Concise Minutes - Communities, Equality and Local Government Committee

Meeting Venue:

Committee Room 2 - Senedd

Meeting date: Thursday, 4 February 2016

Meeting time: 09.02 - 12.21
This meeting can be viewed
on Senedd TV at:
http://senedd.tv/en/3370

Attendance

Category

Names

Assembly Members:

Christine Chapman AM (Chair)

Peter Black AM

Alun Davies AM

Janet Finch-Saunders AM

Mike Hedges AM

Mark Isherwood AM

Bethan Jenkins AM

Gwyn R Price AM

John Griffiths AM (In place of Gwenda Thomas AM)

Lindsay Whittle AM

Witnesses:

Anthony Barrett, Wales Audit Office

Martin Peters, Wales Audit Office

Alan Morris, Wales Audit Office

Dominic MacAskill, UNISON

Committee Staff:

Elizabeth Wilkinson (Second Clerk)

Sarah Sargent (Deputy Clerk)

Katie Wyatt (Legal Adviser)

Alys Thomas (Researcher)

 

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Transcript

View the meeting transcript (PDF 399KB) View as HTML (337KB)

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1       Introductions, apologies and substitutions

1.1The Chair welcomed Members and members of the public to the meeting.

 

1.2 Apologies for absence were received from Bethan Jenkins AM and Gwenda Thomas AM. John Griffiths AM substituted for Gwenda Thomas AM in accordance with Standing Order 17.48.

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2       Draft Local Government (Wales) Bill: evidence session 1 - SOLACE

2.1 The Committee received evidence from:

Alison Ward, Vice Chair of Solace Wales

 

2.2 The following Members declared a relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

·         Peter Black

·         Lindsay Whittle

 

2.3 Alison Ward agreed to provide the Committee with details of how Solace believe larger community councils could operate and what responsibilities they could be accountable for.

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3       Draft Local Government (Wales) Bill: evidence session 2 - Wales Audit Office

3.1 The Committee received evidence from:

·         Anthony Barrett, Wales Audit Office

·         Alan Morris, Wales Audit Office

·         Martin Peters, Wales Audit Office

 

3.2 Anthony Barrett agreed to provide the Committee with details of any value for money and cost/benefit analysis that was undertaken by the Wales Audit Office following the local authority re-organisation in 1995/96.

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4       Draft Local Government (Wales) Bill: evidence session 3 - Trade Union representatives

 

4.1 The Committee received evidence from:

·         Dominic MacAskill, Regional Manager

 

4.2 The following Members declared a relevant interest under Standing Order 17.24A:

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5       Papers to note

5.1 The Committee noted the paper.

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6       Motion under Standing Order 17.42 to resolve to exclude the public from the remainder of the meeting

6.1 The Committee agreed the motion.

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7       Draft Local Government (Wales) Bill: discussion of evidence

7.1 The Committee discussed the evidence heard during Items 2, 3 and 4. 

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8       Welsh Government draft budget 2016/17 - consideration of correspondence from the Welsh Language Commissioner

8.1 The committee noted the letter from the Welsh Language Commissioner to the First Minister. 

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