We don’t always talk about governance. But we should.

It’s what determines whether public services run well, whether decisions are made fairly, and ultimately, whether people trust their local councils to do the right thing.

That’s why recent reviews of Cardiff and Wrexham councils are worth paying attention to. Both were assessed in 2025; Cardiff by an independent peer panel, and Wrexham by Audit Wales. The findings offer two very different pictures of how governance looks — and feels — inside a local authority.

Cardiff

Cardiff Council was described by its assessors as a “well-run council with strong values, effective leadership, and a clear sense of purpose.”

That conclusion wasn’t drawn lightly. The review team spent four days on site, spoke to more than 300 people — from frontline staff to senior managers, from councillors to citizens — and pored over the council’s strategies, performance data and policy documents.

What they found was a council where:

• Leadership is aligned and respected– the Leader and Chief Executive were singled out for providing calm, focused leadership.
• Values are shared across the organisation, from top to bottom.
• There’s a culture of staff involvement and mutual respect — with inclusive staff networks seen as best practice.
• Decision-making is supported by solid systems and genuine partnership working.
• The council isn’t just stable — it’s ambitious.

And perhaps most tellingly, Cardiff was described as a council that leads with a “can-do” culture and civic pride. A place where people want to work together — and want to do things better.

That doesn’t mean there’s no room for improvement. The panel made three practical recommendations, including refreshing the council’s economic vision, rebalancing how scrutiny is done, and strengthening links between change programmes and workforce development. But those are next steps, not red flags.

Wrexham

The contrast with Wrexham’s review is stark.

Audit Wales carried out a follow-up report to an earlier review in 2024. Unfortunately, many of the original concerns remained:

• Strained relationships between some councillors and senior officers.
• Low attendance at key training sessions — including the Code of Conduct.
• Important protocols — some dating back 10–20 years — left unreviewed and out of date.
• A lack of shared understanding around roles and responsibilities.

The review spoke of fractured trust, public statements that fuel tension, and a culture where communication protocols are not being followed — particularly around planning and member-officer interactions.

In a sentence: Wrexham is not in governance crisis, but it is at risk — especially if the current culture continues.

Culture and Leadership: The Core Divide

At the heart of both reviews is the same theme: culture.

In Cardiff, political and corporate leadership are on the same page. There’s respect, clarity, and teamwork. Staff feel heard. Scrutiny is welcomed, not avoided. And across departments and partnerships, there’s alignment on what needs to be done.

Wrexham’s review tells a different story. Some members seem disengaged. There’s evidence of blame culture, public disputes, and a lack of clarity on what councillors are supposed to do, or how they’re meant to behave.

The review even found that members didn’t always realise they were expected to attend training. Others skipped sessions they didn’t find “interesting.” That’s not a personal failing; it’s a sign of a system that hasn’t made expectations or accountability clear.

Training, Scrutiny, and Staying Updated

Governance isn’t just about behaviour. It’s about building systems that help people do the right thing.

In Cardiff, training, scrutiny, and transformation are all linked. There’s a clear plan for improving services, underpinned by a joined-up approach to workforce development and digital transformation. Scrutiny is being looked at again; not because it’s failing, but because the council wants to give it more time for thematic deep-dives rather than just reacting to decisions.

In Wrexham, training is a known issue. Members report barriers to accessing digital learning, but there are also deeper issues such as unclear expectations, poor attendance, and a lack of feedback loops. One of the most telling stats? Only 12 of 56 members attended corporate parenting training. That raises real concerns about safeguarding awareness.

And when protocols on planning or public speaking haven’t been updated in decades, the risk isn’t just theoretical, it’s real.

What Can We Learn?

This isn’t about pointing fingers. It’s about learning and improving, because good governance in councils affects all of us, and we should aspire to have it in all our councils

Here’s what the stories of Cardiff and Wrexham tell us:

• Leadership matters. Alignment between political and professional leaders sets the tone for everything else.
• Culture is the hidden engine. Respect, inclusion, and teamwork can’t be faked — and when they’re missing, you feel it.
• Training should be the norm, not the exception. Governance is a skill. It needs practice, feedback, and curiosity.
• Systems need maintenance. Protocols, handbooks, and processes must be living documents — not historical artefacts.
• Scrutiny isn’t just oversight — it’s learning. When done well, it helps councils reflect, improve, and stay on course.

Final Word

Cardiff shows what’s possible when governance is taken seriously, not just in terms of rules and policies, but in how people relate to one another. Wrexham’s challenges don’t mean it can’t get there, but it will need to act fast, and act together.

Good governance is what keeps services running. It’s what keeps trust alive. And it’s what makes councils not just functional, but effective.

---

This blog post is the personal opinion of David Clubb. Locally based, open source AI was used to help draft this post.

Photo by Populimedia – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0