THE Vale of Glamorgan Council has welcomed revamped plans to reorganise local authorities in Wales.

The Welsh Government’s local government and finance secretary, Mark Drakeford, revealed a white paper last week outlining plans to redesign the way Welsh councils operate.

The current plan, which previously involved the merging of Wales’ 22 councils into eight or nine, now calls for councils to work “collaboratively” in services, including planning and transport.

The City Deal - where local authorities would together discuss potential projects - has been labelled as an example for how councils will “work collaboratively”.

However councils will still have the option to merge under the revamped plans.

Councillor Neil Moore, leader of the Vale council, said that should the proposal be adopted it would mean "great change”.

“The future of public services in the Vale of Glamorgan is an issue that we take extremely seriously,” said Cllr Moore, “and so this council has been a vocal participant in the long-running debate on the future of local government in Wales.

“We are very proud of the quality of the services we provide and these proposals will bring great opportunities for us to improve these even further. As in many areas of our work, we have been at the forefront of collaboration in Wales, most notably with our hosting of the shared regulatory service for the Vale, Cardiff and Bridgend and contribution to shaping the City Deal.

“The challenge for us now is seizing the new opportunities that change will bring and continuing to lead from the front in developing the public sector in Wales.”

Speaking in the Senedd last week on the proposal, Mr Drakeford said: “My starting point has always been the vital importance of good local government here in Wales.

“We need local government to be resilient and able to work with citizens and other public services to create sustainability for the future.

“Those who work in local government, or represent it, want the same thing - this requires more progress on collaborative working.

“Reform is essential if local authorities are to be financially resilient and able to maintain and improve the quality of services.”

He added: “The proposals in this white paper aim to provide that resilience and set a new relationship between national and local government and the communities they serve.

“Local government reform is essential if we’re to make these services stronger and more resilient to cope with the demands of the future.”