03/29/2024

Wales News Online

Local & National News for Wales

THE size of council committees will be reviewed when changes to the number of elected members – with a loss of four in Ceredigion – are signed off by Welsh Government.

Final recommendations for future electoral arrangements were published by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales in 2019 with ministers in Cardiff set to make the final decision on how to proceed.

Ceredigion County Council is preparing for the expected September signing of an official order to make the changes which would reduce the number of councillors in the county from 42 to 38 from May 2022.

Members of the council’s democratic services committee agreed today (Friday, May 21) that once the order is made a cross party task and finish group will be set up to “consider the implications of a reduction of four councillors” and the impact on sustaining committees.

Changes to the size of the governance and audit committee were also on the agenda with the possibility of a need to increase the number of independent lay members from May 2022.

Current committee chairman Cllr Elizabeth Evans said that following discussion of the matter it was felt there was a need for around nine members because “we have struggled to be quorate previously.”

This would likely be made up of six county councillors and three lay members, with a recruitment process under way already.

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