One of the founding principles of Welsh devolution was that decisions made closer to the people would lead to better governance. Unfortunately, over 25 years on, too many of our key institutions are failing and not because of a lack of powers or funding, but because of weak leadership, inadequate oversight, and a culture that resists accountability.

From higher education to economic development, health, sport, and broadcasting, a growing list of Welsh organisations are experiencing governance crises that can no longer be ignored with these failures increasingly appearing to be symptoms of a deeper structural problem.

As we all know, the university sector has dominated recent headlines due to the financial challenges it faces. Controversies over excessive vice-chancellor pay, questionable international recruitment, and costly capital projects have revealed how weak institutional oversight has become, with governing bodies often lacking independence, commercial expertise, or the willingness to challenge entrenched leadership.

Only this week, former education minister Leighton Andrews called for legislation to strengthen the governance of higher education institutions, including embedding social partnership principles into university governing bodies and giving the Welsh Government a larger role in ensuring accountability.

In the cultural sector, S4C has faced serious allegations of bullying and a toxic workplace culture, all of which led to a Senedd Culture Committee inquiry. While several........

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