Ein Cyf:/Our Ref CC/0045/GD
Eich Cyf: Your Ref: |
Secretary to the Commission
Richard Commission
Caradog House
1-6 Saint Andrews Place
Cardiff CF10 3BE |
| Dear Sir/Madam |
| I write in response to your consultation
document on the electoral arrangements of the National
Assembly. I write formally in my professional capacity
but the views I express here are my own and do not necessarily
represent the views of the police service in Wales. |
| I wish to restrict my comments to a few
points only:- |
| 1. Para 16 |
| There are already far too may elected representatives
in Wales for a population of only just over 3m people.
40 MPs (possibly 42 in the near future?), plus 60 AMs
and literally thousands of councillors, is dysfunctional
for public bodies such as the Police. |
| The tasks of these three groups are linked;
change in one group should not therefore be considered
in isolation. In principle, a growth in one group
should be allied to a corresponding reduction in either
or both of the other two. |
| There may well be thought to be a case
for growth in the number of AMs - particularly if the
Assembly, as seems likely grows in power over the years
to come. However, these powers will have to come
from somewhere else - presumably either central government
in London via further devolution, or from local government
here in Wales by a process of centralisation. In
either event, in my view, a balancing reduction in other
elected representatives should be part of any future growth
in the number of AMs. |
| 2. Para 23 |
| The link between the constituencies of
MPs and MSPs has already been broken in Scotland.
I see no reason why such a link should continue between
AMs and MPs in Wales. I will have no problem dealing
with constituency matters for both groups, whatever boundaries
are eventually used. |
| 3. Para 34 |
| Unhelpfully, Assembly and Parliamentary
boundaries do not follow those of other agencies.
This is dysfunctional, and causes unnecessary confusion. |
| Almost all public agencies in North Wales
now mirror local authorities. For example, Police,
Fire, Ambulance, Crown Prosecution Service, Courts service
and the Probation service all use the same external boundary
(the six local authorities of 'North Wales', with internal
boundaries where used following local authorities.
The new Local Health Boards use local authority boundaries.
This trend towards co-terminosity has been clear for some
time and has accelerated recently. |
| I suggest that Assembly constituencies
follow local authority boundaries, and at the very least,
should not cross them, thus avoiding placing more than
one local authority within a member's constituency. |
| The situation for regional members is analogous
to that of regional organisations such as the police.
In my submission, the principle of co-terminosity should
be adopted by the Assembly, thus giving more emphasis
to the Regional Committees. The Northern Regional
Committee has a totally bizarre boundary (see attached
map), placing Meirionydd in mid-Wales and dividing the
county of Gwynedd in half for Assembly purposes.
This is counterproductive and has caused real inconvenience.
If Regional Members are to continue to exist, then care
should be taken to follow, and not to ignore, regional
identity. |
| Yours faithfully |
|
Richard Brunstrom
Prif Gwnstabl/Chief Constable |
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