These Regulations make amendments which are consequential on Chapter 1 of Part 6 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (asc 1) (“the 2021 Act”), and on the disapplication and repeal of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2009 (nawm 2) (“the 2009 Measure”) by the 2021 Act.

Chapter 1 of Part 6 of the 2021 Act establishes a new system for assessing the performance and governance of county councils and county borough councils in Wales, replacing the system which applied to those councils under Part 1 of the 2009 Measure. The system in Part 1 of the 2009 Measure also applied to National Park authorities in Wales and fire and rescue authorities in Wales (and will continue to apply to fire and rescue authorities until provisions in the 2021 Act disapplying it in relation to those authorities come into force). The system in Chapter 1 of Part 6 of the 2021 Act does not apply to fire and rescue authorities or National Park authorities.

County councils and county borough councils, National Park authorities and fire and rescue authorities were known under the 2009 Measure as “Welsh improvement authorities”. That term was subsequently used in some legislation as a way of referring to county councils, county borough councils, National Park authorities and fire and rescue authorities.

The 2009 Measure is disapplied in relation to county councils and county borough councils by section 113 of the 2021 Act. It is disapplied in relation to fire and rescue authorities by section 168 of that Act. It is disapplied in relation to National Park authorities by section 169 of that Act. The 2009 Measure is repealed in full by section 170 of that Act.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these Regulations. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with these Regulations.