The South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee Regulations 2021

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

Section 74 of the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 (the “2021 Act”) enables the Welsh Ministers, by regulations, to establish bodies corporate known as corporate joint committees. These bodies are established in order to exercise certain functions specified in the regulations which establish them, in relation to an area comprising the areas of the local authorities which comprise the membership of the corporate joint committee (in addition, where a corporate joint committee is given functions in relation to strategic planning, a National Park authority may also have membership of the committee).

These Regulations establish a body corporate to be known as the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee, and specifies the following functions as being exercisable by this body—

(1) the economic well-being function (see section 76 of the 2021 Act),

(2) developing transport policies and preparing regional transport plans under Part 2 of the Transport Act 2000, and

(3) the preparation of strategic development plans (see Part 6 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004).

There are 5 Parts to these Regulations.

Part 1 establishes the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee, and its area and defines some key terms.

Part 2 introduces the Schedule to the Regulations. This Schedule contains the constitutional arrangements for the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee, including arrangements about holding and chairing meetings, voting on decisions, establishing sub-committees and staffing.

Part 3 sets out the membership of the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee. In accordance with this Part, the body will comprise 10 council members, one for each local authority in the south east of Wales, and a member from the Brecon Beacons National Park Authority who is only permitted to vote on matters relating to the preparation of strategic development plans. The Committee may co-opt other persons to participate in the business of the Committee (known as “co-opted participants”) and may give co-opted participants voting rights.

Part 4 specifies that the 3 functions mentioned above may be exercised by the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee and that the Committee may do other things to facilitate the exercise of those functions or things which are incidental or conducive to the exercise of those functions.

Part 5 contains provision about how the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee is to calculate its budget and how it is to be funded.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to these 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.