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Senedd requests extra £12m to fund expansion

27 Sep 2024 3 minute read
Senedd Members in the Chamber – Image: Senedd Cymru

Emily Price

The Senedd Commission has requested a £12m uplift in its budget next year in order to fund making room for more politicians.

Controversial plans agreed by the Welsh Government and Plaid Cymru to increase the number of MSs from 60 to 96 and change how they are elected got final approval earlier this year.

A draft budget laid before the Senedd today (September 27) by the corporate body for the Welsh Parliament revealed a request for a 16% increase in cash in order to fund the infrastructure changes needed to expand the Senedd by more than a third.

The vast majority of the Senedd Commission’s funding comes from the Welsh Consolidated Fund  – public money allocated to Wales by the UK Government.

The Commission doesn’t hold reserves and has a limited income from its shop and from renting out office space to media organisations.

For 2025 – 2026, the body running the Senedd has requested £84.3m – up from £72.1m the year before.

The extra cash will be used to pay for more office space and more seats in the Chamber as well as for things like security, lighting, heating and ICT infrastructure.

The original estimate of how much it would cost to renovate the Senedd’s Chamber has increased by around £1m.

This is because the original estimate was based on room for 80 members and not 96.

The extra money will also go towards a staff pay award of 5%, in line with the wider public sector.

The funding request also takes into account that 2026 will be an election year meaning more money is needed to pay for new members.

Options

Decisions on the Senedd’s office building, Tŷ Hywel, will also cost the Commission this coming year.

The lease on the Cardiff Bay building which houses MSs and staff will expire in 2032 and the Senedd requires funding to explore other options.

A spokesperson on behalf of the Senedd Commission said: “In the next two years, the Senedd will undergo the biggest change since it was established in 1999 – becoming a parliament of 96 MSs, with greater power to hold Welsh Government to account, develop new laws and better represent the people of Wales.

“This budget proposes a 16% increase in spending to support a 60% increase in members. It will also ensure that Senedd staff pay is in line with the wider public sector in Wales. Every effort has been made to ensure tax-payer value for money.”

The Welsh Government says the Senedd has long been under resourced.

With all the cabinet and official appointments, it currently only has around 42 backbenchers available to both scrutinise the government and legislate.

It’s argued that this number of MSs cannot fill all the committee seats to deliver a properly functioning parliament in Wales.

A good example of this is the 20mph default speed limit which never went to a committee because there wasn’t sufficient space and time for it to be properly scrutinised.

The Welsh Conservative Senedd group are heavily opposed to plans for 36 more politicians in Cardiff Bay because of the cost.

Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for the Constitution, Darren Millar MS said: “The cost to taxpayers of Senedd reform is ballooning even before the full extent of Labour and Plaid’s plans for more politicians are implemented.
“Spending millions on preparing for more politicians at a time like this, is a real kick in the teeth for Welsh pensioners losing their winter payments and those across the country who have been left languishing for years on record-breaking NHS waiting lists.”

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Ernie The Smallholder
Ernie The Smallholder
6 days ago

This cost is only a fraction to maintaining the institutions of the UK. The UK’s House of Lords has over 800 members: That means 800 extra payment from tax payers. Yes, we need a 2nd house but at that size? We need to replace the 2nd house with an elected council for the nations and regions with around 80 members in total. Does the UK really need 650 MPs ? The average size of parliaments in Europe is around 200-300 members. Even with twice as many MPs (and salaries) the UK is parliament is less representative than parliaments in Europe… Read more »

Frank
Frank
6 days ago

It’s all about the “old boys club”. Jobs and over-estimated costing contracts for mates and relatives on the back of the taxpayer. Being a politician is a ticket to untold riches.

Howie
Howie
6 days ago

Like US, 100 senators and 435 representatives, that deal with federal legislation, each state having it’s own legislature.
UK is over governed at national level.

Richard Davies
Richard Davies
6 days ago

The uk is second to China when it comes to number of legislators in its parliament.

Owain Morgan
Owain Morgan
6 days ago
Reply to  Richard Davies

Iran and the UK are the only Nation States that reserve seats for Religious leaders in their National Legislatures.

Annibendod
Annibendod
6 days ago

Ah, Welsh Conservatives … always looking to hack Wales down at the feet.

Frank
Frank
6 days ago

Twelve bloody million pounds for adding a few extra desks and chairs and a few other minor alterations!!! Are they taking the pee? I wonder how many thousands of pounds it costs to change a lightbulb? It’s time we did something about this ridiculous extravagance.

Owain Morgan
Owain Morgan
6 days ago
Reply to  Frank

Also the extra support staff, security staff, new offices and related insurance policies and extra office equipment. Instead of attacking political institutions, try attacking the private sector for overcharging for equipment and insurance. They ‘take the pee.’ BTW they are increasing the size of the Senedd by 60%, that’s a bit more than a ‘few extra seats.’ This isn’t Westminster where there aren’t enough seats for politicians, but a gun club and 12 bars. In the Senedd they prioritise equipment for MSs to do their jobs like computers, broadband and an adequate number of seats. This is being done because… Read more »

Owain Morgan
Owain Morgan
6 days ago

Tories in the Senedd are a useless opposition. We need more Plaid Cymru and Lib Dem MSs and the addition of Greens will help. Unfortunately, polls suggest we have another batch of useless Fascists whining about the exist of the Senedd, just like they did with EU Parliament 🙄 Regardless we need enough politicians in the Senedd to ensure each member only has to sit on select committee and there be more MSs in Siambr.

John Ellis
John Ellis
6 days ago

Well, if the number of MSes is to be significantly increased, there clearly does need to be enough space in the siambr for all of them to take seats. Though does it really need to cost quite as much as this?

Last edited 6 days ago by John Ellis
Owain Morgan
Owain Morgan
6 days ago
Reply to  John Ellis

It’s also setting up the extra offices and employing a number of new support staff at one time. Plus extra security and paying for all the costs of installing all the new equipment.

John Ellis
John Ellis
6 days ago
Reply to  Owain Morgan

Fair point. Half an hour after my initial posting, I watched BBC Cymru’s ‘Wales Today’ in which they unpacked some of the wider implications associated with the increased numbers of Senedd members, which led me to realize that I hadn’t wholly grasped all the implications of the increased numbers.

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