Welsh election: Tories pledge not to expand Senedd

There will be no increase in the number of politicians in the Welsh Parliament if the Conservatives win power in May's Senedd election, the party has said.

Last September, Labour and Plaid members on a committee recommended up to 30 more members than the current 60, costing an estimated £12m more a year.

Plaid was the only large Cardiff Bay party to back the recommendations.

Tory Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies said Wales needed "more nurses and doctors, not more politicians".

Mr Davies called on Labour and Plaid Cymru to be "up-front and honest" with voters on how many Members of the Senedd (MSs) they think are needed.

In response, Plaid Cymru accused Mr Davies of wanting to "silence the voice of the people of Wales".

Labour said its priority is "leading Wales' recovery after Covid".

The Senedd electoral reform committee backed an expert panel's call for a Welsh Parliament of between 80 and 90 members - with effect from the 2026 election - saying the 60-member Senedd is "too small to carry out its scrutiny, legislative and representative functions".

The committee also called for a more proportional electoral system.

WALES ELECTION: THE BASICS

What elections are happening? On 6 May, people across Wales will vote to elect 60 Members of the Senedd (MSs). The party or parties that can command the support of a majority of members will form the Welsh government. Find out more here.

What powers does the Welsh Parliament have? MSs pass laws on many aspects of day-to-day life in Wales, such as health, education and transport. They also have control over some taxes. Defence, foreign policy and immigration are decided by the UK Parliament.

How do I vote? Anyone who lives in Wales and is registered to vote is eligible, so long as they are aged 16 or over on the day of the election. You can register to vote online.

Mr Davies said: "What Wales needs now is more nurses, doctors and teachers - not more politicians.

"The priority for any party should be getting Wales on the road to recovery with a stronger economy and rebuilding our public services, not increasing the size of the Senedd.

"The Welsh Conservatives have one focus: fixing Wales' broken economy so that we can create more jobs and help fund our vital public services."

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: "This is yet another example of the devo-scepticism of the new Tory leader whose party - not content with cutting the number of Welsh MPs and clawing back our powers - now wants to silence the voice of the people of Wales.

"Only Plaid Cymru will deliver the democratic representation Wales deserves - and needs."

Mark Reckless from the Abolish The Welsh Assembly Party said: "We need fewer politicians, not more. We have Westminster MPs and do not also need 60 politicians in Cardiff Bay to duplicate work MPs could do.

"The last thing we should be doing is planning to have even more of them."

A Welsh Labour spokesperson said: "Our priority is leading Wales' recovery after Covid, giving care workers the Real Living Wage, guaranteeing young people jobs and training, protecting the environment, and creating the new green jobs of the future."

Nathan Gill, Wales leader of Reform UK, which was previously known as the Brexit Party, said: "It has always been the position of Reform UK that the number of politicians in Wales should be reduced.

"Having successfully reduced that number by removing four MEPs from the political landscape in Wales, Reform UK is of the belief that there should not be any further increases to the number of Senedd members, and that every effort should be made to reduce the number of elected officials in Wales wherever possible."

The Welsh Liberal Democrats said they were "committed to increasing the number of Members of the Senedd to between 80-90, in line with the recommendations of the McAllister Review".

"This option should be made cost neutral by the planned reduction in the number of Westminster MPs by the UK government, along with our plans to scrap the Police and Crime Commissioners in Wales - which we would do as part of the devolution of justice," a party spokesperson said.

The Senedd election takes place on 6 May.

By David Deans, BBC Wales political reporter

Expanding the size of the Senedd has been an aim of some of the institution's keenest backers for a while.

Some Senedd members - particularly those on the backbenches and in opposition - have complained of large workloads, juggling multiple commitments.

But the anxieties over calling for more publicly funded politicians explain why little has happened.

Labour's policy recently is to say nothing at all - it kept silent at the results of the last review and it barely engaged with the Conservatives on the subject on Tuesday.

As it stands it has not ruled in or out an expansion, something that could give the party wiggle room post-election should it need it in negotiations with others.

For the Tories' part, this is a firmer no than what was provided by former Senedd leader Paul Davies earlier in 2020, when he stated there will be no increase in the number of politicians in Wales, but did not specifically refer to the Senedd.