Wales Act 1978

The Wales Act 1978 was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom intended to introduce a limited measure of self-government in Wales through the creation of a Welsh Assembly. The act never took effect as a result of the "no" vote in 1979 Welsh devolution referendum and was repealed in 1979.

Referendum and repeal

The Wales Act 1978 included a requirement for a "post-legislative" referendum to be held in Wales to approve the Act's coming into force.
The referendum was held on 1 March 1979. The proposal was defeated with a total of 243,048 voting favour of an Assembly and 956,330 voting against.
As a result of the negative referendum outcome, the Act never took effect, and was repealed in accordance with the Act's own provisions by the Wales Act 1978 Order 1979.