“Curtains for Welsh councils” if Labour get back in May, as Carwyn confirms plans to press ahead with mergers
A Welsh Labour Government in May would press ahead with plans to force councils to merge without a referendum it emerged today.
The First Minister was challenged during First Minister’s Questions today to give residents the final say on Labour’s controversial proposals for council reorganisation; a move he ruled out.
Welsh Conservatives have pledged to offer local communities the final say in a referendum before councils can be merged under Labour proposals.
Labour’s refusal means that a vote for Labour in May would mean the end of local authorities the length and breadth of Wales, and a loss of identity – from Monmouthshire, to the Vale of Glamorgan, via Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Conwy – without the consent of the communities they represent.
Speaking outside the chamber, Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Andrew RT Davies AM, said:
“Communities across Wales want and deserve clarity over Labour’s plans for the future of their local communities – and now they have it.
“A vote for Welsh Labour means curtains for Welsh councils.
“Having spent considerable amounts of time and money commissioning reports and re-drawing the local authority map, it was something of a shock to see that Labour’s plans had seemingly been purged from their election campaign.
“Instead of obsessing over numbers, Labour should have embarked upon a discussion about what kind of services we want our local authorities to provide.
“Where Labour has spent a generation harvesting power at the centre, the Welsh Conservatives continue to stand up for our proud communities the length and breadth of Wales.
“Welsh Conservatives are the only party committed to giving residents the final say on council reorganisation via a local referendum.
“The people of Monmouthshire, Pembrokeshire and the Vale of Glamorgan should have the final say over their future. Labour’s plans deny them that right.”
