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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

Good scrutiny means good legislation, and good legislation pays for itself

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

Voters do care about women’s leadership in elected office

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

Good scrutiny pays for itself and poor scrutiny leads to poor decisions going unchallenged

Welsh Government to introduce progressive electoral reforms

Last week in the Senedd, First Minister Mark Drakeford announced the Welsh Government’s plans for legislation for the next year. This covered eight new bills which the government hopes will become law. There was a...

Posted 06 Jul 2023

Welsh Labour conference vote is a big boost to campaign for Senedd reform

With just 60 elected members, Wales’ Parliament has long been under-resourced. But that problem has grown as Wales acquired more responsibilities – without the representatives needed to properly scrutinise legislation. For as long as there...

Posted 16 Mar 2022

These reforms are vital for delivering better public services for Wales

Why the Senedd needs more members

Posted 13 Mar 2022

Investing in scrutiny will ensure that the Senedd better delivers for Wales

Poll finds growing support for properly equipped Senedd

Last week a new poll for the Western Mail, carried out by Beaufort Research, found that support for more members of the Senedd is on the up. Almost half (48%) of those polled said they...

Posted 09 Mar 2022

Fewer than a third disagree with a 90 member Senedd

Labour and Plaid Cymru deal is a big step forward for Wales’ democracy

This week saw a historic moment in Wales. Standing on the steps of the Senedd on Monday afternoon, Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford and Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price announced The Co-operation Agreement, setting out...

Posted 23 Nov 2021