Welsh Labour will shelve expert panels recommendations again.

Quite frankly I could have saved the Welsh taxpayer the cost of the  expert panel that recommends that the number of Assembly Members elected to the Senedd should rise from 60 to 89 or 90, the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote  and votes at sixteen.

It something this Blog has already proposed  though I haven't suggested a gender quota to boost the number of women in the Senedd, and the option of standing as a "job share" candidate would aim to encourage people with disabilities or caring responsibilities.I am not averse. to the proposal.

Since my almost identical proposals would never been considered by some of the Unionist Parties we could have saved money because I suspect like nearly every commission  that have been held into  how our Assembly is run and/or its powers have been ignored.

 Labour have already  said it would not take a decision before its conference in the spring of 2019 after consulting on the proposals next year.

Plaid Cymru AM Simon Thomas has claimed Labour's position "kills dead any hope of passing the necessary legislation before the next assembly elections", due in 2021. 

" It makes no sense that our assembly is so much smaller compared with parliaments of comparable size and competence."

 An extra 30 members would cost an additional £9.6m a year, says the report – equivalent to 0.08% of the Assembly’s block grant from Westminster.

So its not as if it would break the Assembly budget  and the alternative to decrease AMs workloads would be for them to employ more staff , hardly a democratic option.

Defending the report’s central recommendation to increase the number of AMs by 50%, Prof McAllister said:

 “Our recommendations are designed to ensure that the Assembly has the number of Members it needs to effectively represent the people and communities it serves, hold the Welsh Government to account, and be a parliament that truly works for Wales now and in the future.
“In 1999, AMs had very little scope to affect the daily lives of people in Wales. Today, they are responsible for a budget of £15bn, they make the law in Wales in a host of important areas such as health and education, and they can change the taxes we pay. Today’s institution still has only sixty Members and, with its increasing powers to affect people’s lives, it lacks the capacity it needs.
“This matters. The Assembly and its Members have a real, direct and positive impact on the lives of every one of us in Wales. Calling for more politicians is unpopular; but we have to report as we see the evidence. The Panel believes that, as its powers increase, the Assembly cannot continue as it is without risking its ability to deliver effectively for the people of Wales. There is a compelling case for an increase in size to at least 80, and ideally closer to 90 Members. There is no good time to remedy this. However, if this is not done now, the Assembly will continue to be undersized, presenting a risk to its ability to deliver for the people it serves.

 The simplest option would be to be to pair the current 40 constituencies to merge them into 20 seats, each with four AMs, giving a total of 80.

This could be followed by boundary reviews that could also increase or decrease the members of each consistency  bearing in mind  there is no reason for the Assembly to consist of a nice round number. Maybe 83 would be a better option.


An open letter signed by 12 former AMs also backed the recommendation to increase the number of AMs. It said: “Wales needs an Assembly which has the resources to ensure that the financial, policy and legislative decisions taken by Welsh Government are robust.

“As former AMs, we write to support the case for increasing the number of Members who serve in our National Assembly for the sake of our communities and the people of Wales.
“The recently published report by the Expert Panel on Electoral Reform made the case for more Members both urgent and compelling. It concludes that because of its current size, “it is only a matter of time before the Assembly is unable to fulfil its responsibilities to work for and represent the people of Wales effectively.
“Our Members need more time available to them to scrutinise Ministers properly, and to deal with the challenges and opportunities they face in this changing constitutional and political environment. The need for more Members was first highlighted with the publication of the Richard Commission report in 2004. Since then, over the last 13 years, our Assembly has become a parliament with greater areas of responsibility, including law-making and tax-varying powers.
“Currently, most Members are expected to sit on so many committees that their time and ability to pursue matters with the depth and intensity required, is severely restricted.
“Other avenues to increase capacity have not only been explored but have also been implemented – with the hours, the days and the weeks Assembly Members sit in session all extended.
“When comparing the size of our National Assembly with other institutions in the UK and abroad, it is clear that our institution is unusually small, and that the people of Wales are far less well represented per head of population compared with equivalent legislatures across the world. In fact, our national parliament has fewer elected representatives than many local authorities in Wales. In Wales, we need an effective, dynamic and strong institution which delivers for our communities, and we cannot afford too much delay before addressing this matter. We understand and appreciate the public’s reluctance to see an increase in the number of politicians. We believe however that the overwhelming case for an increase in the numbers of AMs should overcome any such reluctance when explained clearly and honestly.”

As I stated  the proposal are in line with what I would have proposed even if I accept that in the times of continuing austerity  and cuts, increasing the number of AM will not be popular.

My only concern is that as we have seen before  the Labour Government  as set up commissions and panels to investigate the future of the Assembly only to completely ignore the recommendations.

It seems that the only way to change the Assembly electoral system is to elect parties who support it. but then it seems impossible to  do so without changing the electoral system.

How we get around this Catch 22 dilemma  is the rue question,