Eryri National Park Authority has agreed to quash its planning approval for a hydroelectric project after a judicial review challenge argued the decision failed to acknowledge the impact on a nearby Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). The national park authority granted permission for the development in June, paving the way for the construction of…
The Welsh Government has unveiled a new national safeguarding programme aimed at strengthening protection for children, young people and adults at risk from abuse and neglect. The programme will include the establishment of a new Ministerial Assurance Board and intelligence hub to detect warning signs earlier and share information faster. It is hoped that it…
Bridgend County Borough Council has been warned that it faces a county court order if it fails to comply with any of the requirements imposed by the Welsh Language Commissioner after a dispute concerning a school transport consultation. The commissioner received a complaint from a member of the public that Bridgend’s document on changing school…
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales received more than 4,500 complaints in 2025=26, some 27% more than the previous 12 months, 47% more than three years ago, and three times as many as 20 years ago. The numbers come from the Ombudsman’s Annual Report 2025-26, which revealed that complaints about local authorities soared by 27%…
The Information Commissioner’s Office has formally become the Information Commission, with Chief Executive Officer Paul Arnold describing the move to a board-led regulator as “the beginning of an important new chapter” for information regulation. The transition took effect on 30 September under governance arrangements introduced by the Data (Use and Access) Act 2025 (DUAA 2025),…
The Online Procedure Rule Committee’s (OPRC’s) practice direction for possession proceedings, setting out the procedure for claims using the new digital service for possession claims, has gone live. The digital service is the first to be governed by the Online Procedure Rules 2026. The practice direction provides the procedural requirements for claims issued through the…
The Information Commissioner’s Office has approved the Wales Accord on the Sharing of Personal Information (WASPI) UK GDPR Code of Conduct for Information Sharing Protocols, the first code of conduct in the UK to cover public and third sector organisations and only the second to be approved under Article 40 of the UK GDPR. The…
Wales’ auditor general Catherine Mealing-Jones has urged Ceredigion County Council to improve its decision-making arrangements and found its restricted webcasting to be out of step with other Welsh councils. She found in an Audit Wales report that arrangements generally worked well but there were opportunities to strengthen processes around taking and publishing delegated decisions, accessibility…
The Law Society of England and Wales has issued a practice note on differences between English and Welsh law that is intended to give an overview of Welsh devolution, divergence and devolved powers and potential impacts on solicitors’ legal practice. The note, which can be viewed here in English and here in Welsh (sign in…
A report into the future of local government in Wales has warned that the current operating model is “unsustainable, due to rising costs, budgetary constraints, and increasing demand for statutory services”. The report, Local government fit for the future, follows the convening of an independent working group by the Wales Centre for Public Policy (WCPP), in…
