Welsh Ministers have introduced new regulations that update Wales’s local government standards framework. The Local Government (Standards Committees and Member Conduct) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (Wales) Regulations 2025 were made on 19 November 2025, laid before Senedd Cymru on 21 November, and will come into force on 5 January 2026.
The instrument amends three existing measures: the Standards Committees (Wales) Regulations 2001, the Conduct of Members (Principles) (Wales) Order 2001, and the Local Authorities (Model Code of Conduct) (Wales) Order 2008. The Welsh Government is acting under sections 49, 50 and 53 of the Local Government Act 2000 and, as recorded in the regulations, consulted the Auditor General for Wales, the Public Services Ombudsman for Wales and other relevant bodies.
The 2001 Standards Committees Regulations gain new definitions to tighten eligibility and interpretation. “Politically restricted post” is aligned with section 2 of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989, while “registration officer” follows section 8(2A) of the Representation of the People Act 1983. A composite definition of “senior, cabinet or executive post” is added to capture roles including chair or vice‑chair, presiding member or deputy presiding member, elected mayor or deputy, executive leader and executive members, and chairs of overview and scrutiny committees.
For former elected members, regulation 6 is replaced. Former councillors may now serve as independent members of standards committees, but with cooling‑off rules where appointment is to a committee of an authority they previously served. A five‑year period applies where the individual held a senior, cabinet or executive post in that authority. A two‑year period applies where the former member did not hold such a post.
Equivalent rules are introduced for corporate joint committees. Former members of a corporate joint committee, or of its constituent authorities or constituent National Park authorities, may join that corporate joint committee’s standards committee after two years. Where the person previously held a senior, cabinet or executive post in a constituent authority of that committee, the waiting period is five years.
For former officers, regulation 7 is replaced. Former officers of relevant authorities may serve as independent members of standards committees, save that a two‑year interval applies if they previously held a politically restricted post or served as a registration officer in that authority. The same two‑year interval applies to appointments to a corporate joint committee’s standards committee where the former officer held a politically restricted post in that committee or its constituent bodies, or held the registration officer post in a constituent authority.
The Conduct of Members (Principles) (Wales) Order 2001 is updated to insert a definition of “protected characteristics” by reference to section 4 of the Equality Act 2010. Principle 7 on equality and respect is modernised by replacing the list of grounds with a requirement to uphold equality in relation to protected characteristics or socio‑economic circumstances.
The Local Authorities (Model Code of Conduct) (Wales) Order 2008 is amended in parallel. The Model Code now contains the Equality Act definition of protected characteristics and adopts the revised equality and respect wording in paragraph 4(a), ensuring consistency between the statutory principles and the enforceable code.
For authorities, the operational impact centres on recruitment and governance assurance. Monitoring officers should refresh person specifications and adverts for independent members to reflect the two‑ and five‑year intervals, and update eligibility checks where applicants have held senior roles or politically restricted posts. Corporate joint committees will need to verify prior service across constituent councils and National Park authorities when assessing eligibility.
On conduct and training, democratic services teams should align induction materials, complaints handling and member guidance with the Equality Act definition and the new reference to socio‑economic circumstances. A Regulatory Impact Assessment has been prepared under the Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice and is available from the Local Government Division and on the Welsh Government website. The regulations were signed by Jayne Bryant, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, on 19 November 2025.