The Welsh Government is the national government for Wales, and consists of the First Minister, Welsh Ministers and the Counsel General. They are supported by civil servants who work across devolved areas that include key areas of public life such as health, education and the environment, and make decisions on matters regarding these areas for Wales as a whole.
The Welsh Government’s role is to:
- develop policies and implement them
- propose Welsh laws (Senedd Bills)
The Welsh Government is responsible for areas including local government, education, health, transport, planning, economic development, social services, culture, Welsh language, environment and agriculture and rural affairs.
The partnership and relationship between local government and the Welsh Government is underpinned in statute through the Local Government Partnership Scheme and the Partnership Council for Wales and its sub groups, including the Finance Sub Group.
The WLGA's political leadership and spokespersons regularly hold bilateral meetings with Welsh Government Ministers, who also meet with the 22 leaders through the WLGA's Executive Board or Council. WLGA officials also regularly meet with civil servants, participate in working groups and represent local government on Ministerially convened advisory committees.
The WLGA works in partnership with the Welsh Government to ensure the Local Government Finance Settlement reflects the needs of public services. The WLGA supports the Distribution Sub Group to ensure the needs of our diverse communities are taken into account. The WLGA seeks to influence policy development and help shape legislation that affects local communities or local government services; where possible, policy and legislation is co-produced particularly where local government and Welsh Government have shared priorities. The WLGA responds on behalf of local government on all major Welsh Government policy consultations.