The council is regularly invited to comment on consultations run by Welsh Government and other organisations. To ensure everyone has opportunity to comment links to these consultations are listed below:
Welsh Government is consulting on changes to local government elections rules in Wales. These are set out in the Local Elections (Principal Areas) (Wales) Rules 2021 (“the Principal Areas Rules”) for county and county borough councils, and the Local Elections (Communities) (Wales) Rules 2021 (“the Communities Rules”) for town and community councils. These are referred to in the consultation as “the 2021 Rules”. The 2021 Rules were fully redrafted and modernised in 2021. They were updated further in 2023 to enable elections under the Single Transferable Vote system, should any principal council adopt that system under the power in the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. Welsh Government is not proposing to make significant changes to the 2021 Rules, aside from some, largely technical, changes or those required to take account of changes to policy and other legislation.
Views are being sought on:
• updating the Rules to make sure they are bilingual
• updating the Rules to reflect recent changes in the Senedd Cymru
(Representation of the People) Order 2025
• making the change to security-related cost exemptions that are in place for
Senedd elections to local government elections
• proposals contained within the UK Government’s strategy paper on electoral
reform
A copy of the consultation document can be found here: Changes to local government elections rules in Wales | GOV.WALES
Welsh Government Consultation on Revisions to the Separate Collection of Waste Materials for Recycling: A Code of Practice for Wales
The purpose of this Wales-only consultation is to seek your views on proposed revisions to the Separate Collection of Waste Materials for Recycling – A Code of Practice for Wales (“the code”). The revised code will be issued under section 45AB of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (“EPA”) in relation to the separate collection of waste under section 45AA of the EPA Prior to issuing a revised code, the Welsh Ministers must consult such persons as they think appropriate, as per section 45AB(4) of the EPA 1990. This consultation is being carried out in compliance with that duty. The deadline for response is 22nd October 2025.
The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru is preparing to undertake an Electoral Review Programme (ERP) which will encompass all Principal Councils in Wales over the coming years. In preparation for the next ERP, DBCC commissioned research from Opinion Research Services on Councillors’ workloads and the factors which affect it. This research has informed the Commission’s draft Policy and Practice for the ERP.
The Commission has published the final report from ORS and it is available for you to read on the Commission’s website:
https://www.dbcc.gov.wales/reviews/02-25/research-on-the-workload-of-county-councillors-in-wales
The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has also published its Policy and Practice document in preparation for the 2025 Electoral Review Programme. The Commission is seeking your views on the Policy and Practice document and the closing date for responses is 24 March 2025. The Commission intends to commence ERP 2025 from April 2025 onwards.
The Policy and Practice document can be found on the DBCC website. Responses to the consultation on the Policy and Practice should be submitted to Consultations@dbcc.gov.wales by the 24 March 2025.
Should you require any further information, you should get in touch with the Commission directly on enquiries@dbcc.gov.wales
Have your say on the Draft Powys Sustainable Resource Strategy
A twelve-week engagement exercise has begun to seek the views of residents, councillors, partner organisations and workplaces on the council’s draft Powys Sustainable Resource Strategy.
As a county, Powys already has a great track record for recycling. Residents have embraced the weekly kerbside recycling system and worked hard to ensure household waste is recycled and turned into a valuable resource rather than simply thrown out. But there is always more we can do to help the environment and reduce costs. Through this engagement exercise, we hope to hear from stakeholders about how we can keep the reduce, reuse and recycling momentum going.
The draft Powys Sustainable Resource Strategy (2025-2030) is a comprehensive plan aimed at creating a cleaner, greener, and more sustainable future for Powys and future generations. The actions within the strategy follow the principles of the waste hierarchy to prevent and reduce waste, promote reuse and recycling, and transition towards a circular economy.
The five main aims of the strategy are:
Reduce, Reuse, Repair: Prevent waste generation, extend product lifespans, and promote a circular economy.
Recycling: Achieve and exceed the Welsh Government’s 70% statutory recycling target.
Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs): Increase recycling and reuse rates at HWRCs.
Awareness and Enforcement: Improve how waste is managed and reduce illegal activities like fly-tipping.
Infrastructure: Develop and maintain infrastructure to support increased recycling and decarbonisation.
“When developing strategies, it is important to involve our stakeholders in the process.” Explains Cllr Jackie Charlton, Cabinet Member for a Greener Powys.
“We are particularly keen to find out how people currently reduce, reuse and recycle their waste. We would also like to know how people would like to be supported by the council to reduce more of their waste, reuse more items and recycle more in the future.
“It is also important that we find out if people agree with the draft strategy’s priorities and if there is anything else people could suggest to help reduce our environmental impact, lower our carbon footprint, move towards a sustainable circular economy and ensure a greener future for all.
“Every one of us can make a positive difference and our stakeholders’ voices will help ensure the strategy is clear, comprehensive, feasible, and supported by the community and influence future decisions and service provision across Powys.”
Following the engagement exercise the draft Sustainable Resource Strategy will be amended accordingly and taken back to the cabinet for approval.
To take part in the engagement exercise and have your say on the draft Sustainable Resource Strategy, please visit: https://www.haveyoursaypowys.wales/draft-powys-sustainable-resource-strategy-25-30
The closing date to provide us with your feedback is: 4 April 2025
Powys Local Bus Network Consultation
Powys County Council is running a consultation to gather feedback from across the county which will shape the future of bus services in Powys.
The consultation consists of a series of questions focused on concentrated plans in localities that are of interest, followed by questions related to fares, current bus usage, marketing and potential Sunday and Bank Holiday usage of services.
To leave your feedback online through Powys County Council’s survey click on the blue ‘COMPLETE FORM’ button.
The closing date to provide feedback is 13 February 2025.
Compulsory Purchase Process and Compensation Reforms
The Government has published a consultation on its proposals to reform the compulsory purchase process and compensation rules: Written statements – Written questions, answers and statements – UK Parliament
The consultation seeks views on a range of proposals aimed at implementing technical reforms to make the compulsory purchase process quicker, lower the administrative costs of the process, and ensure the compensation rules are fairer.
The consultation applies to the operation of the compulsory purchase process and compensation rules in England and Wales.
The consultation can be viewed and responded to here: Compulsory Purchase Process and Compensation Reforms – GOV.UK
The deadline for submitting responses to the consultation is 11:59pm on 13 February 2025.
Subject to the outcome of the consultation, any reforms to the compulsory purchase process and compensation rules will be considered as part of the changes to be made through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill which is due to be introduced in Parliament in 2025.
Review of Senedd Constituencies
The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has published its Revised Proposals Report in relation to the review of Senedd Constituencies in Wales.
The Report has been published and can be viewed on its website.
The Commission welcomes any comments which you may wish to make on the Revised Proposals. The 4-week consultation period begins on 17 December 2024 and closes on 13 January 2025 and any representations should be sent to consultations@dbcc.gov.wales or in writing to DBCC, 4th Floor, Welsh Government Building, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ. The Commission will also accept submissions through its consultation portal at https://senedd2026.reviewswales.wales/.
The Commission will carefully consider any representations made during the consultation period before preparing the Final Decisions Report.
Promoting a resilient and high performing planning service
A resilient and high performing planning service is essential for a successful and inclusive country. It is fundamental to the delivery of national and local priorities providing certainty to business and communities about how places will grow and change. Ensuring that Wales has enough Planners, with the right skills in the right areas is fundamental to the delivery of our collective social, economic and environmental ambitions.
This consultation sets out a range of options which have the potential to improve the resilience and capacity of planning services. We are seeking your views on a variety of proposals including:
- Increasing planning application fees (including proposing a pathway to full cost recovery);
- Measuring and monitoring performance by re-invigorating and reintroducing the Performance Framework;
- Supporting resilience, capacity and capability through skills retention, bursaries and apprenticeships;
- Improving resilience and resources by Corporate Joint Committees through shared service delivery, planning skills hubs and extending the Local Development Plan Review period.
The consultation can be found on the Welsh Government’s consultation pages at:
https://www.gov.wales/promoting-resilient-and-high-performing-planning-service
Responses to this consultation are invited by 17 January 2025.
Preserving trees and woodlands: new regulations
This consultation relates to proposed changes to the law protecting trees and woodlands in Wales. We are seeking your views on the principles underlying the proposed new regulations for the protection of trees and woodlands.
The Planning Act 2008 introduced a simpler system of control whilst retaining the existing level of protection for trees and woodland. It is envisaged that the new system introduced by the 2008 Act will be brought into effect in Wales when, and if approved by the Senedd, the Planning (Wales) Bill comes into force, accompanied by a new set of regulations. The Planning (Wales) Bill is expected to be laid before the Senedd next year.
These regulations provide for focused changes to the current system which include for example, a more streamlined process for the protection of trees, the introduction of woodland preservation orders and a definition of amenity.
The consultation can be found on the Welsh Government’s consultation pages at:
https://www.gov.wales/preserving-trees-and-woodlands-new-regulations
Responses to this consultation are invited by 14 February 2025.
The Wales Covid-19 Inquiry
Special Purpose Committee is seeking information to inform scrutiny of its consideration of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry Module 1 Report.
The remit of the Committee is to consider the reports at each stage of the UK Covid-19 Inquiry and to identify any gaps in the preparedness and response of the Welsh Government and other Welsh public bodies during the Covid-19 pandemic that should be subject to further examination.
At this stage, the Committee is only considering the Module 1 report on the resilience and preparedness of the United Kingdom.
Anyone wishing to contribute can do so by submitting a formal response to consultation by 3 January 2025.
Consultation: Scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26
The Committees of the Welsh Parliament are seeking information to inform their scrutiny of the Welsh Government Draft Budget 2025-26.
Anyone wishing to contribute can do so by submitting a formal response to the consultation by 29 November 2024.
Vale of Grwyney Community Council 