Decision details

Debates are one of the most frequent items of business on the Plenary agenda. Many types of debate are brought forward in Plenary, including:

• Opposition party debates on a topic of their choice;

Other than in the case of Government debates, the time allocated for all other types of debates and their frequency are determined by the Business Committee

The item started at 15.36

Voting on the motion and amendments under this item was deferred until Voting Time.

A vote was taken on the motion without amendment:

NDM5976 Paul Davies (Preseli Pembrokeshire)

To propose that the National Assembly for Wales:

1. Recognises the importance of empowering individuals and community groups to tackle issues of local significance;

2. Welcomes the campaign to trigger a referendum for the introduction of a directly elected mayor for Cardiff and notes the role that a similar position could play across Wales in enhancing local democracy, accountability and decision-making;

3. Calls on the Welsh Government to take steps to foster a nation of active, informed, involved and engaged citizens by:

(a) introducing referenda on proposed council mergers and local authority council tax rises above a certain threshold so that individuals have more of a say over decision-making in their area;

(b) introducing new powers to better involve individuals in key local resolutions, such as the community right to bid and the community right to challenge, all under a community rights agenda; and

(c) lowering the petition threshold to trigger a referendum on directly elected mayors in a locality.

The motion without amendment was not agreed.

The following amendments were tabled:

Amendment 1 - Elin Jones (Ceredigion):

Delete points 2 and 3 and replace with:

Believes that Plaid Cymru's proposals for local engagement, set out in the public services reform paper, provide a positive basis to achieve the aim of empowering individuals in the next Assembly.

A vote was taken on Amendment 1:

Amendment 1 was not agreed.

Amendment 2 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Delete point 2.

A vote was taken on Amendment 2:

Amendment 2 was not agreed.

Amendment 3 - Aled Roberts (North Wales)

Delete point 3(a) and insert:

introducing STV for local government elections in order to ensure that councillors are more accountable to their constituents.

A vote was taken on Amendment 3:

Amendment 3 was not agreed.

As the Assembly did not agree the motion without amendment, and did not agree the amendments tabled to the motion, the motion was therefore not agreed.