Work still to be done on governance arrangements at Welsh Corporate Joint Committees, watchdog says

Two years after their implementation, governance arrangements at Corporate Joint Committees (CJCs) are not yet all in operation, and there is 'much work to be done' to meet their strategic planning responsibilities, Audit Wales has said.

The Welsh Government introduced four CJCs (South East Wales, South West Wales, North Wales and Mid Wales) in April 2021 to strengthen regional collaboration between local authorities.

The bodies – which must appoint a chief executive, monitoring officer and s151 officer – are responsible for developing transport policies, preparing strategic development plans and promoting 'economic wellbeing'.

Membership of the CJCs consists of council leaders and National Park Authorities.

In a report concerning the progress of CJCs, Audit Wales said that the organisations are "still in their infancy" and governance arrangements are "not yet all in operation".

As of summer 2023, not all Governance and Audit sub-committees had been appointed and were meeting.

Similarly, apart from South West Wales CJC, scrutiny arrangements had not all been agreed and implemented, the report noted.

Audit Wales did note, however, that all four have put in place arrangements for statutory officers, with some on an interim basis.

In addition, "much work" is to be done for the bodies to meet their strategic planning responsibilities.

Not all of the CJCs have determined how they are going to work with other partnerships and bodies, which is "crucial given the main rationale for the CJCs' establishment was to strengthen regional collaboration," the watchdog said.

Overall, it said it expected more progress in some areas but that some positive findings were also made.

For instance, all four of the bodies have put in place the building blocks for their development and to meet the Welsh Government's objectives, according to Audit Wales.

It also found examples of the bodies exploring how to make the most of the opportunities the new arrangements provide, including looking at a more efficient forum for regional decision-making.

A number of recommendations were made, including one that called for the four bodies to ensure their governance arrangements are up and running and effectively providing the necessary checks and balances to support robust and transparent decision-making and effective scrutiny.

It also recommended that CJCs ensure they meet their public sector duties where they haven't already done so.

The recommendation said: "For example, to publish child poverty action plans and biodiversity reports.

"But more significantly, the CJCs need to ensure they actively take account of these duties in their decision-making and activities."

CJCs should also explore how they can maximise the involvement of the NPAs beyond their statutory strategic development planning role, the report said.

In addition, they should facilitate a more consistent approach to strategic planning and ensure they progress with developing their wellbeing objectives in line with the requirements of the Wellbeing of Future Generation (Wales) Act 2015.

Audit Wales said it expects to see CJCs further advance over the next 12 to 18 months, noting that its audit teams will continue to monitor their progress.

Adam Carey