Overview of the considerations community and town councils must be aware of when dealing with the issues of asset or service devolution

1. Lyn Cadwallader
Chief Executive
Prif Weithredwr
Asset or Service Devolution –
Implications for Community and Town
Councils
One Voice Wales
Un Llais Cymru
The Voice of Community and
Town Councils
Llais Cynghorau
Chymuned a Thref
www.onevoicewales.org.uk

2. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Un Llais Cymru
Gweithio i Gynghorau ar draws
Cymru
Tri gweithgaredd craidd:
 Cynrychioli cynghorau’n
genedlaethol – dylanwadu
gwaith cyrff eraill er lles y sector.
 Hwyluso datblygiadau ar y
cyd – yn ffurfiol ac anffurfiol
 Cynhaliaeth i gynghorau
unigol – cyngor, arweiniad a
phwyso ar faterion penodol.
One Voice Wales
Working for Councils across Wales
Three key activities:
 Representing councils
nationally – influencing the work
of other bodies in the interests of
the sector.
 Facilitating joint development
– formally and informally.
 Supporting councils
individually – advice, guidance
and lobbying on specific issues.

3. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Gwasanaethau Allweddol
 Darparu cyngor cyfreithiol
 Arweiniad cyffredinol ar
welliannau i systemau a
gwasanaethau
 Gwybodaeth ar ddatblygu
polisïau
 Gweithredu’r Strategaeth
Hyfforddiant Genedlaethol
 Annog cynghorau i fanteisio
ar gyfleoedd Cymru gyfan
 Hyrwyddo Arfer Orau a
darparu cyfleoedd
rhwydweithio
Key Services
 Provision of legal advice
 General guidance on
system and service
improvements
 Information on policy
development
 Implementation of National
Training Strategy
 Promoting take-up of all-
Wales opportunities
 Promotion of Best Practice
and providing networking
opportunities

4. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Chief
Executive
Lyn
Cadwallader
Deputy
CEO
Paul
Egan*
Development
Officer
Dr Del
Morgan*
Development
Officer
Luned
Evans*
Development
Officer
Shannon
Robinson*
Administration Manager
Tracy Gilmartin-Ward
Member
Councils
Member
Councils
Member
Councils
Member
Councils
*Part-time
Administration Asst.
Wendi Huggett
Governance & Staffing

5. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Background to Land, Asset and
Service Devolution
 Cuts to local authority funding
 Having to do more, better, for less
 Public assets which have become liabilities
 Difficult decisions re. cuts in service delivery –
LA’s only providing what they must because of
budget cuts
 A cost to the community in terms of blight, lost
services/assets and lost opportunities

6. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Case for Local Devolution of
Assets or Services
• Better quality, ‘joined up’ forms of service
delivery informed by community priorities
• Lifts the burden of bureaucracy
• Empowers CC and TCs to do things their way
• Strengthens the accountability of local people
• Strengthens the role of local councillors
• Develops the enabling role of CC and TCs
involving local stakeholders in local partnerships

7. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Approaches to Devolution of
Assets or Services
• Budget comes with the transfer of service
• Total cut in service if CC and TCs don’t take on
the service
• Encouragement of partnerships – co-design and
co-production
• CC and TCs coming together on a clustering basis
QUESTION: Do you know of examples of these
approaches?

8. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
What services are suitable for
devolution?
• Public conveniences
• Parks and Children’s play areas
• Maintenance of playing fields
• Cutting of highway verges and hedges
What others might there be – also, what are the
key issues involved here?

9. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Issues facing Community and
Town Councils
• Assessing the benefits of retaining/managing the service at
the very local level
• How can it be funded?
• Would the community/town be prepared to pay more
through the precept?
• What is the Council’s experience of working in partnership
with other bodies?
• Is there a possibility of joining forces with neighbouring
councils?
• Does the Council have the capacity and knowledge?

10. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Land and Asset Transfers – The
Issues (1)
 Short timescales for local councils to consider
taking on land or assets
 Lack of due diligence process
 Lack of skills and capacity in community and
town councils
 Need for electoral mandate
 Lead in times for transfers
 Need to improve communications

11. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Land and Asset Transfers – The
Issues (2)
 Provision of information
- Business Case for disposal (costs/value for
money)
- Environmental impact assessments
- Equality Impact assessments
 Transfers are not necessarily savings to end
user
 Organisation of local councils
 Future funding of services – who pays?

12. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Addressing the issues
• How can the Council ascertain whether the
community/town will pay more?
• How can the Council identify opportunities for co-
design and co-production?
• What guidance and support would Councils need to
take on a new service?
• How should Councils assess capacity and knowledge
requirements and respond to their findings?

13. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Asset Transfers/Devolution of
Services – The Risks
• Asset or Liability – condition of building/planning
constraints/falling demand
• TUPE issues
• Managing transferred employees
• Funding comes with devolution but how long will this
be the case?
Are there others?

14. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Managing the risks
• Due diligence assessments
• Independent Building Surveys
• Legal guidance on freehold transfers/leases etc.
• Ensuring the community/town are on board
• Ensuring staff skills, knowledge and capacity
• Policies and Procedures in place
• Is the Council able to refurbish the asset or take on the service and
maintain it – financial projections
• Would the asset/service pay for itself and extra staff?
• Opportunity for community action and getting volunteers involved
Are there other risks and what would methods of managing them?

15. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Role of Councillors
• Wealth of local knowledge
• Local Champions
• Cascading information to electors
• Ensuring the community/town are on board
• Getting the community involved
• Conduit for communication
• Taking the community with them
• Ensuring a can do attitude is maintained
• Engagement with community groups
What other roles might they have and what is the role of the Clerk in this
context?

16. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Land and Asset Transfers – Possible
Solutions
 LA’s – Investing to Save
 Building capacity and understanding – by the two tiers of
local government
 Developing new guidance
- Models for transfer
- Double taxation
- ‘Joint delivery partnerships’
 Provision of training – to LA’s and for Community and
Town Councils (grow capacity and skills)
 Making Charter’s work – improving the communication
channels

17. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Devolution of Assets or Services –
Desirable Impacts
 Develop a ‘holistic’ place based approach to local service delivery
 Maintain community access to services and assets that might
otherwise be at risk, particularly concurrent functions
 Increase public satisfaction with assets/land/services
 Provide greater local influence over assets/land/services
 Enhance the role of local councils in their communities
 Generate greater community pride in local areas
 Promote engagement of local communities in local government ;
and…
 Achieve ‘value for money’ for the electorate

18. One Voice Wales Un Llais Cymru
Useful Sources of Information
 Community Asset Transfers in Wales – A Best
Practice Guide
 Community Asset Transfer Checklist
(Both of the above available via Welsh
Government website)
 One Voice Wales – Devolution of Services
training module

19. Lyn Cadwallader
Chief Executive
Prif Weithredwr
One Voice Wales
Un Llais Cymru
Thank You
Diolch yn Fawr
www.onevoicewales.org.uk