Wales’ four corporate joint committees (CJC) – regional bodies comprising local authorities – should assist large scale infrastructure projects on legal services, ecology, landscape and transport and explore the potential for standardised section 106 agreements. Those recommendations have come in a report by the Royal Town Planning Institute Cymru (RTPIC) on the parlous state of the planning…
The Environment (Principles, Governance and Biodiversity Targets) (Wales) Bill, which establishes a new framework for environmental protection, has passed the Senedd. The legislation will create the Office of Environmental Governance Wales, an independent body responsible for holding public authorities to account on environmental law. This includes scrutinising the Welsh Government, Natural Resources Wales and local authorities. The…
The Welsh Affairs Committee has this month launched an inquiry into the challenges faced by people accessing cross-border healthcare. The committee said: “NHS patients from all across Wales and parts of England often access healthcare across the border to use services closer to home, to receive treatment not available locally or to access specialist care….
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales is to conduct ‘own initiative’ investigations into disrepair, damp and mould at two housing associations. The Ombudsman said it would write to these bodies individually to outline its proposed investigations, giving them an opportunity to comment in line with the legislation under which it operates. It also said that…
The Public Services Ombudsman for Wales has launched a public consultation on its draft Strategic Plan for 2026–2029, which it says sets out an “ambitious but realistic” programme of work. The programme is built around four strategic aims, which are: The draft plan has been developed following internal discussions and “detailed consideration of the key…
Swansea Council has applied for a High Court injunction to halt the proposed deal between the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Y11 to buy Cardiff Rugby, fearing that the process would lead to the end of the Ospreys and men’s professional regional rugby in Swansea. The council is seeking an urgent court hearing but stated…
The Court of Protection has found that a health board acted unlawfully in failing to comply with the consultation requirements of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) when making best interests decisions about a 72-year-old man with advanced dementia. In Cwm Taf Morgannwg University Health Board v RW & Anor [2026] EWCOP 10 (T3) (12 February 2026),…
The Welsh Government has this week (9 February) launched a consultation on new duties for local authorities to prepare and publish an ‘annual sufficiency plan’ setting out how they will meet their duty to secure appropriate accommodation for looked after children, in line with the removing profit provisions. The move is the latest stage towards implementation of…
From June 2026, local authorities will have to have a process to deal with data protection complaints, under one of the changes coming in under the Data Use and Access Act 2025. Vicki Bowles looks at what is required, and what might be helpful based on her experience of dealing with complaints in various contexts. What…
The Welsh Conservatives have renewed criticism of Labour’s reckless spending on Cardiff Airport as Bristol Airport’s legal challenge against the £205.2 million subsidy begins at the Competition Appeal Tribunal. Commenting, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Transport and Infrastructure Sam Rowlands MS, said: “Labour and Plaid Cymru have already sunk more than £200 million of…
