Council to cancel public meetings ahead of Senedd elections

A city council will cancel most of its public meetings over the next six weeks, ahead of the Senedd elections on May 7.

A series of Newport City Council committee meetings have been scrapped for April under measures designed to maintain the council’s impartiality during the campaign window.

Despite the cancellations, the council said “all services are still being delivered and some democratic functions – such as the publishing of essential reports – have continued”.

The pre-election period in Newport will be under stricter controls this time around because several city councillors are expected to stand for the Senedd.

The new Welsh Parliament voting system means more candidates are likely to be put forward than in previous elections, and will feature on ranked lists devised by each political party.

Parties are yet to finalise their list of candidates but early publications show some city councillors have already been nominated.

When the last Senedd elections were held, in May 2021, the city council opted for a more relaxed restriction on public meetings, which continued as normal in the weeks prior to polling day.

The basis for such decisions “could include whether sitting councillors may be standing as candidates in the forthcoming elections, or [whether] the issues due for discussion are particularly sensitive”, a council spokesperson explained.

“This will mean that activity during pre-election periods could be slightly different during some years, and the circumstances individual councils need to consider may vary,” they added.

Each council is allowed to set its own guidance around the periods before Senedd elections, and local authorities are not bound by any Welsh Government rules.

The city council will also hold a by-election on May 7 for the Rogerstone North seat, which was vacated when Chris Reeks stepped down as a councillor for personal reasons earlier in March.