Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
In response to recommendations made by the Senedd’s Local Government and Housing Committee following an inquiry about community assets, the Welsh Government, in partnership with Ystadau Cymru, set up the Community Asset Commission.
The commission started work in March 2024 in the form of a task and finish group. It has 18 members, representing key stakeholder groups, including the Plunkett Foundation, One Voice Wales, the Wales Council for Voluntary Action, the Development Trusts Association Wales and Barcud Housing Association. A full membership list is set out in the annex.
Its work will focus on land, building and natural assets – local facilities which bring people together, including art centres, libraries, museums, green spaces and leisure centres. Assets in the public, private or voluntary sector and those under community ownership are all within scope.
Independent academic research and thematic stakeholder workshops will be conducted by Cardiff University from 24 September to understand the challenges faced by community assets; options for ownership and management, and to scope proposals to take the community asset agenda further forward.
The commission’s terms of reference are published on the Ystadau Cymru website at www.gov.wales/ystadau-cymru.
Annex: Community Asset Commission membership
Chair: Gwyn Roberts, Galeri Caernarfon
Sara Nason, Bangor University
Richard Baker, Welsh Government
Andrew Charles, Welsh Government
Chris Buchan, Welsh Government
Neil Frow, NHS Shared Services Partnership
Dominic Driver, Natural Resources Wales
Lorna Cross, Local authority representative
Lyn Cadwallader, One Voice Wales
John Rose, National Lottery Community Fund Wales
Alun Jones, WCVA
Casey Edwards, CWMPAS
Chris Blake, Sustainable Wales
Meleri Davies, Partneriaeth Ogwen
Chris Cowcher, Plunkett Foundation
Adam Kennerley, The Development Trusts Association Wales
Joanna Rees, Barcud
Jonathan Fearn, Carmarthenshire Council