Public Services Boards

Public Services Boards (PSBs) were established in 2015 to bring together local public service leaders to assess and address the well-being needs of their areas, as part of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015.

The Act established a Board for each of the 22 Local Authorities in Wales. But PSBs have the opportunity to work together across Local Authorities and to merge, and there are now 13 PSBs covering the whole of Wales.

Board members typically include leaders from the local authority, health board, fire and rescue authority, Natural Resources Wales, as well as representatives from the voluntary sector, Welsh Government, the police forces, the police and crime commissioner and probation services. They can also invite other organisations.

The duties of the PSBs include:

Assessing the state of economic, social, environmental and cultural well-being in their areas, known as the ‘well-being assessment;’
Setting local objectives that are designed to maximise their contribution to Wales’ well-being goals and publishing a Well-being Plan
Taking all reasonable steps to meet those objectives

PSBs publish well-being plans every five years. The first well-being plans were published in 2018 and the latest plans were published in summer 2023. Local well-being plans must set out objectives and steps intended to improve the four dimensions of well-being of its area.
The Commissioner provides advice to each Board during this process – you can read our latest findings in Well-being in Wales: an overview.
You can find more information on Public Services Boards and their role here.

Public Services Boards (PSBs) in Wales

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We will make it our mission to ensure the Well-being of Future Generations Act is applied effectively and with ambition in a way that improves the lives of the people of Wales now and in the future.

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The Commissioner is required to monitor and assess the extent to which such public bodies are meeting their well-being objectives are being met. This duty seeks to ensure public bodies are moving closer to their objectives and contributing to the national well-being goals. Every five years, the Commissioner must publish an overall assessment and recommendations for improvement in a Future Generations Report.

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