Andrew RT Davies has said that Welsh Government plans to put 36 more Senedd Members into the Welsh Parliament are unjustifiable.
Writing in his local paper the Glamorgan Star, Davies said, “Over 1 in 4 children in working households are living in poverty. Wales’ waiting lists remain extremely high, with two-year waits increasing in the most recent set of NHS statistics.”
Referring to the two main parties that have ushered the legislation through, the South Wales Central MS added, “With these facts known to Labour and Plaid Cymru, I don’t see how it is possible to justify spending over £100 million on more politicians in Cardiff Bay.”
From May 2026, the next Senedd Election, there will be 96 MSs in Cardiff Bay instead of 60. The change is part of a wider package of reforms, including increasing the frequency of elections from every five years to four.
The former Welsh Conservative Leader also challenged the mandate for the increase in Senedd Members, arguing that Labour’s 2024 manifesto commitment to “improve the representation of the people of Wales” could not be considered a “blank cheque”.
Writing in the Glamorgan Star, Andrew RT Davies MS, Senedd Member for South Wales Central and former Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said:
“It’s worth remembering that there are currently 60 Senedd Members, making this a 60% increase in the number of politicians in the Bay.
“If you applied that increase to the number of MPs we currently have in the House of Commons, you’d end up with over a thousand MPs.
“After the next Senedd Election, 96 MSs will be elected to Cardiff Bay, along with all the additional expenses that are included. This is cash that is being diverted from our key public services. Our schools, our GP surgeries, our A&E departments.
“This decision must be reversed.”
ENDS