Senedd to get more members after expansion plan approved

Published

8 months ago

May 9, 2024

LANDMARK legislation to increase the size of the Senedd and change its voting system cleared the final hurdle in the Welsh Parliament.

MSs voted 43-16 in favour of the members and elections bill, securing a necessary two-thirds supermajority, following a debate on May 8.

Under the bill, the number of Senedd members will increase from 60 to 96 in response to concerns that the relatively small size of the legislature leads to ineffective scrutiny.

The maximum number of Welsh Government ministers will increase to 17 – not including the first minister and counsel general – with powers to further increase this to 19.

The 32 constituencies in Wales that will be used in the forthcoming general election will be paired to create 16 for the 2026 Senedd poll, with each returning six members.

Mick Antoniw, who is counsel general, the Welsh Government’s chief legal adviser, said Welsh democracy has grown, developed and matured over the past 25 years.

Mr Antoniw told the chamber, or Siambr, that while the responsibilities of the Senedd have grown, its capacity has not – remaining the smallest of the UK’s devolved legislatures.

“The bill before us changes that,” he said. “It is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our democracy by creating a modern Senedd.”

Mr Antoniw said the bold reforms will give the Senedd greater ability and capacity to hold the Welsh Government to account as well as ensure that every vote counts.

He argued laws are best forged in the fires of parliamentary scrutiny, saying: “I think we’ve seen that in this bill’s own legislative passage.”

Darren Millar, who is the Conservatives’ shadow constitution minister, described the bill as a deeply flawed piece of legislation which will undermine Welsh democracy.

Wales will move away from the current additional-member electoral system which uses a mix of first-past-the-post constituencies and regional party lists.

Future Senedd elections will instead use a full form of proportional representation, with Wales becoming the first UK nation to entirely scrap the first-past-the-post system.

Under the new closed-list system, People will vote for political parties rather than individuals and parties will control the order of candidates on lists.

Mr Millar, whose party was alone in voting against the bill, said the reforms will damage the relationship between the public and their elected representatives.

He told the Siambr the closed-list system will strip away a fundamental right enjoyed by generations of Welsh voters to choose an individual candidate.

The Tory MS for Clwyd West said: “It is the biggest power grab from the people of Wales that it has ever suffered in the history of Welsh democracy.”

Mr Millar criticised the “shameful” costs of expansion which have been estimated at almost £18m a year, suggesting it would be better spent on schools and hospitals.

He said: “That money instead will be spent on luxury offices and pay for 36 more politicians, their entourage of staff and the structure needed here at the Senedd to support them.

“Spending £120m on more politicians over the review period is a luxury we can ill afford.”

Heledd Fychan, for Plaid Cymru, said the long-awaited reforms will strengthen opposition members’ ability to hold Welsh ministers accountable.

Ms Fychan, who represents South Wales Central, stressed that the reforms are not the end of the journey, with a review to follow the 2026 election.

She said Plaid Cymru will continue to support – and campaign for – the single-transferable vote (STV) electoral system, which would allow voters to rank candidates.

Ms Fychan added that her party will hold the Welsh Government to a commitment to bring forward a recall system, which would allow voters to remove members between elections.

She said: “There is still work to be done to strengthen our democracy but the step that we are taking today is a huge step forward – not only for this Senedd but also for our nation.”

Jane Dodds agreed the bill will enhance scrutiny as well as ensure proper representation for each and every one of Wales’ diverse communities.

The Lib Dems’ leader in Wales welcomed the “outdated” first-past-the-post system being binned but warned the proposed replacement is fundamentally flawed.

Ms Dodds said: “The introduction of closed party lists risks robbing voters of true choice.”

The Mid and West Wales MS argued STV would be the fairest and most accountable system, with every vote carrying equal weight and power.

Ms Dodds said she would support the legislation but she urged fellow members to view it as only the first step on a journey towards a stronger, fully democratic parliament for Wales.

Mike Hedges, a Labour backbencher who represents Swansea East, pointed out the practical problems of having as few as four members on some Senedd committees.

He said that day’s public accounts committee meeting would have had insufficient members to proceed if he had to go to the toilet, warning: “You cannot run an organisation like that.”

Mr Hedges described the reforms as akin to reverse gerrymandering, suggesting Labour will find it hard to win and the new system will consistently produce a hung Senedd.

The bill is expected to receive Royal Assent, officially becoming an Act, later this year.

MSs are considering two related bills: the elections bill, which would introduce automatic vote registration, and the candidate lists bill on gender quotas in Senedd elections.

Pembrokeshire town 4G phone mast plans withdrawn

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

PLANS for a replacement 20-metre-high 4G phone mast tower in north Pembrokeshire, which the local town council says would have “an unacceptable adverse impact” on the national park’s beauty have been withdrawn.

In an application before Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Cellnex, through agent Telent, sought permission to replace an existing 10m high mast with a new 20m 4G tower with three Vodafone antennae and nine mast head amplifiers, and associated works, on land at Dwr-y-Felin Farm, Fford Bedd Morris, Newport.

The application for a 4G mobile base station for the mobile network operator(s) (MNOs) Vodafone Ltd in conjunction with Cornerstone. The application site is owned / operated by Cellnex UK, a radio site infrastructure provider.

A supporting statement accompanying the application said: “The proposed antenna height of 20m is essential to provide new 4G coverage and replacement 2G and 3G service provision to the surrounding area. 4G radio signals are more sensitive to physical obstructions than older technologies.

“This is because the higher the frequency band the greater the reduction in signal strength, increasing the likelihood of dropped calls and reduced data rates for internet browsing,” adding: “Generally, the higher the signal frequency the more it will be impacted by clutter. It is for this reason that there is the height of 20m is required.”

It went on to say it “should be noted that a radio base station within this location has already been considered acceptable and has become an established feature within the area and the proposed upgrade albeit different in design to support the latest equipment will not be of substantial or detrimental harm to the national park, conservation area or heritage assets”.

Newport Town Council had objected to the application, saying: “The proposed development (if approved in its current form) will have an unacceptable adverse impact on the qualities and special landscape and seascape character of the National Park and also on the special qualities of natural beauty and tranquillity.”

The application has now been withdrawn.

Charity

Flats for veterans to be built at VC Gallery, Pembroke Dock

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to build flats for armed forces veterans on a former Pembrokeshire school yard/playing field next to veterans’ charity the VC Gallery has been approved by county planners.

In an application before Pembrokeshire County Council, veterans’ charity The VC Gallery sought permission for eight flats in two blocks of two-storey buildings, including wheelchair accessible flats, for Armed Forces veterans on land to the east of the former St Marys Catholic School site, Britannia Road, Pembroke Dock.

The former school, which closed in 2019, is currently used as the VC Gallery, itself an expansion of veterans’ charity the VC Gallery’s home in Haverfordwest, set up by Barry John MBE.

Documentation, through agent Pembroke Design Limited included a supporting statement by Barry John MBE, which it says “explains the issues that veterans face after leaving the services, the need for dedicated housing provision, the support that VC Gallery’s staff and volunteers provide and the gaps in current provision which the proposed development will help address”.

It added: “Although the development will provide and encourage independent living for its tenants, essential physical and mental support will be provided by the staff and volunteers in the VC Gallery as required, in accordance with individual veterans’ needs. Many will need a high level of support and the close proximity of the flats to the facilities and people on hand in the adjacent VC Gallery is therefore critical to the proposal’s purpose.”

Mr John’s statement said: “We want to create a unique offer to Armed Forces veterans in Pembrokeshire by offering up not just quality accommodation in a gated and safe environment but to also have a bespoke peer mentoring service.”

He added: “Working alongside our stakeholders The Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust and the OVA (Office of Veterans Affairs) we have secured a grant to draw up plans and to look at how the secured land at the VC Gallery Pembroke Dock can be turned into a bespoke housing solution for Armed Forces Veterans.

“We have Service level agreements with the local authority for specifically supporting tenancy in veterans which will also extend to giving vital counselling services. Our work with the health board and provision for peer mentorship also gives us great grounding for effective help on a practical level for the veterans’ village but we will need a more designated package around the housing we provide to include both mental health and also maintenance (something we don’t have at present).”

His statement finished: “We think the need is great, we have the land, we have the skills for care and the ambition to help. It would be a project above all social housing enterprises, and we want to make a go of it.”

Politics

Call to stop councillors being employed by MPs and MSs

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Bruce Sinclair - Local Democracy Reporter

A CALL to stop senior Pembrokeshire county councillors being employed by MPs or Senedd members is to come under greater scrutiny at a special council committee.

In a Notice of Motion submitted to the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, Independent Group leader Cllr Huw Murphy said: “While it is acceptable for Cabinet members to hold other employments, no serving county councillor should hold a Cabinet position within Pembrokeshire County Council (PCC) while simultaneously being employed by a sitting Member of Parliament (MP) or Member of the Senedd (MS).

“Cabinet members hold executive responsibilities, and such dual roles risk potential conflicts of interest, particularly if Cabinet decisions conflict with the policies of their employer, often a political party. This concern is heightened in a council where most members are Independents.”

Cllr Murphy’s notice of motion was heard at the December meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council where it was agreed the matter be referred to a future constitutional review committee.

In the registration of interests for the eight members of Leader Cllr Jon Harvey’s Cabinet, only Cllr Joshua Beynon, deputy leader of the Labour Group and Cabinet Member for Corporate Finance and Efficiencies, lists a politician as an employer, in his case newly-elected Mid and South Pembrokeshire MP Henry Tufnell.

Responding to the notice of motion, Cllr Beynon has previously said: “This motion, which appears to target my unique position as a Cabinet Member for Finance and part-time parliamentary employee, raises serious questions about its fairness, legality, and intent.

“At its core, this is a politically motivated motion that seeks to undermine the principles of fairness and freedom. It attempts to dictate lawful employment choices of councillors, disregarding the importance of balancing public service with individual rights. Such an approach risks creating a chilling effect, discouraging capable individuals from serving in public office in the future.”