Updated September 2024
Changes to Senedd Elections and Increased Members
There will be an increase in the number of Members of Senedd from 60 to 96. This follows a final vote that took place in May.
Labour and Plaid Cymru Senedd Members, along with the one Liberal Democrat MS voted in favour of The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act. All Welsh Conservative members of the Senedd voted against this legislation. I was not in favour of this legislation, and I want to set out the changes and why I am opposed to them.
The passing of this Bill means that the size of the Senedd will increase to 96 Members from May 2026. There is also a change to the electoral system to one fully based on proportional representation, voters will now vote for a party instead of a candidate. From the 2026 Senedd election, the D’Hondt formula will be used (this formula has been used to determine the Senedd’s regional list Members in past elections).
Now the legislation has become law, this means that there will now be 16 new Senedd constituencies, which will be created by pairing using the 32 UK Parliamentary constituencies in time for the 2026 Senedd election. There will be a full boundary review after the 2026 Senedd election. Each super constituency will have 6 Members of the Senedd elected, from closed lists, in each of the 16 constituencies. No longer would just one member represent a constituency, but several Senedd Members would represent a larger area. In my view, the link between constituent and the Senedd member will be lost. Voters understand and expect to have a close relationship with their constituency member and to be able to hold them accountable if not.
In September, The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru released its initial proposals for redrawing the Senedd constituencies which included the Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency being combined with with the Dwyfor Meirionnydd seat to form a new Senedd constituency.
The Welsh Government will also be able to increase the limit on the number of Welsh Ministers who can be appointed from 12 to 17 (plus the First Minister and the Counsel General) with the ability to further increase the number to 18 or 19 with the Senedd’s approval.
In my view, There is no public mandate for either a larger Senedd or for the proposed changes to the voting system, so none of these proposals should be implemented, and certainly not without the public having their say in a referendum. A Welsh Conservative amendment to the Bill calling for a referendum was not supported by other parties.
My concern is that future Senedd members, will owe their position not to a personal relationship with voters, but instead to their party bosses. This, I believe, is the wrong and bad for democracy.
All this will cost up to £18 million a year, or the equivalent of 650 nurses.
Not once have I knocked on a door and spoken to a resident that thinks the solution to Wales’ problems is to spend countless millions in perpetuity on more politicians, and it’s my view that we do not need more politicians, what we really need is more doctors, dentists and teachers.