The Welsh Local Government Association represents the interests of local government and promotes local democracy in Wales. 

Our aim is to promote, protect, support and develop democratic local government and the interests of local authorities in Wales.

We are a politically led, cross party organisation that seeks to give local government a strong voice at a national level. The WLGA is a membership organisation that represents all 22 local authorities in Wales, the 3 fire and rescue authorities and the 3 national park authorities as associate members.

We believe that services are best provided within a democratic framework of local accountability and that the people who use public services should have as much of a say in the way they are organised, managed and funded as possible. Local government is seen as being the tier of government closest to service users and best able to respond to their needs. We support the role of the Welsh Government in setting the strategy for public services nationally but believe that it is down to local government to interpret strategy to deliver services based on local circumstances and local priorities. 

Much of our work is focused on the Senedd (formerly the National Assembly for Wales), the Welsh Government and other national stakeholders and partners. We also liaise with the Wales Office and UK Government and work closely with the LGA in London in seeking to influence non-devolved policies and legislation and, in particular, the recovery from COVID 19 and responding to developments around Brexit. 

Our work involves engagement with Ministers, Members of the Senedd, and other national and governmental organisations. We promote the important role of local government to Members of the Senedd and seek to enhance and protect councils’ reputation and secure positive change to legislation. The WLGA’s lobbying work is therefore extensive.

Our priorities are underpinned by our core aims to secure:

• Reform, continuous improvement and a commitment to partnership - we believe in local government reform and seeking continuous improvement as a process for delivering better outcomes and services for the people of Wales, and in ensuring that resources are used as effectively and as efficiently as possible;
• Fair and flexible funding – councils need greater fiscal autonomy and flexibility to respond to local needs and priorities. Specific grants should be transferred into the settlement, after an agreed period of time, and the Welsh Government should fully cost and fund any new national initiatives and/or legislation and should commit to multiyear financial settlements, so councils can plan more effectively;
• Commitment to the principle of Subsidiarity – the Welsh Government and the Senedd should commit to the European Charter of Local Self Government and the principle of subsidiarity, where the presumption is that power is transferred to the level of government closest to the people. The Welsh Government has a clear national strategic role, but councils want to see momentum behind the devolution of powers beyond Cardiff Bay to local government and to local communities.

We will also:

• Promote the role and prominence of councillors and council leaders, emphasising their equal democratic mandate with national politicians.
• Ensure maximum local discretion in legislation or statutory guidance where councils and regions have flexibility in determining regional priorities, services and governance arrangements.
• Promote sector-led improvement, with an emphasis around digital and innovation, supporting authorities in sharing best practice, developing workforce skills and developing a new corporate peer review programme.
• Encourage a vibrant local democracy, promoting greater diversity and enhanced democratic engagement and supporting councillors’ development and training.
• Support authorities to effectively manage their workforce through our role as the Employers’ Organisation.

In working towards its primary purposes, we seek to be:

• Ambitious in our expectations and in our vision for local democracy and local services;
• Accountable to our members and member authorities;
• Proactive in our defence and promotion of local democracy, our policy development and our engagement with members;
• Receptive through listening to and considering the range of views of our membership, partners and stakeholders;
• Responsive through our services and support to our members and member authorities;
• Collaborative in our approach to governance and partnership working with Welsh Government and other stakeholders.

We also work towards upholding and promoting equality, diversity and human rights; including promoting diversity in democracy and supporting councillors in their role as democratically elected local representatives. 

We are committed to equality and fairness and although we are not a statutory body, we operate in the spirit of legislation such as the Equalities Act, Freedom of Information Act and the Wellbeing of Future Generations (Wales) Act.

The WLGA is an exciting place to work.

The WLGA is in the process of reviewing its office accommodation, with a view to retaining a Cardiff-based office with increased homeworking from September 2021. Currently, the WLGA is based in Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay, our offices are accessible and conveniently located amongst Cardiff Bay’s old canal network, within walking distance of Cardiff Bay and Cardiff City Centre; Cardiff is one of the most diverse, thriving and vibrant cities in the UK.

We seek to offer staff a friendly, supportive and flexible working environment and staff are entitled to a range of benefits including:

• Incremental pay rises and contributory local government pension scheme
• 27 days annual leave, rising to 30 after 3 years then rising to 33 after 8 years of service, plus 8 days bank holiday
• Agile working policy which encompasses Flexitime, flexible working including options to work from home.
• Cycle to work scheme, travel loan facilities
• A range of supportive policies, including career breaks, job share, leave purchase scheme and other leave arrangements.
• Generous maternity, adoption, paternity and shared parental leave
• Centrally located office in the heart of one of the UK’s most vibrant cities