Why the Senedd’s new recall system might hurt accountability Last week, the Senedd’s Standards of Conduct Committee published a report recommending the introduction of a recall procedure, allowing voters to remove and replace Members of the Senedd (MSs) who have seriously breached the Code... Posted 05 Feb 2025
Listen to our conversation with Mark Drakeford MS on Welsh democracy Back at Welsh Labour party conference in November, ERS Cymru hosted an ‘in conversation’ with Mark Drakeford MS where he reflected on the past, the present and the future of Welsh democracy. In a wide... Posted 16 Jan 2025
Where next for Welsh democracy as Plaid Cymru top Senedd voting intention poll? The latest Barn Cymru poll released earlier in December by YouGov for ITV Wales and Cardiff University’s Wales Governance Centre suggests that Plaid Cymru could be the largest party in the Senedd come 2026. The... Posted 18 Dec 2024
What to expect from the upcoming Senedd Reforms The Welsh Parliament is going through a raft of changes ahead of the 2026 Senedd elections. Here’s all you need to know: Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act 2024 On the 24th of June, the... Posted 18 Sep 2024
Senedd expansion is a pivotal moment for devolution Something historic happened yesterday, something good. What happened in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) was the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill passed and did so with over 2/3rds of the chamber voting in favour. News... Posted 09 May 2024
New Senedd Bill is an investment in Welsh democracy Yesterday in the Senedd, the First Minister, Mark Drakeford, said “democracy only flourishes if you tend the garden to which it is sowed”. He was speaking in a statement around the recent publication of the... Posted 31 Jan 2024
Voters prefer decisions made by panels balanced between men and women Men still dominate political decision-making in the United Kingdom. Women hold just one or two seats on prestigious select committees in the House of Commons, like Defence, Foreign Affairs, and Justice. No women sit on... Posted 21 Nov 2023
Wales is leading the way as registering to vote is set to get easier The age-old adage about waiting for a bus and two turning up at once seemed particularly appropriate last week as we gave evidence on the Elections and Elected Bodies Bill to a Senedd Committee. This... Posted 20 Nov 2023
We gave evidence to MSs on a new Bill to reform the Senedd – here’s what we said In September a new piece of legislation was introduced into the Senedd, which looks set to change how the Welsh Parliament looks and works. The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill, if passed, will see... Posted 10 Nov 2023
Welsh Government introduce Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill Next year the Senedd will mark a quarter of a century since its establishment. For many of those 25 years it has been apparent that the Senedd is too small. At just 60 members the... Posted 18 Sep 2023