Welsh local councils call for 'freedom and flexibility'

Plans to force councils to work together should be dropped, Wales' local government leader has said.

Debbie Wilcox, leader of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), called for "a new era of freedom and flexibility" for county halls.

In a speech in Cardiff, she urged new Local Government Secretary Alun Davies to abandon the plans he had inherited.

The Welsh Government said it wanted improvements to ensure key services were "sustainable for the future".

The proposal for so-called mandatory regional partnerships between the 22 authorities was drawn up after Labour dropped earlier plans to merge councils.

But Ms Wilcox, who is also leader of Newport council, said: "Forget mandating - forget the need for legislating in 12 months' time.

"My proposal is each of our four regions should engage in immediate dialogue with the cabinet secretary on the way forward."

Seeing off the latest version of local government reform would be a victory for the WLGA after the Welsh government retreated from its earlier vision of mergers.

At a WLGA seminar on Thursday - with Alun Cairns, the Welsh Secretary, sitting in the audience - Ms Wilcox attacked both the Welsh and UK governments for spending cuts.

She accused the Welsh Government of "press release politics", saying promises of "additional" spending by ministers - when services were under growing pressure - caused "months of confusion as the real figures unravel and mistrust grows".

Responding to Ms Wilcox's speech, a Welsh Government spokesman said: "The Cabinet Secretary for Local Government and Public Services is committed to working with local government to drive forward improvements to ensure that authorities and key services in Wales are sustainable for the future."

Speaking later at the seminar, Finance Secretary Mark Drakeford promised local councils more funding to reduce the cuts they were expecting to make in 2019-20 from 1.5% to 1%.

It is understood an extra £15m-£20m will be made available to councils from the extra money coming to Wales as a result of Chancellor Philip Hammond's Budget.

Local government finance chiefs have said their budgets are under intense pressure, with sources identifying social care as a particular concern.

They say councils would need an extra £60m for a "cash flat" settlement in 2019/20, but even that would still not be enough to meet rising costs.