It was a great please to spend time with colleagues from Plaid Cymru at their spring conference in Caernarfon in late March.
My grandfather was a Welsh minister, and I hear his voice echoing through his powerful speeches, calling for a better life for local people.
As the LGA, we also represent our colleagues in Wales, especially in lobbying for funding and tackling central government issues.
The Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 requires public bodies in Wales to think about the long-term impact of their decisions; to work better with people, communities and each other; and to prevent persistent problems such as poverty, health inequalities and climate change.
How would it be in England if government had always to consider future generations and their wellbeing?
It was fantastic to join so many of our district councillors at the District Councils’ Network’s annual conference in St Albans.
“Public bodies in Wales are required to think about the long-term impact of their decisions”
Our group delved into issues with the current Government’s model of devolution, which is leading to more centralisation of power into very few hands, losing local transparency as every deal is different, and reducing democratic voices.
As first was going to press, we welcomed Joanna Killian as the LGA’s new Chief Executive.
We have already met and discussed the significant contributions our growing group makes to the LGA, and the importance of consensus-building to get the right decisions for all our members.
The very best of luck to those of you taking part in elections for police and crime commissioners, some mayors and many councillors on 2 May. I look forward to seeing our group grow from strength to strength.