‘Historic’ plans to expand Senedd draw Conservatives’ ire

Parliamentary changes hailed as ‘investment in democracy’ but Tories say money should be spent elsewhere

The Welsh government’s “historic” changes to the Senedd, including sharply increasing the number of members, have been criticised by the Conservatives who say the millions of pounds an expanded Welsh parliament would cost each year should be ploughed into improving public services.

Proposed changes set out in the Senedd reform bill include increasing the number of members from 60 to 96 and ministers from 12 to 17, plus scrapping the first-past-the-post system element of the voting system.