The Welsh Government has announced a major review into how public services, including councils, are run in the country.

The first minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, announced the Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery yesterday in a written statement yesterday.

The commission will be chaired by former Welsh NHS chief executive, Sir Paul Williams, and include local government representatives.

It is thought that one of the areas the commission will look at is the number of local authorities in Wales.

‘The establishment of this Commission on Public Service Governance and Delivery provides an opportunity for those who are involved in delivering services, those who are politically accountable for them and users of them to examine how public services are governed,' said Mr Jones.

‘Since public sector budgets are likely to continue to tighten, and demand pressures grow, there is a clear need to examine how services can be sustained and standards of performance raised, so that people in Wales can continue to receive and influence the public services they need and value.'