Welsh Labour members vote to expand Senedd to 96 members and change its voting system

  • Report by ITV Wales Political Editor Adrian Masters

Welsh Labour members have voted in favour of expanding the size of the Senedd to 96 members and making changes to its voting system.

A special conference was held in Cardiff on Saturday for the vote, with 76% of delegates voting in favour of the proposals and 24% voting against them.

The changes will now have to go through a legislative process.

First Minister Mark Drakeford claimed the move would "strengthen Wales' democracy".

He said: "I am delighted that Welsh Labour delegates have today decided to support Senedd reform.

"Today's vote will strengthen Wales' democracy, secure the future of our Senedd and ensure people across Wales are better represented - reflecting the modern Wales in which we live."

Responding to the news, the Welsh Conservatives reiterated their calls for the proposals to be put to a referendum.

Andrew RT Davies, Welsh Conservative leader, said: "“Mark Drakeford has given Labour members a vote on more politicians, he should now do the right thing and give the Welsh people a vote in a referendum.

"It's clear that a significant part of the Labour movement has serious concerns about these plans and the destruction of the localised link between voters and their elected representatives.

"If the Labour establishment really think this is good for Wales, then they should give the public a say."

Plaid Cymru spokesperson on the constitution, Rhys ab Owen MS, said Saturday's result was a significant moment in Welsh history.He said: "Plaid Cymru welcomes Welsh Labour's decision to formally endorse proposals for a stronger, more diverse and more representative Senedd.

"Our parliament will be better equipped to improve the lives of the people of Wales thanks to Plaid Cymru's Co-operation Agreement with the Welsh Government."This is a significant and positive moment in our nation's history.

"It is nevertheless disappointing to see some dissent particularly by Westminster MPs. They are on the wrong side of history when it comes to Wales's democratic journey."We turn our sights now to ensuring the work of implementing our vision gets underway in earnest and with urgency - to ensure reform becomes reality by the next Senedd election in 2026."

Plaid Cymru said they believe Saturday's vote is a significant moment in Welsh political history Credit: PA Images

As well as increasing the size of the Senedd, the proposals also involve changing the voting system with the creation of 16 mini-regions created by combining pairs of constituencies based on the expected new Westminster boundaries. 

Voters in each region would choose six members from lists selected by the political parties that would be legally required to meet gender quotas.

Commenting on the vote Jess Blair, Director, ERS Cymru said: "We welcome Labour's vote to back this important and ground-breaking package of Senedd reforms.

"These reforms will deliver a larger, more representative Senedd with gender equality enshrined at the heart of Welsh politics and ensure the Senedd is fit for modern Wales.  "It is important the party now gets to works to deliver these reforms to give the Senedd enough representatives to manage its growing workload, a more proportional and representative voting system and to ensure that women are always equally represented in our national politics."

The proposed changes come as part of the cooperation agreement reached between Labour and Plaid Cymru, who are working together to deliver some aspects of Welsh Government although Plaid has not entered into a formal coalition government. 

The precise cost of the changes is unclear although the Senedd Commission, which runs the Welsh parliament, estimates that an extra 30 members would cost between £11.7m and £12.9m.