Bigger Senedd means cost expected to rise by £1.2m

Preparing the Senedd for more politicians is expected to cost an extra £1.2m, compared to previous projections, the body running the institution has said.

The Senedd Commission wants a 16% uplift to its budget for 2025-26, taking the total figure to £84.3m.

It says the extra money is needed to help the Welsh Parliament manage "the biggest change since it was established in 1999", as the number of Members of the Senedd (MSs) rises from 60 to 96 in 2026.

The Welsh Conservatives described the expansion as a "vanity project" and the "wrong priority".

Last year, the commission predicted it would need £5.3m to cover these costs in 2025-26, but its draft budget for 2025-26 will ask for £6.5m.

The Senedd Commission is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Welsh Parliament, including maintaining politicians' offices in Cardiff Bay and the Senedd building itself where MSs hold debates.

It also pays the salaries of MSs and their staff, as well as any additional allowances.

Its funding comes from the UK government via the Welsh Consolidated Fund, which is where the Welsh government also gets most of its money.

The commission published its draft budget, external on Friday, ahead of a vote on the proposals in November.

It is seeking an overall budget of £84.3m for 2025-26, an increase of 16.7%.

It says this is necessary due to the coming together of a number of factors, including a commitment to increase public sector wages, pre-election costs as the Welsh Parliament heads towards the 2026 poll and maintenance work on Tŷ Hywel, the block behind the main Senedd building where MSs have their offices.

There are further costs associated with exploring possible options when the Senedd's current lease on Tŷ Hywel expires in 2032.

However, the key challenge facing the commission over the next year will be adapting offices and the Senedd building itself to accommodate 36 more MSs from 2026.

A commission spokeswoman said over the next two years the Senedd would "undergo the biggest change since it was established in 1999 – becoming a parliament of 96 MSs, with greater power to hold Welsh government to account, develop new laws and better represent the people of Wales".

The Senedd reform policy was a key part of the cooperation deal which Labour had with Plaid Cymru in the Welsh Parliament between December 2021 and May this year.

Caerphilly Labour MS Hefin David is responsible for Senedd commission budget matters, as one of five commissioners drawn from across the political parties in Cardiff Bay.

"If we are to deliver what we’ve been asked to deliver this is the cost it’s going to be and we have a requirement to do that," he said.

On criticism of Senedd expansion, he said: "At the moment the committee system isn’t working, I think the first minister mentioned that if someone just leaves for a comfort break the committees aren’t quorate.

"You need a parliament that can challenge the government on its legislation, and we’ve seen legislation come through that people see as controversial.

“You have to have an effective parliament that is quizzing the government on that legislation effectively, and we have a duty to provide that."

But Welsh Conservative constitution spokesman Darren Millar said: "Wales desperately needs more doctors, nurses and dentists, not more politicians.

"Spending additional millions on this vanity project as NHS waiting lists hit six successive record-breaking months is the wrong priority."

Plaid Cymru said it would "look carefully at the details" of the draft budget.

The Welsh government said it would not comment as the budget was a matter for the Senedd to scrutinise.

Additional reporting by Adrian Browne