales, as set out in the working definition in Annex A.
• Welsh Government Cohesion policy.
• To ensure the Group can develop these actions within this short period, its work will need to remain focused on cohesion and the recommendations of the Equality and Social Justice Committee Inquiry on Social Cohesion.

Out of scope:

• Communities policy.
• Community Assets.
• Non-devolved areas. 

The Expert Group is not a decision-making Group. It can only advise Welsh Ministers about actions it recommends are taken. 

The Expert Group will not duplicate or replace any of the existing Welsh Government forums focusing on related issues, such as the Hate and Community Tensions Board Cymru and various Equality-related Ministerial Forums.

Group members will:

• attend and actively participate in meetings
• draw expertise from their wider networks, evidence, and lived experience and share insights with the group
• contribute to the development of advice and options to inform the identification of actions
• support dissemination and implementation of best practice
• uphold the principles of respect, inclusion, and collaboration
• be mindful of the sustainable development principle 5 ways of workings from the Well-being of Future Generations Act

The Expert Group is chaired by Gaynor Legall CBE.

The Group is a ‘task and finish’ group which will conclude by March 2026. 

There are 3 meetings due to be held:

•  November 2025
•  February 2026 
• March 2026. 

The Group is expected to then cease. Meetings will be virtual by default. 

Secretariat support will be provided by the Welsh Government’s Cohesive Communities Division. The secretariat would not have capacity to support the formation of sub-groups. The secretariat can be contacted via cohesion@gov.wales. 

The First Minister has agreed for the Wales Centre for Public Policy to support the work of the Expert Group by analysing the evidence previously submitted to the Equality and Social Justice Committee and any other relevant evidence of successful cohesion initiatives which come to their attention. This analysis will be explained at the first meeting of the Expert Group in November 2025 and findings presented in February 2026. The Expert Group will be asked to consider these findings in developing its recommended actions.

Group outputs will include recommendations and frameworks submitted to the Welsh Ministers for consideration.

Verbatim minutes of these meetings will not be produced but general topics of discussion and actions will be recorded. Transcriptions or recordings may temporarily be stored but these will be deleted once the official note is drafted.

The Expert Group will consist of representatives from:

• local government and public services
• policing in Wales
• third sector organisations
• academic and research institutions
• policy and strategic experts
• community leaders 
• experts by experience

Cohesion is the extent to which people in a community treat each other with respect, get along and participate to ensure everyone can access their human rights and fulfil their potential. Cohesive communities enable people to feel safe and have resilience to division and false narratives, as well as having a sense of belonging to their community. Cohesive communities require strong social connections between and within communities, a focus on shared identity and values, and inclusive attempts to ensure everyone feels heard and valued.

A lack of cohesion is characterised by polarised communities where disengagement, segregation, isolation, dehumanisation and victimisation are commonplace or considered acceptable.