The Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2015

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2015 No. 1182 (W. 79) (C. 71)

Local Government, Wales

The Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2015

Made

16 April 2015

The Welsh Ministers, in exercise of the power conferred by section 75(3) of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013(1), make the following Order:

Title

1.  The title of this Order is the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (Commencement No. 2) Order 2015.

Appointed day

2.  The appointed day for the coming into force of the following sections of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 is the 1 May 2015—

(a) section 55 (community council websites);

(b) section 56 (requirement to give public notices electronically);

(c) section 57 (meetings and proceedings of communities);

(d) section 58 (register of members’ interests);

(e) section 68 (joint standards committees); and

(f) section 69 (referral of cases relating to conduct).

Leighton Andrews

Minister for Public Services, one of the Welsh Ministers

16 April 2015

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order is made under section 75(3) of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (“the Act”). It is the second commencement order to be made under the Act.

Article 2 of this Order brings into force on 1 May 2015 sections 55, 56, 57, 58, 68 and 69 of the Act.

Section 55 requires a community council to make certain information about the community council available electronically. It also requires a community council, when discharging its duties under section 55, to have regard to guidance issued by the Welsh Ministers.

Section 56 amends section 232 of the Local Government Act 1972 (“the 1972 Act”) which relates to the giving of public notices by local authorities. The amendment requires a public notice given by a community council to be published electronically.

Section 57 makes a number of amendments to Schedule 12 to the 1972 Act. Schedule 12 relates to meetings and proceedings of local authorities and the amendments make provision relating to the electronic publication of certain information by community councils.

Section 58 amends section 81 of the Local Government Act 2000 (“the 2000 Act”). The amendment requires the register of members’ interests under section 81 of the 2000 Act to be made available electronically and that information about how to access it is made available.

Section 68 amends section 53 of the 2000 Act to enable relevant authorities to establish joint standards committees with one or more other authorities. The new provision enables the Welsh Ministers to make regulations relating to such joint committees and requires authorities considering establishing a joint committee to have regard to guidance issued by the Welsh Ministers.

Section 69 amends section 73 of the 2000 Act which enables the Welsh Ministers to make regulations relating to matters referred to a relevant authority’s monitoring officer. The amendments enable regulations to be made relating to the monitoring officer or standards committee of one authority being able to refer a matter to the standards committee of another authority. Section 69 also amends section 81 of the 2000 Act in relation to dispensations granted by standards committees under section 81(4) when a member or co-opted member has registered an interest by recognising that a standards committee of another relevant authority may grant a dispensation and by widening the Welsh Ministers’ power to make regulations in section 81(5) to enable them to make provision about the procedure to be followed.

NOTE AS TO EARLIER COMMENCEMNT ORDERS

(This note is not part of the Order)

The following provision of the Act has been brought into force by commencement order made before the date of this Order.

Provision	Date of Commencement	S.I. No.
Section 63	11.4.2004	2014/380 (W. 45) (C. 15)

(1)

2013 anaw 4.