Local Government Commission for Wales

The Local Government Commission for Wales was established by the Local Government Act 1958 to review the organisation of local government in Wales and to make recommendations for its reform. It delivered its report in 1963 and was dissolved in 1967. Its recommendations were not carried out.

The Commission was appointed by Royal Warrant dated January 5, 1959, with a membership of five. The chairman was Sir Guildhaume Myrddin-Evans, and Deputy-Chairman was Sir David Emrys Evans. The remaining members were William Jones, Professor Charles Edward Gittins and Janet Morgan. [London Gazette, January 9 1959]

For the purposes of the Commission's work Wales was divided into three Review Areas:
*West and Mid Wales Review Area: the administrative counties of Breconshire, Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Radnorshire:- review commenced May 5, 1959
*Glamorgan and Monmouthshire Review Area: the administrative counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, and the county boroughs of Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil, Newport and Swansea: - review commenced May 5, 1959 [London Gazette, March 3, 1959]
*North Wales Review Area: the administrative counties of Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Merioneth and Montgomeryshire: - review commenced March 28, 1960 [London Gazette, January 19, 1960]

The Commission submitted their draft proposals in May 1961. [London Gazette, May 26, 1961] , and their final report in March 1963. [London Gazette, March 12, 1963]

Recommendations

The Commission recommended:
*A reduction in the number of administrative counties from 13 to 7
*Extensions of the county boroughs of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea
*The county borough of Merthyr Tydfil to become a non-county borough in Glamorgan

The Commission rejected the constitution of the boroughs of Rhondda and Wrexham as county boroughs. [Report and Proposals of the Local Government Commission for Wales, 1963]

The proposals set out in the report were not accepted by the government, and following the establishment of an inter-departmental working group in 1965, a white paper was issued in 1967. [Local government in Wales, Cmnd.3340] This incorporated some of the 1963 proposals and included some innovations.

The local government system envisaged in the White Paper comprised:
*5 "administrative areas" replacing the 13 administrative counties [Plan to Merge Welsh Counties Into Five Areas. The Times. May 25, 1961.] :
**North West Wales county (Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, Merionethshire)
**North East Wales county (Denbighshire, Flintshire, Montgomeryshire)
**South West Wales county (Cardiganshire, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire)
**Glamorgan (Glamorgan, Merthyr Tydfil county borough)
**South East Wales county (Breconshire, Monmouthshire, Radnorshire)
*The administrative areas divided into 36 districts
*The county boroughs of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea to continue
*"Common Councils" and a "Welsh Council" for the administration of joint services

While the new areas were to be based on existing administrative counties, there were to be slight boundary changes: the largest being the readjustment of the of the Caernarvonshire/Denbighshire boundary between North East and North West Wales counties, the inclusion of the Edeyrnion area of Merionethshire in North east wales, and the much of south breconshire passing to Glamorgan.

On February 26, 1964, The Minister of Housing and Local Government and Minister for Welsh Affairs, Sir Keith Joseph, indicated in the House of Commons that the government did not intend to implement the commission's proposals. He stated that while there was an urgent need for reform, the government wished to reconsider the pattern of local government with the possibility of issuing a white paper leading to legislation in the future. [Fresh Look at Welsh Local Government. The Times. February 27, 1964.] In the event, local government in Wales remained unchanged until the implementation of the Local Government Act 1972 in 1974, which created a two-tier system of counties and districts throughout the principality. Two of the counties created in 1974, Dyfed and Gwynedd closely resembled the South West and North West Wales areas.

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