Liberal Democrat peers have tabled amendments to Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill in the House of Lords, which will have the effect of giving additional powers to the Welsh Assembly to change the way that local Councils are elected in Wales.
The Liberal Democrats want to see the Assembly given the right to introduce a proportional representation system, similar to that used in Scotland.
But Labour remain opposed to the idea, and last June it blocked a bid by Lib Dem AMs to begin the process of transferring the power from Westminster to Cardiff.
Lib Dem peers are now trying a different route, by amending the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Bill in the House of Lords.
Labour’s opposition means the issue remains highly controversial. It was a major stumbling block in efforts to form a Labour-Liberal Democrat coalition after the 2007 Assembly elections. The Labour-Plaid coalition deal that eventually emerged contained no commitment to proportional representation in local government.
Lord Roberts of Llandudno, the Lib Dem Lords spokesman on Wales, said: “If you look at Scotland, nobody there is suggesting going back to first-past-the-post. The new system has given every party representation in areas where they might not have had any before.
“Our amendment would allow the Assembly to make the decision without recourse to Westminster.”
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