Statutory Guidance to Welsh Local Authorities on the Power to promote or improve Economic, Social or Environmental Well-Being under the Local Government Act 2000

The Welsh Government is consulting on new statutory guidance under Section 3(6) of the Local Government Act 2000 on the discretionary power available to unitary authorities and community councils to promote or improve the economic, social or environmental well-being of their area.

The well-being power allows local authorities to develop a broader and more innovative role and encourages closer partnership working between local authorities in better responding to the needs of their community.

As part of the act Local authorities may consider how the power might be used to pursue activities that contribute to achieving community strategy objectives, other cross-cutting issues and shared priorities, national priorities, and overarching policies, which promote and improve well-being. These might be policies and programmes that wholly or in part will close gaps in opportunity or outcomes for disadvantaged groups of people or geographical areas, which might include encouraging participation and community capacity building.