Senedd unveils £100m budget, including 21% increase
Chris Haines, ICNN Senedd reporter
The Senedd commission has revealed plans for a 21% budget increase to support an expanded 96-member Welsh Parliament following May’s election.
The commission – which is the corporate body responsible for support services and the Senedd estate – has today (September 25) published its £102.7m draft budget for 2026/27.
This represents a 21.3% increase on the £84.6m 2025/26 budget which itself included a 16.7% increase on the previous year. The commission stated the increase for its core day-to-day operation budget was much lower at 3%.
The draft budget includes £12.7m for the costs of 36 extra Senedd members while the total budget for all members’ salaries, support staff, allowances and office costs is £33.9m.
A ring-fenced budget of £4.5m has been set aside for one-off election-related costs, primarily for resettlement grants for politicians who do not return and redundancy payments for staff.
‘£3,800 pay rise assumed’
This will also include a promotional campaign to encourage more people to vote, with turnout at Senedd polls having been lower than 50% in every election over the past 25 years.
The commission paid tribute to Hefin David, the former Labour Senedd member and commissioner responsible for finance who died in August, for his passionate work.
Under the draft budget, £3.1m has been earmarked for the ‘Bay 32’ project, which is exploring future office accommodation – with the lease on Tŷ Hywel expiring in 2032.
Options thought to be on the table include building new offices, extending the lease, buying Tŷ Hywel or taking up a nearby property in Cardiff Bay.
The budget was based on creating three extra Senedd committees and holding an extra plenary session each week. It also assumes a 5% or £3,819 increase in politicians’ pay, taking the basic salary of Senedd members from £76,380 to £80,199.
‘Scrutiny’
Senedd members received a £4,300 pay rise this year and next year’s increase will ultimately be linked to a Welsh average earnings index due to be updated in November.
Staff on lower grades are set to receive a 3.75% rise, according to the draft budget, while directors and the commission’s chief executive Manon Antoniazzi will receive 3%.
A Senedd commission spokesperson said: “The commission is required to develop a draft budget to support a larger Senedd from next May.
“The draft budget laid today will now follow the usual process of being considered and challenged by the Senedd’s finance committee before a final budget is laid in November.”
Elin Jones, the Senedd’s speaker or Llywydd who heads the commission, was expected to appear before the finance committee on October 2 for scrutiny of the draft budget.
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Excellent news! As our government grows stronger we’ll need a suitable venue.
And still a tiny fraction of what Westminster costs.
Quite frankly, as far as I’m concerned an MS’s salary should be tied to minimum pay rates. Say 3x Minimum Wage. Then if an MS’s salary is increased, the minimum pay should also be increased accordingly. If people were not being fleeced every other moment and the wealth of the lower classes was increased (i.e. reduce inequality) we wouldn’t complain so much.
Also, I’m not a fan of this ‘leasing’ nonsense, which fleeces taxpayers of yet more money. The Welsh Senedd should OWN the building it occupies.
The Welsh Gov don’t set the minimum wage yet. Time for devomax.
I’m not sure how this is a problem, just means they won’t be getting any well above inflation pay rises.
You can’t set what is essentially performance related pay based on something they can’t influence. Much better to link it to average salary in Wales.
Sorry, but democracy costs money. You can’t govern on the cheap. Do critics know how much the House of Commons , House of Lords, and London Assembly cost to run annually? And let’s talk the repair bill of Westminster Parliament. The cost alone to Welsh & British taxpayers is said to be e a purported £22 billion, up from the initial £14 billion costed. And will take an eye-watering 76 years to complete. And what about hosing the 650 MPs. How much will that cost I wonder? No criticism of that I see. Initially in 1997, New Labour insulted Wales… Read more »
‘Sorry, but democracy costs money.’
Exactly. A particular clincher for me is that the limited size of the Senedd which we have had until now has inevitably meant that, once the government has been formed, the number of back-benchers from the governing party is necessarily rather small. I think that a healthy democracy is strengthened when there is a solid contingent of members of the ruling party who, because they don’t hold an office, are more independent of government and, while remaining broadly supportive, can nonetheless criticize and exercise influence.