Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee

The Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee is a statutory regional governance body for Mid Wales, covering the principal council areas of Ceredigion and Powys. It was established in April 2021 under statutory instruments made pursuant to the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. The committee forms part of the Welsh Government's wider system of Corporate Joint Committees, which was created to support formal regional collaboration among local authorities and other public bodies. The organisation is an indirectly elected body rather than a directly elected local authority. Its membership is drawn from the leaders of the principal councils and relevant national park authorities in the region. This structure is intended to coordinate decisions across administrative boundaries while retaining a connection to the elected local-government leadership of the areas it serves. The committee must appoint statutory officers, including a chief executive, a finance officer and a monitoring officer, to manage its administration, finances and legal governance. Its statutory responsibilities include promoting economic well-being, preparing strategic development planning policy and developing regional transport policies. These functions give the committee a coordinating role in regional growth, land-use planning and transport connectivity. The economic-development remit is linked to the Mid Wales Growth Deal and related regional-development activity, while strategic planning and transport work are handled through dedicated sub-committees. The committee can operate as a corporate body: it may employ staff, hold assets and maintain dedicated budgets. It therefore has an institutional capacity beyond that of an informal partnership, although its work is carried out in cooperation with constituent councils, national park authorities, Welsh Government bodies and other regional organisations. Its governance framework includes economic well-being and regional economic-development, governance and audit, overview and scrutiny, regional transport planning, standards and strategic development planning sub-committees. As of January 2026, Jake Berriman, the leader of Powys County Council, is identified as chair. The committee's primary role is public administration and regional coordination rather than the sale of consumer products or services. Its significance lies in providing a formal mechanism for Mid Wales authorities to develop shared strategies, oversee regional programmes and coordinate planning and transport policy across Ceredigion and Powys.

The Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee emerged from the Welsh local-government reform framework established by the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021. That legislation enabled the creation of Corporate Joint Committees as statutory regional bodies, giving Welsh councils a formal structure for cooperation on matters that extend beyond individual council boundaries. The Mid Wales committee was established in April 2021 through statutory instruments made under the 2021 Act. Its geographic remit consists of Ceredigion and Powys, the two principal council areas generally associated with Mid Wales. Unlike a directly elected council, it is indirectly constituted through the leaders of participating principal councils and national park authorities. This arrangement is designed to connect regional decision-making with existing democratic local-government institutions. Corporate Joint Committees differ from informal partnerships because they are corporate bodies with legal and administrative capacity. They may employ staff, hold assets and operate dedicated budgets. They are also required to appoint core statutory officers: a chief executive, a finance officer and a monitoring officer. These arrangements provide the administrative, financial and legal infrastructure needed to carry out regional functions. The Mid Wales committee's principal areas of responsibility are economic well-being, strategic development planning and regional transport policy. Its economic role includes regional-development work associated with the Mid Wales Growth Deal. Planning responsibilities provide a mechanism for considering development across the wider region rather than solely within individual council boundaries, while the transport remit supports coordinated policy for regional connectivity. The committee has developed a committee-and-subcommittee governance structure. Identified bodies include the Economic Well-Being Regional Economic Development (Mid Wales Growth Deal) Sub-Committee, Governance and Audit Sub-Committee, Overview and Scrutiny Sub-Committee, Regional Transport Planning Sub-Committee, Standards Sub-Committee and Strategic Development Planning Sub-Committee. Together, these bodies provide policy development, oversight, audit, scrutiny and standards functions. By January 2026, Jake Berriman, leader of Powys County Council, was serving as chair. The committee remains an active regional public body whose purpose is to coordinate policy and delivery across Mid Wales rather than operate as a commercial brand.

• 2026

  Chair identified as Jake Berriman

  [1]Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committeeen.wikipedia.org

  The committee's January 2026 membership information identifies Jake Berriman, leader of Powys County Council, as its chair.

• 2021

  Statutory establishment

  [1]Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committeeen.wikipedia.org

  The Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committee was established in April 2021 through statutory instruments made under the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

A statutory, indirectly elected regional-governance institution coordinating economic development, strategic planning and transport policy for Mid Wales.

1. 1Mid Wales Corporate Joint Committeeen.wikipedia.org