Cyflwynwyd yr ymateb hwn i ymgynghoriad y Pwyllgor Biliau Diwygio ar Fil Senedd Cymru (Aelodau ac Etholiadau).

This response was submitted to the Reform Bill Committee consultation on the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill.

SCME51 Ymateb gan: | Response from: Unigolyn / Individual
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We wish to strongly object to the Senedd Reform Bill which proposes to increase our Senedd members to 96 (an additional 36 members). It has been forecast to cost us up to £120 million over the years due to extra staffing, extending office spaces and expanding the size of the Senedd chamber. How is this acceptable when two days ago the Welsh government made an emergency budget statement informing us of a £900 million gap in its budget? This has led to cuts to schools budgets, local government, rural affairs and PCSO recruitment frozen whilst reserves have been plundered. Although the NHS has had revenue increased by £425 million, the Health Secretary acknowledges that health boards will still be in deficit. The Welsh Local Government Association reports “it faces a considerable funding gap.” The Finance Minister herself states that “next year will be even harder.”
We cannot reconcile how the Welsh Assembly can even think of increasing numbers of politicians and therefore costs, and spending our money when the vast majority of the electorate would invariably prefer for any money to be spent on our children’s education, our health service and even our local authorities being able to provide adequate services.
We hope that our government actually listens to the electorate that put them into power, as has sadly been lacking recently.