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.

SCME289 Ymateb gan: | Response from: Alyson Thompson
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Good afternoon

I am writing to express my objections at the proposed increase in Senedd Members from 60 to 96.  I confirm that I am over 18 years of age and my contact details are below.

At a time when the Assembly is at a point where it is questionable as to whether the organisation should be placed in "special measures" to attempt to prevent bankruptcy I would like to highlight a huge amount of money that could be deemed as already "wasted":

•          Circuit of Wales which collapsed with WA having invested approx £10million

•          M4 Relief Road - scrapped after spending at least £135million yet the M4 is the only major route into Wales which is constantly congested impacting businesses

•          20MPH changes - £32million for what?  a badly thought out change that reports from Belfast and Spain show does NOT save lives.  The money would have been better spend policing the existing limits and strengthening restrictions in specific areas such as schools.

•          Cardiff airport - £52 million to buy, undisclosed costs ongoing (estimated at well over £100million).  With an average of 10 flights a day surely this is another WA money pit.  Either bring in more flights or shut it down - stop throwing money at it.

•          Porthcawl Bus station - £4million yet minimal buses use it.  Why build it?

•          Barry Bus station - £3million and no buses use it. Why were contracts not agreed with Bus companies BEFORE the project was signed off as any well managed Project would have done

•          Newport Station footbridge - £10million.

•          The mid Wales farm £4.5million with potentially no business case or even need for it according to organisers. 

•          £150million "forgotten about" and therefore returned to Westminster.  Beggars belief as to how this happened!

•          Care Leavers unconditional £1600 monthly payments - £12million EACH year.  Reports from over 30 other countries show minimal positive impacts that these projects had. 

•          Proposals for £1600 monthly payments for illegal immigrants - MILLIONS per year. Why when we have many people such as veterans who get very little and should be supported by the country that they were prepared to sacrifice their lives for.

•          Patagonia Welsh Language support - £1million.  I have absolutely no words for this other than "unbelievable"

•          Over 20 million Trees planted in Uganda with aim to reach 25 million all funded by WA in the guise of "climate change"

And these are just the ones I am aware of, I'm sure there will be many more.

Meanwhile, over £800million of savings are needed with cuts across functions as there is currently a huge deficit in the finances.  Whilst the NHS has been given an extra £400+million they still need to make huge savings to fill their own huge blackhole which is currently stated to be in the region of £800million.   Education is to lose more than £70 million in cuts

There is more provision for NHS Wales from Westminster (£120 for every £100 in England) yet we have the worst performance in UK not to mention the confusion over the recent waiting list figures - either the Royal College of Emergency Medicine is misleading the public or the WA is - who is it? Either way the WA has direct responsibility for Health.

From the published budget on line, over £300million for the operation of the Senedd (wages, buildings, support etc).  That is a HUGE amount of money even if it is a small percentage of the annual total budget.   An extra £125million for Transport.  What results/improvements have we actually seen to date and what will this extra money result in?

Yet the additional 36 Senedd members would mean an additional £14-17 million PER YEAR plus initial set up cost of at least £120million.  Is this necessary when people are being encouraged to work from home.   If this proposal goes through there will be 96 MSs for just over a population of 3 million.  And the WG are NOT responsible for ALL areas of government in Wales.  Apply this logic/formular and Westminster would need approx 2000 MPs.

Wales is on its knees as a DIRECT result of the mismanagement of the Welsh Assembly.  We are being told to us public transport - what public transport?  Bus routes are being cut, TFW is another money pit funded by the WA.  the NHS is a shambles - mismanaged, inefficient, and generally poor.  The road networks are a disgrace - Wales is fast becoming a third world nation as far as travel is concerned.  Holiday taxes combined with poor transport, 20mph rules will directly impact Businesses in Wales and therefore the economy.  Analysists say that over the next few decades this will be to the tune of anything from £4 to £9 BILLION!

Please take this email as my objection to your proposal to waste many more millions of pounds in extending the Senedd especially at a time where the huge amount of money could be used to the benefit of thousands of people across the country.  It would be a disgrace to allow this to happen.

Regards

Alyson Thompson