Senedd Reform Bill

The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill^[1] (commonly referred to as the Senedd Reform Bill) was introduced on 18 September 2023 to take forward proposals to expand and reform the Senedd in Wales. Proposals included created sixteen larger constituencies, each electing six members of the Senedd (MSs) by proportional representation. It was hoped to approve the bill in time to take affect from the 2026 Senedd election.

Background[edit]

The Richard Commission report of 2004 suggested an increase in the number of Members to 80. That number was also suggested, as a minimum, by the 2014 report of the Silk Commission.^[2] Similarly, in 2013 and 2016, the Electoral Reform Society published reports making the case for enlarging the Assembly.^[3][4] A 2017 report of an expert commission led by Laura McAllister suggested an increase to between 80 and 90 Members, switching to single transferable vote (STV) and enforcing gender quotas. There was no cross-party consensus, however, on any of these measures in 2017.^[2]

As part of the 2021 co-operation agreement between Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru, the parties agreed on an expansion of the Senedd to between 80 and 100 Members and a more proportional voting method, one that integrates gender quotas. Paragraph 22 also asked for recommendations to be made by the Special Purpose Committee by 31 May 2022, and aimed to pass legislation in the ensuing 12 to 18 months so that the it can be applied for the next election in 2026.^[5]

A Special Committee was set up on 6 October 2021, composed of five members representing each party, as well as the Llywydd of the Senedd. They held public and private meetings on the issues.^[6] In May 2022, a joint position statement was published by First Minister Mark Drakeford and Plaid Cymru Leader Adam Price, and sent to the Special Committee. In it, they called for a 96-Member Senedd, all elected through closed party list proportional representation (using the D'Hondt method) with mandatory "zipping" of male and female candidates in the list to ensure that for every party, half of the Members will be women (unlike the voluntary all-women shortlists used by the Labour Party).^[7] With a reduction in the number of Welsh MPs and new constituency boundaries being proposed for the next UK general election,^[8] the Senedd elections were proposed to be organised in 16 six-member regions created by pairing up the 32 redrawn Westminster constituencies.^[7]

The final report of the Special Committee was published on 30 May 2022 and recommended the system agreed to by the Labour and Plaid Cymru leaders.^[9][10] Although the Expert Panel preferred the single transferable vote to any other method, the closed list PR system was favoured by the Committee over its capacity to enforce gender quotas through mandatory zipping.^[9] The report was discussed in plenary session on 8 June 2022, and approved 40–15.^[11]

Further proposals[edit]

In February 2023, plans for additional reform included:

• Candidates must be resident in Wales

• A defection of an MS to another party is not permitted. An MS would instead have to become an independent.

• Independent candidates must disclose any party membership.^[12]

In September 2023, it was also proposed job sharing among Welsh Government ministers also be considered.^[13]

Opposition to the reforms[edit]

The Welsh Conservatives have consistently opposed the Senedd's expansion plan, which they fear would be costly, and have called for a referendum, arguing that only a public mandate can give legitimacy to such a reform.^[14] The sentiment was also expressed by Welsh Secretary Simon Hart.^[15] His deputy David TC Davies told his party conference that the reform plan would "lock in a Labour government forever" and "concentrate power in the hands of a few party managers".^[16]

On 10 May 2022, Conservative MS Darren Millar, resigned from the Committee in disagreement to the Drakeford-Price joint statement, saying "Wales needs more doctors, dentists, nurses and teachers, not more politicians in Cardiff Bay".^[10] The additional annual cost of the proposals was estimated as £17.8 million.^[17]

Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill[edit]

On 18 September 2023, the Welsh Government published its plans for electoral reform as part of the proposed Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill.^[18][19][20] The number of Senedd constituencies is set to fall to 16, which would be pairings of the proposed 32 constituencies in Wales for Westminster elections. Each constituency would elect six MSs from a closed list under the D'Hondt method. Under the proposals, all candidates must live in Wales, and elections would take place every four years, rather than five. The first minister is proposed to have the power to appoint 17 rather than the current 12 ministers, plus the counsel general, to the Welsh Government, and the number of ministers could be increased to 18/19, pending further Senedd approval. There is also the addition of another deputy presiding officer.^[18]

The Bill did not take forward the proposals to enshrine a gender balanced Senedd in law. It was proposed to put forward a second Bill covering this aspect, in 2024.^[21]

References[edit]