Local council democracy – coming out of lockdown

No

Emergency governance arrangements were quickly put in place to respond to the pandemic

Given the unprecedented situation and the speed with which the pandemic took hold in March, it was inevitable that emergency governance arrangements would be needed.

 

Whilst even before lockdown, legislation was in place that allowed councillors to take part in any council meeting ‘remotely’, using technology, the same legislation also requires that at least 30% of attendees must be physically present in the meeting.

Welsh Government COVID-19 funding

No

In May, the Welsh Government published new spending plans in response to COVID-19.

This was the first time the Welsh Government has ever produced a Supplementary Budget in May. In most years, the First Supplementary Budget is a very technical exercise, with limited changes in spending plans.

But this year’s Budget update is different. It sets out plans for £2.5 billion of new spending to support the response to COVID-19. This represents an increase of more than 10% in the Welsh Government’s budget: a level of annual increase that is without precedent.