Welsh devolution at 25: Reflecting on 25 years since the first Senedd election

Monday 6 May marks 25 years since the first election to the Senedd in 1999.

It followed a historic referendum in September 1997, which saw a narrow majority back the creation of a devolved government in Wales.

50.3% voted in for the creation of a National Assembly for Wales, as it was called when it was first established, which would transfer certain powers from Westminster to Wales.

It came as support for devolution had grown during the 1980s and 1990s.

The Labour party, led by Tony Blair, went on to make Welsh and Scottish referendums a manifesto commitment during the 1997 general election campaign, which it won by a landslide.

The first elections to the Senedd – then called the Welsh Assembly – were held on 6 May 1999, with its first meeting a few days later on 12 May.

There have now been five First Ministers of Wales, including the newly-appointed Vaughan Gething. All have been leaders of Welsh Labour.

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Over the past 25 years, the Senedd has gradually been given further powers.

For instance, the Welsh electorate voted in another devolution referendum in 2011, with 63.5% of voters backing the idea the Senedd should be given full primary law-making powers.

The Senedd was then given reserved powers in 2017.

Among the new powers Wales’ devolved legislature had responsibility for was the power to decide its own name and the voting system by which its Members are elected.

That essentially means the UK Government maintains power over certain areas, such as defence, while the rest are put in the hands of Welsh politicians.

In another significant development, in 2020 the National Assembly was officially named the Senedd Cymru or Welsh Parliament, reflecting its law-making and tax-setting powers.

The same year also saw 16 and 17-year-olds given a vote in Senedd elections – next set to be held in 2026.

Not all of the UK's devolved parliaments are the same, though.

Whilst Welsh justice and policing remain under the control of Westminster, the Scottish Government determines those areas for itself. The same is true for the Northern Ireland Assembly, Stormont.

Like their counterparts in Edinburgh and Belfast, politicians in Cardiff Bay have powers over key public services such as health and education.

Transport is, of course, a devolved area which has gained a lot of attention in recent months thanks to the Welsh Government's controversial decision to lower the default speed limit to 20mph.

And, the latest change for the ever-evolving Welsh Parliament is just around the corner.

The Senedd is now set to expand following a vote by MSs last week. The number of politicians is likely to soon increase from 60 to 96.

The Welsh Government described it as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity to modernise the Senedd” but the Conservatives said it was not the priority of people here in Wales.

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