Welsh Conservatives will today call on the Assembly Government to give local people a greater say in the running of public services in Wales.
Speaking ahead of the party’s Opposition debate in the National Assembly, Shadow Local Government Minister Darren Millar AM said:
“Despite celebrating 10 years of devolution in Wales this year, we have seen more centralisation under successive Assembly Governments.
“Unlike the Labour-Plaid Assembly Government, Welsh Conservatives are committed to ‘real devolution’ for the people of Wales.
“Powers have been stripped away from local authorities through Ministerial guidance, direction and intervention – forcing councils to dance to the tune of Labour and Plaid Ministers rather than responding to the needs of their local communities.
“It is time to give local communities the powers to apply local solutions to local problems.”
Mr Millar will also call for referenda on directly-elected mayors in Welsh cities and larger towns adding:
“Directly-elected mayors could transform the running of many localities in Wales by providing strong and accountable leadership and re-engaging citizens with local government.
“If London, Mansfield, Bedford and Torbay can benefit from their own directly-elected mayors then so can Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Bangor.”
