Janet Finch-Saunders, Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy is saddened by the outcome of yesterday’s vote in the Senedd, where Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru voted to expand the Senedd by an additional 36 members and introduce a ‘closed list’ voting system to Wales.
Yesterday evening Senedd members voted on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill where 43 Members from Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats voted to increase their numbers from 60 to 96, from the next election to Cardiff Bay.
The legislation has therefore got the two-thirds support in the Senedd required to become law.
There were major concerns raised last night by the Welsh Conservatives who have argued that the new size of the Senedd will cost as much as £18m a year and that the new voting system will give parties too much power by deciding which candidate gets elected.
Commenting on the news Janet said:
“Today has made history in Cardiff Bay and sadly not in the best way. Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour have voted through new legislation that will see 36 more members elected to the Welsh Parliament, along with their associated additional costs for their staff and their new offices which is estimated to be nearly £20m a year.
“At a time when we desperately needed more nurses, doctors, teachers, care workers, mental health practitioners and dentists in Wales, Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru have chosen to prioritise millions of pounds to be spent on even more politicians.
“They voted against holding a referendum that would have given you, the Welsh voter, your own say on this proposal. Sadly, they believe they know better than you.
“The idea that we will no longer be able to vote for our chosen candidate with them being chosen by party elites is utterly insulting, immoral and self-interested. It again takes the power of the voter out of their hands and passes it to a small band of the chosen few.
“I am proud that the Welsh Conservative group voted against these proposals and for the referendum, however, we lost the vote. My thanks to Darren Millar MS for leading the debate for us. His points were well made and he articulated many genuine concerns, only to be ignored. They simply preferred to vote with their party whip, as opposed to on behalf of the people they represent. Shameful.”
ENDS
