Part 2 of the Transport Act 2000 (c. 38) (the “2000 Act”) makes provision about local transport in Wales. In particular it makes provision about Local Transport Authorities which, in Wales, are defined for the purposes of Part 2 as county or county borough councils.
Section 108 of the 2000 Act requires a Local Transport Authority to develop a local transport plan which promotes safe, integrated, efficient and economic transport within the authority’s area.
Part 5 of the Local Government and Elections Wales Act 2021 (asc 1) confers power on the Welsh Ministers to establish corporate joint committees. Corporate joint committees are bodies corporate consisting of such county councils and county borough councils in Wales as are specified in the Regulations establishing them. They may exercise the functions specified in those Regulations, including (among other things) specified functions of a county or county borough council relating to transport.
These regulations modify the 2000 Act in cases where a corporate joint committee has been established by Regulations and the function of developing polices under section 108 of the 2000 Act has been conferred on the corporate joint committee. The modifications require the corporate joint committee to develop transport polices and establish a regional transport plan for its area. It is however the role of each Local Transport Authority within the corporate joint committee’s area to implement the policies.
The functions under section 108 have been conferred on 4 corporate joint committees established under the following Regulations—
The South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/343) (W. 97);
The South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/352) (W. 104);
The Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/342) (W. 96);
The North Wales Corporate Joint Committee Regulations 2021 (S.I. 2021/339) (W. 93).
These Regulations are connected with Regulations which establish certain corporate joint committees under Part 5 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to the Regulations which establish corporate joint committees and connected regulations. As a result a regulatory impact assessment has been prepared. A copy can be obtained from the Local Government Strategic Finance Division, Welsh Government, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ.