South Wales CJCs Welcome Devolution Debate Opportunity 2026

Key Points

• Corporate Joint Committees of South Wales are pleased with the First Minister’s appeal for a debate on devolution and regional government of Wales.
• Chairs of Cardiff Capital Region CJC, Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby, and South West Wales CJC, Cllr Rob Stewart reacted to First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth’s speech delivered on 19 October 2026.
• First Minister outlined his plans for the issuance of green paper on powers of local and regional government in Wales before the end of this Senedd term.
• According to him, the process will result in the legislation after the next Senedd election in 2030.
• First Minister expressed the wish for a “partnership for growth” with UK Government and less overlapping on economic development devolved powers.
• A meeting with UK Prime Minister, Mr. Andy Burnham, on the National Economic Council is scheduled in the current month.
• According to CJCs, any reform in the matter should take into account devolution settlement in Wales and be negotiated between local government, regional and community partners.
• At the moment, there are four CJCs in Wales.

Wales (Wales Times) October 20, 2026 – South Wales’ Corporate Joint Committees have welcomed the opportunity to take part in a national debate on devolution after First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth set out plans to review how local and regional powers are administered in Wales.

As reported by uk/local/cardiff/">Cardiff Capital Region, the response came from Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby, Chair of Cardiff Capital Region and the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee, and Cllr Rob Stewart, Chair of the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee. They welcomed the First Minister’s commitment to open a conversation about the future of regional working and devolved decision-making in Wales.

What did the First Minister announce?

In a speech at Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre on 19 October 2026, First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth announced that the Welsh Government will develop a green paper on local and regional powers by the end of the current Senedd term. According to the Welsh Government, a green paper is a consultation on policy or legislative proposals.

As reported by BBC Wales, the First Minister said the review could lead to new legislation after the next Senedd election in 2030. He said Wales should move towards “a more coherent and more streamlined system of local and regional governance”, while stressing that the vision “cannot be imposed”.

“I am convinced that, over time, Wales should move towards a more coherent and more streamlined system of local and regional governance,” Mr ap Iorwerth said, as reported by BBC Wales. “But that vision cannot be imposed.”

The Welsh Government said the green paper would consider “where powers and specific competences should lie, how regional working works best and what effective cooperation looks like”.

How did South Wales’ CJCs respond?

Cardiff Capital Region reported that Cllr Mary Ann Brocklesby and Cllr Rob Stewart welcomed the First Minister’s speech and the opportunity for a devolution debate. The joint response followed the First Minister’s announcement that the Welsh Government would examine council powers and regional collaboration.

Cllr Brocklesby is Chair of Cardiff Capital Region, which operates through the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee. Cllr Stewart chairs the South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee. Together, their organisations represent two of Wales’ four regional CJCs.

The CJCs’ response aligns with Cardiff Capital Region’s earlier position that Wales needs a “Welsh way” of regional devolution. In August 2026, Cllr Brocklesby said the region welcomed UK Government plans for greater regional powers and wanted discussions that respected the Welsh devolution settlement.

“In CCR, we have always aspired for regionalism and remain keen to work with partners at each level of government, respecting the Welsh devolution settlement, to get better outcomes for communities, businesses and the prosperity of the region,” Cllr Brocklesby said in August, as reported by Nation.Cymru.

What are Corporate Joint Committees?

Wales’ Corporate Joint Committees are regional bodies created to enable councils to work together on issues including strategic planning, transport and economic wellbeing. As reported by Brown Jacobson, Wales has four CJCs, and the Welsh Government has recognised the need to work with councils to ensure the bodies are effective.

The South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee comprises 10 local authorities, including Cardiff, Newport, Merthyr Tydfil, Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire and the Vale of Glamorgan. Cllr Brocklesby told the UK Parliament’s Science, Innovation and Technology Committee that the authorities first came together for a city deal in 2017-18, before becoming a corporate joint committee in 2022.

Cardiff Capital Region became the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee on 1 April 2024, gaining responsibilities for regional transport and strategic planning.

Why is the First Minister seeking change?

The First Minister argued that Wales’ current arrangements are “not perfect” and described the wider system as “confused” and “increasingly fragmented”. As reported by BBC Wales, he said successive UK Government programmes had been layered on top of devolved responsibilities and, in some cases, had undermined them.

He cited city and growth deals, the former UK Conservative Government’s Levelling Up programmes and the Shared Prosperity Fund as examples of initiatives that had created a more complicated landscape. He said some projects had delivered genuine benefits, but that the overall system had become harder to navigate.

“If powers have been devolved, central government should not continue to duplicate them,” Mr ap Iorwerth said, according to BBC Wales.

The Welsh Government said the First Minister would call on UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham to agree a new “partnership for growth” when the two leaders meet later this month. It said the proposed agreement would aim to reduce duplication and improve cooperation between the two governments.

What did the First Minister say about the UK Government?

The First Minister said he wanted the UK Government to respect devolved decision-making in Wales. According to the Welsh Government, he said: “In return, we expect the UK government to accept that when powers are devolved, the Welsh Government decides how that is done.”

He also questioned whether the UK Government’s devolution agenda applied fully to Wales. As reported by BBC Wales, he asked whether it was “really an England-only agenda” and whether it came to a “shuddering halt at Offa’s Dyke”.

Mr ap Iorwerth said the devolution programme being discussed by Prime Minister Andy Burnham was “largely an England programme”, but said he wanted to find common ground with the Prime Minister.

The Welsh Government said the First Minister would highlight areas where cooperation could support growth, including floating offshore wind, Welsh steelmaking, ports, artificial intelligence and digital industries.

What happens next?

The Welsh Government is expected to publish a green paper by the end of the current Senedd term. The First Minister said the exercise would be “detailed” and “meaningful”, and would examine the division of powers, regional working and effective cooperation.

Any new legislation would be a matter for the next Welsh Government, following the Senedd election expected in 2030. The First Minister said he wanted Wales to be in a position to assess what is working and where change is needed by the end of the current term.

The First Minister is due to meet Prime Minister Andy Burnham at the National Economic Council later this month. The Welsh Government said he will use that meeting to press for a practical agreement on how the two governments can work together to unlock Wales’ economic potential.

Background of the development

Wales has had a devolved government since 1999, with responsibility for areas including health, education and economic development. Local government remains responsible for many day-to-day public services, while the four Corporate Joint Committees were established to improve coordination between councils on regional issues.

Cardiff Capital Region, operating through the South East Wales Corporate Joint Committee, brings together 10 local authorities across south-east Wales. It was formed from earlier city-deal collaboration and became a statutory corporate joint committee in 2022, before taking on its current public-body role in April 2024.

The South West Wales Corporate Joint Committee performs a comparable role in south-west Wales. Both bodies have argued that regional government in Wales should be strengthened in a way that reflects Wales’ distinct devolution settlement, rather than directly copying models developed for English regions.

The latest development follows the UK Government’s “Rewire the State” agenda, which Cardiff Capital Region said in August could create opportunities to accelerate regional devolution, unlock economic growth and give communities greater control.

Prediction: How could this affect Welsh communities?

For residents, businesses and local councils in South Wales, the proposed green paper could shape how decisions are made on transport, planning, economic investment and public services over the next decade. If the review leads to clearer regional powers, communities may see more coordinated decisions on issues that cross council boundaries, such as transport networks, housing planning and investment zones.

For local authorities, the debate could determine whether CJCs receive stronger powers, clearer funding arrangements and a more defined role in Wales’ governance system. Cardiff Capital Region has previously argued that Wales’ regional bodies need greater powers and funding access to avoid falling behind increasingly powerful regional authorities elsewhere in the UK.

For businesses, the outcome could affect how infrastructure, skills, innovation and economic-development funding are delivered. The First Minister has pointed to offshore wind, steel, ports, AI and digital industries as areas requiring action from both the Welsh and UK governments.

However, the immediate impact is likely to be consultative rather than legislative. The green paper is expected by the end of the current Senedd term, while any new legislation would depend on the next Welsh Government after the 2030 election.