Senior councillors warn Senedd increase could drown out voices of local authorities

Alec Doyle, Local Democracy Reporter

Senior councillors say the increasing number of Senedd members will make it harder for authorities to make their voices heard.

As counting gets underway to decide which candidate will take the 96 seats in the next Senedd and who will govern Wales, the leader of Flintshire County Council and deputy leader of Wrexham County Borough Council say the expanded Senedd poses real democratic challenges.

Both authorities will be represented by more Members of the Senedd (MS) than they have councillors in their leadership groups after the Welsh Government increased the number of MS from 60 and introduced a new proportional representation election system.

Flintshire – which currently has a Cabinet of nine councillors – is split in half across both Fflint Wrecsam and Clwyd Senedd constituencies and will have 12 MS.

For Wrexham – which has an Executive Board of 10 councillors – being covered by Fflint Wrecsam, Clwyd and Gwynedd Maldwyn constituencies means the authority will have 18 Members of the Senedd going forward.

“You’ve got an extra 36 MS is coming in,” said Flintshire Council leader Cllr Dave Hughes. That was not debated. That should have gone to a referendum in my view, but it didn’t.

“Are the 36 MS all going to be bringing in more legislation? If so who’s going to deliver all that change because the local authorities haven’t got the staff to do any more.”

Cllr Hughes said so many additional members – Flintshire previously had just six – did pose a real challenge.

Both Flintshire and Wrexham have recently argued successfully with the Senedd for improved financial settlements and other additional funding support – arguments both councils fear will now be more difficult to make.

“Will it be more difficult to break through and make Flintshire’s voice heard in Cardiff? Yes, potentially. But I think what you’ve got to do is find a way through it.

“All I need to know is who is the senior one who’s holding which portfolio? That’s who I will be dealing with, I won’t bother with the rest. That’s the only way you can do it.

“My stance will still be the same. You’ve got to hold their feet to the fire.”

Deputy leader of Wrexham County Borough Council Cllr Dave Bithell agreed that the increased number of MS was a challenge.

“This council didn’t make that political decision to increase the Senedd by 36,” he said. “On a personal level, I don’t agree with it.

“From a politician’s point of view, locally, it’s hard enough getting things done now and making representation to Welsh Government.

“I just hope it’s doesn’t make things even harder. Truthfully it’s really difficult now with the amount of red tape that we have to go through, but time will tell.”

Structure

Chief Executive of Wrexham Council Alwyn Jones said that he was hopeful that the Welsh Government had foreseen the issue when it decided to increase the number of Senedd members.

“I would hope that they will come up with a way to organise this,” he said. “Hopefully someone from Wrexham won’t go to 18 different people.

“There’ll be a structure in place in terms of how local people can actually go to a Senedd member. I’m sure they can organise that.”