Welsh ministers return powers to Anglesey but with safeguards in place

The Welsh Government is to hand back powers to the Isle of Anglesey Council but with certain safeguards in place, it has been announced.

In 2011, the Welsh Government’s Minister for Local Government and Communities, Carl Sargeant, appointed five commissioners to take responsibility for governance at the local authority. This followed a series of interventions at the council.

Last year the Welsh Audit Office called on ministers to intervene more strongly in the running of the authority, after publishing a report rating its prospects for achieving a full and sustainable recovery as “poor”.

Sargeant today announced that he had accepted recommendations made by the commissioners in their most recent report, which was published earlier this month.

This said they felt “increasingly confident that a corner has been turned in respect of democratic leadership on Anglesey”. The report also suggested that progress had been made against the ten corporate governance themes they had sought to address.

The minister said: “I have accepted the recommendations of the commissioners and the Auditor General to start bringing my intervention to an end. Under these arrangements, powers which the commissioners currently hold will return to the council.”

Three of the five commissioners will remain, with a power to confirm or override any council decision which goes against the advice of statutory officers.

“This provides an essential safeguard and allows us to test the strength of the council’s recovery in a controlled environment,” Sargeant said.

One of the commissoners, Margaret Foster, said: “As commissioners, we are glad that the Minister has approved our recommendations and that the first phase of building a better council through improved corporate governance is complete.

“The stability this has offered has allowed substantial progress to be made in addressing issues in children’s services and education. In order to sustain this progress the impetus for change must come from the council itself, albeit with a reduced number of commissioners providing advice and guidance as Anglesey’s recovery continues.”

Isle of Anglesey Council’s Leader, Bryan Owen, said: “A healthy debate is an important aspect of local democracy, and it is up to us to show the public that this debate can occur in a respectful and professional manner. It’s very important that all our elected members work together for the greater good of Anglesey as we face a very difficult time in local government where tough decisions will need to be made.”