In a speech at the WLGA annual conference in Swansea, the Auditor General for Wales outlines her vision for public services, focusing on prevention, collaboration and better outcomes for people in Wales.

Introduction

"P'nawn da. Good afternoon.

Thank you, Sian, for that kind introduction, and thank you to the WLGA for inviting me today.

I am genuinely delighted to be here in this magnificent Brangwyn Hall. Opened in 1934, during the ‘Great Depression’, it stands as a reminder that even in the most challenging times communities continued to invest in their future.  An investment that has served for 90 plus years and counting!

This is my first external speech as Auditor General for Wales, so please be kind! 

I am particularly pleased that my first address as Auditor General is to an audience whose decisions affect the daily lives of people in every community across Wales.

I want to start by recognising the challenging operating environment facing local government and public services generally.

The scale of the challenge is immense: maintaining public trust, delivering high-quality services, responding to new responsibilities and increasingly complex needs, and doing all of this in an era of persistent financial constraint is a formidable undertaking.

Yet these pressures sit within an even wider and more complex landscape. We are operating in what is often described as a post-truth era, where social media can amplify misinformation and undermine confidence in public institutions. We face growing cyber security and data security risks, ongoing challenges in anticipating, recruiting and retaining the workforce and skills we need, and doubtless we are all pondering the transformative potential of artificial intelligence. 

The pace and scale of change are relentless and, in many respects, unprecedented. Often, change moves so quickly that planning for it, or even fully understanding it, can feel immensely difficult.

As Wales continues to evolve through devolution, new opportunities and responsibilities will emerge. More than ever, success will depend on strong partnerships, effective collaboration, and joined-up approaches to delivering public services.

Taken together, these trends raise an important question: how do we think about and plan for the future when the demands of today are so pressing?
While there are no simple answers, I am struck by the resilience, innovation and commitment I see across local government in Wales.

That matters because local government is central to the answer. 
For it is through local government that most people in Wales experience public services. Local services are often where public opinion is formed about the effectiveness of the state as a whole and the quality of public service delivery. 

The leadership provided by the WLGA and by local government more broadly is therefore vital.  
And attracting and retaining capable leaders – executive and political – is crucial.  So, I do think it is important to recognise the excellent work that goes on – and to find and share those examples of success to encourage and support progress – and encourage good people into local leadership believing that they can be successful. 

So, my first key message today is straightforward: Audit Wales and I, as the Auditor General, are absolutely committed to constructive engagement with local government and public services. We have different roles, but we are all part of the same ecosystem, working towards better outcomes for all the people of Wales.

Success can, of course, be measured in different ways.

First, there are the things we can measure objectively. Are public services improving? Are people living healthier, safer and more prosperous lives? Are public bodies delivering better outcomes, and making the best possible use of scarce resources?

But there are other equally important measures. Do people feel that things are improving? Do they believe public services are there for them when they need them? Do they trust the institutions that serve them, and feel confident that those institutions understand the challenges they face?

Ultimately, success is not simply about performance indicators, financial results or organisational achievements. It is about whether the people of Wales experience tangible improvements in their everyday lives and have confidence in the services on which they rely today or may need to rely in future.

That is why good data matters. Used well, it helps us understand not just what services are doing, but whether they are making a meaningful difference to people's lives.

Earlier this year, Welsh Government data showed that the municipal recycling rate had risen from 66.6% in 2023-24 to 68.4% in 2024-25, up from around 5% before devolution.

Wales is now second in the world for recycling!

These figures do more than demonstrate strong performance. They tell the story of sustained behavioural change, long-term investment and collective action by citizens, communities and public services over many years.

In that respect, there is a strong alignment between what success looks like for Wales and the priorities being championed by the WLGA.
Success means sustainable public services, tackling inequalities, strong local democracy, thriving communities, and public trust

And increasingly, it means embracing place-based approaches to public service delivery. The most effective solutions are rarely designed in isolation. They are shaped by local circumstances, informed by local knowledge, and delivered through partnership.

Perhaps most importantly, success requires us to focus relentlessly on outcomes for citizens rather than optimisation within individual organisations. The people who use public services do not experience them as separate organisations, funding streams or statutory responsibilities. They experience them as part of a single system.

That is why collaboration matters. That is why system leadership matters. And that is why keeping people and community focused outcomes at the centre of our decision-making is so important.

If we can deliver better outcomes, strengthen public trust and improve the lives of people across Wales, then I believe we can confidently say we are succeeding.

All of that sounds reasonable enough, I think. But the real question is: how do we achieve it?

For me, one of the most important parts of the answer is baking in prevention.

This is not a new idea. Prevention has been championed across Wales for many years through the Well-being of Future Generations Act and through the work of Sir Michael Marmot, which you heard about earlier today. It was also a theme that my predecessor, Adrian Crompton, consistently emphasised through his focus on prevention and long-term thinking.

But prevention is no longer simply a desirable ambition. Increasingly, it is a necessity.

The reality is that public services cannot continue to respond to rising demand indefinitely without also addressing the factors that create that demand in the first place. If we focus only on managing pressures as they emerge, we risk becoming trapped in a cycle of reacting to problems rather than preventing them.

Acting earlier often leads to better outcomes and lower costs. Prevention should therefore be a core part of how we make decisions, allocate resources, and plan for the future.

Of course, prevention is not always easy. The benefits are often realised over many years, while the costs are incurred today. In a period of acute financial pressure, there can be a strong temptation to focus on immediate demands and short-term savings.

Yet if we are serious about creating sustainable public services, we must take a longer view. Investment decisions must consider not only immediate impact but also long-term costs and benefits. Sometimes the most effective use of public money is not the option that delivers the quickest result, but the one that reduces future demand and improves outcomes over time.

For example, investing now in measures that improve climate resilience, such as flood prevention schemes or adapting public infrastructure to cope with extreme weather, may require significant upfront expenditure, but can avoid far greater costs and disruption in the future across Wales and across many services.

Prevention also requires us to look beyond symptoms and address underlying causes. Too often, public services are left dealing with the consequences of problems that have developed over many years. Real and lasting improvement comes when we tackle those root causes: whether that is poverty, poor health, social isolation, inequalities or barriers to opportunity.

Ultimately, prevention is about creating the conditions in which Wales itself – natural and built environments - and her people culture and communities can thrive together. It is about building resilience, reducing future pressures and improving lives. And in an era of constrained resources and growing demand, I believe it is one of the most powerful tools we have to help secure better outcomes for the people of Wales.

I touched earlier on the fact that the people who use public services do not experience them as separate organisations. They experience them as part of a single system.

I’m sure you have already been thinking and talking about that. 
In many ways, that simple observation has profound implications for how we lead public services in Wales.

The most significant challenges facing our communities do not sit neatly within the remit of any one organisation. Poverty, health inequalities, housing pressures, skills shortages, economic inactivity, community safety and environmental resilience are all interconnected and boundary blind. No single organisation, sector or profession can address them alone.

That is why system leadership has become so important. And I feel positive about that in Wales given our scale and the work organisations like the WLGA do to build a sense of working together. 

At its heart, system leadership is about recognising that while organisations have distinct responsibilities, they also share a common purpose. Looking beyond organisational interests to consider what will deliver the best outcomes for the people of Wales.

That is not always easy. Public bodies operate within different legislative frameworks, governance arrangements, funding models and accountability structures. Leaders are rightly accountable for the performance of their own organisations.

But increasingly, success depends not only on how well individual organisations perform, but on how effectively they work together.

There are encouraging signs of this across Wales. Regional working arrangements, public service boards, city deals, and a wide range of collaborative initiatives demonstrate what can be achieved when organisations align around shared priorities and shared ambitions.

That is particularly true when we think about prevention. Preventative approaches frequently require multiple organisations to work together over a sustained period of time. The benefits may be realised in one part of the system while the investment is made in another. That requires leaders to take a broader perspective and a longer-term view.

It also requires a shared sense of accountability.

Our responsibility, therefore, is to create public services that are as joined-up as possible from the citizen's perspective.

For me, effective system leadership is not about creating additional layers of governance or ever more partnership structures within an already complex public sector landscape. It is about fostering a culture of collaboration, shared purpose and collective responsibility. It is about bringing organisations together around the outcomes that matter most, and embedding those outcomes in the design of the system from the outset. Prevention and collaboration should not be afterthoughts or optional extras. They should shape how services are planned, commissioned, funded and delivered, creating the conditions for public bodies to work together.

That brings me to the role of Audit Wales and, indeed, my role as Auditor General.

If the challenges we face are increasingly complex, interconnected and long term in nature, what part can audit play in helping Wales respond to them?

For me, the answer begins with a simple principle. Audit Wales must remain independent, objective and evidence-based. That independence is fundamental to public trust and confidence. 

But independence does not mean distance.

Over recent years we have described our purpose through three pillars: assure, explain and inspire.

The assurance role is perhaps the most familiar. Citizens, elected members and stakeholders rightly expect assurance that public money is being managed properly and that public bodies are meeting their responsibilities.

Our role is also to explain, helping people understand the challenges facing public services, the choices being made and the implications of those choices.

But I believe there is an opportunity to place even greater emphasis on the existing third pillar: to inspire.

I have asked myself whether ‘inspire’ is the right word – but given what I have already said about the daunting challenges we face; I do believe it is. 

Audit Wales is not here simply to identify weaknesses or point out where things have gone wrong. We are also here to help public bodies learn from one another and draw on good practice to strengthen outcomes for citizens. And as we are an organisation that exists in an international context, there is also the opportunity to bring learning from that wider sphere.

I have recently begun work on shaping a new strategy for Audit Wales.

The systemic issues I have discussed today cannot be addressed by simply doing more of the same. If we are asking the wider system to adapt, collaborate differently and think longer term, then it is right that we ask the same question of ourselves at Audit Wales.

This first year of my tenure as Auditor General will therefore be a transitional one. I want us to think carefully about the impact we have as the auditor of the Welsh public sector and how we can maximise that impact while remaining firmly rooted in our independent role.

I am particularly interested in how we can better identify systemic issues, highlight recurring themes across organisations, adapt to offer insight in newer areas like AI, sustainability reporting etc. and focus our work on the topics that matter most to the future of Wales. 

I am therefore beginning work to develop a clearer framework for understanding and demonstrating the impact of our work across the Welsh public sector.

I also believe we can do more to inspire improvement. Our independence should not prevent us from sharing learning, highlighting good practice and drawing on our experience across Wales and beyond. With a unique perspective across the UK public sector and strong international links, we are well placed to bring evidence, insight and learning to the table as we work together to meet the challenges ahead.

The challenge for us is to turn that perspective into practical value. How can we bring our expertise and role into the picture as new things develop? How can we more clearly highlight systemic recommendations and focus our non-accounts work on topics that will contribute to improvement. 
These are questions rather than conclusions at this stage, and I will be seeking the views of stakeholders, including local government, as this work develops.

What will not change are the principles that underpin our work: auditor independence, objectivity, evidence and constructive challenge. But I believe there is an opportunity to complement those strengths with an even greater focus on learning, improvement, and impact.

Ultimately, if Audit Wales can help public bodies learn from one another and respond more effectively to the challenges they face, then we will be playing our part in making a meaningful contribution to better outcomes for the people of Wales.

Looking forward public services and public finances in Wales, and indeed beyond Wales, are at something of an inflection point.

The choices we make over the coming years will shape the resilience, sustainability and effectiveness of our public services for years to come.

Many of the discussions taking place at this conference are rightly focused on how we continue to shift to a more preventative, long-term approach. That is not simply a policy preference. It is increasingly an economic and social necessity.

Further devolution is also likely to bring new responsibilities and new opportunities. Those responsibilities will fall to you as leaders across local government and public services, and they will also shape my role as Auditor General. I want those changes to be successful, effective and ultimately beneficial for the people of Wales.

When I think about my vision for public services in Wales, it is a simple one. And one which I hope you share. 

It is a vision of public services that work together seamlessly, recognising that many of the challenges facing citizens require collective solutions.

It is a vision in which decisions are increasingly preventative and long term in nature, where investment is guided not simply by short-term pressures but by the outcomes we want to achieve for future generations.

It is a vision where learning is shared openly across the public sector and organisations work together to improve outcomes for citizens. 

It is a vision of public services that embrace the opportunities presented by digital technology and artificial intelligence, while remaining resilient to the risks they bring and focused on the people they exist to serve.

The challenges ahead are significant. But throughout my career I have seen the commitment, professionalism and public service ethos that exists across Wales. That gives me confidence in our collective ability to meet those challenges.

In conclusion, as I touched upon earlier, this Hall was built during one of the most difficult periods of the last century because people believed the future was worth investing in. Our task now is to show that same confidence in Wales' future and the same determination to leave stronger public services for the generations that follow us.

Diolch yn fawr. Thank you."