# Local Government (Wales) Act 2015 2015 anaw 6 · enacted 25 November 2015 · revised to 1 April 2025 An Act of the National Assembly for Wales to make provision for and in connection with a reduction in the number of principal local authorities in Wales and to make other amendments of local government law as it applies in relation to Wales. PDFs: Printed copy https://openlegislation.uk/local-government-wales-act-2015/pdf/anaw_20150006_mi.pdf; Printed copy (Welsh) https://openlegislation.uk/local-government-wales-act-2015/pdf/anaw_20150006_we.pdf; Printed copy https://openlegislation.uk/local-government-wales-act-2015/pdf/anaw_20150006_en.pdf; Explanatory Note https://openlegislation.uk/local-government-wales-act-2015/pdf/anawen_20150006_we.pdf; Explanatory Note https://openlegislation.uk/local-government-wales-act-2015/pdf/anawen_20150006_mi.pdf; Explanatory Note https://openlegislation.uk/local-government-wales-act-2015/pdf/anawen_20150006_en.pdf ## Introductory text An Act of the National Assembly for Wales to make provision for and in connection with a reduction in the number of principal local authorities in Wales and to make other amendments of local government law as it applies in relation to Wales. [25 November 2015] Having been passed by the National Assembly for Wales and having received the assent of Her Majesty, it is enacted as follows: ## Introductory ## 1 Overview (1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (2) This Act also makes other amendments to local government law; and more specifically— (a) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (b) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (c) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (d) section 42 amends the provisions relating to surveys of councillors and unsuccessful candidates for election as councillors; (e) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 2 Main definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Voluntary mergers of local authorities ## 3 Proposals for merger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 4 Consultation before making merger application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 5 Guidance about merger applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 6 Power to make merger regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 7 Shadow authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 8 Elections and councillors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 9 Mayor and cabinet executive model authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 10 Other consequential etc. provision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Transition committees ## 11 Transition committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 12 Composition of transition committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 13 Functions of transition committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 14 Sub-committees of transition committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 15 Provision of funding, facilities and information to transition committees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Electoral arrangements etc. for new principal areas ## 16 Directions to conduct initial review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 17 Directions and guidance to Commission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 18 Conduct of initial review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 19 Pre-review procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 20 Consultation and investigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 21 Reporting on initial review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 22 Implementation by Welsh Ministers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 23 Electoral regulations if no recommendations made . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 24 Future review periods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Remuneration etc. arrangements for new principal local authorities ## 25 Directions to Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales to perform relevant functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 26 Reports of Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 27 Directions and guidance to Panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 28 Pay policy statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Restraints on transactions and recruitment etc. by merging authorities ## 29 Restraining transactions and recruitment etc. by direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 30 Directions under section 29(1): supplementary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 31 Directions under section 29(1): further provision about reserves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 32 Directions under section 29(3): supplementary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 33 Directions: consequences of contravention . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 34 Interpretation of sections 29 to 36 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 35 Determining whether financial limits have been exceeded . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 36 Guidance in relation to transactions, recruitment etc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Information requirements ## 37 Requirement on merging authority to provide information to Welsh Ministers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 38 Requirement on merging authority to provide information to other authorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Other provisions relating to Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales ## 39 Temporary extension of functions of Panel relating to heads of paid service to chief officers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 40 Changes to duty to have regard to Panel recommendations about salaries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 41 Panel membership . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Miscellaneous ## 42 Survey of councillors and unsuccessful candidates for election as councillors (1) Section 1 of the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 (duty to conduct survey of councillors and unsuccessful candidates for election as councillors) is amended as follows. (2) In subsection (2) (local authority to conduct survey after each ordinary election), for “after” substitute “ , or arrange for the conduct of a survey, in relation to ”. (3) After subsection (3) insert— “(3A) A survey in the case of an ordinary election may be conducted— (a) entirely after the ordinary election, or (b) by asking the candidates for election to the office of councillor to answer the prescribed questions before the ordinary election and collating the information provided afterwards.” (4) In subsection (5) (no duty to provide information) for “a councillor or an unsuccessful candidate for election to the office of councillor” substitute “ any individual ”. (5) Omit subsection (6) (local authority to arrange for information to be provided anonymously). ## 43 Proposals submitted before commencement of Part 3 of Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## Supplementary ## 44 Regulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 45 Interpretation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ## 46 Commencement (1) Sections 25 to 28 and 37 to 43 come into force at the end of the period of 2 months beginning with the day on which this Act receives Royal Assent. (2) Subject to that, this Act comes into force on the day following that on which this Act receives Royal Assent. ## 47 Short title The short title of this Act is the Local Government (Wales) Act 2015. --- Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2015/6 (the official version) Page: https://openlegislation.uk/local-government-wales-act-2015 Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.