Who are the Senedd Members (formerly Assembly Members)?
Everyone in Wales is represented by 5 Senedd Members. One member is a representative of the constituency that you live in (which is the same as the constituency for UK General Elections). In addition, Wales is divided into five regions, each of which has four Senedd Members representing the entire region. The regions are:
- North Wales
- Mid and West Wales
- South Wales West
- South Wales Central
- South Wales East
The upcoming elections for the Senedd elections are different from the General Elections which were last held on Thursday 12 December 2019, and which are scheduled again for Thursday 2 May 2024. During the general elections British citizens vote for their representative in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament (Member of Parliament or MP).
How are Members of the Senedd elected?
Every voter has two votes: one for their constituency and one for their region. Constituency candidates are elected on a ‘first past the post’ basis. This means that parties will put forward one candidate to represent the constituency in the Senedd and the candidate who receives the largest number of votes in the constituency will win the seat.
The regional vote or ‘list vote’ works through a form of proportional representation, using a formula that takes into account the regional vote share for each party and the number of seats already won in the constituencies, to calculate the number of top-up seats each party is entitled to. This is explained here: https://www.instituteforgovernment.org.uk/explainers/elections-2021-senedd-cymru
What do the Members of the Senedd do?
The Senedd legislates on matters that are ‘devolved’ to Wales. Such devolved topics include many areas of law and policy that are very relevant to the work of the Landworkers’ Alliance in Wales:
- Agriculture, forestry and fisheries
- Environment
- Education and training
- Health and social services
- Housing
- Local government
- Tourism and economic development
The UK Parliament legislates on topics that are ‘reserved’. These topics such as foreign policy, trade and industry, crown estates and MOD estates, policing and justice, and some matters of taxation, financial and fiscal policy have UK-wide or international impacts. England doesn’t have its own Parliament, so the UK Parliament legislates for all areas for England.
What is the Welsh Government and how does it relate to the Senedd?
The Welsh Government is usually made up of the party that has the majority seats in the Senedd or a coalition of parties that together form a majority. It is led by the First Minister of Wales (currently Mark Drakeford, Welsh Labour Leader), who appoints the Welsh ministers that are responsible for different policy areas.
The Welsh Government normally proposes new laws (known as a ‘Bill’) within the scope of the devolved competences. Bills can, however, also be presented by a Senedd committee or by an individual Senedd Member. In order to become law (or an ‘Act’) the Bill must go through a process including scrutiny, debate and voting. More details here: https://senedd.wales/senedd-business/legislation/guide-to-the-legislative-process/
The Welsh Government is responsible for carrying out the legislation that has been passed by the Senedd. Its work is supported by the Welsh civil service.
What about the Welsh Assembly?
In May 2020, the Welsh Assembly changed its name to Senedd Cymru or Welsh Parliament. This name change reflected the increased powers since the institution was first established in 1999. See here for more information: https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/senedd-cymru-why-has-the-national-assembly-for-wales-changed-its-name/
Who are the candidates for the Senedd election on the 6th of May 2021?
The parties that are standing include:
- The Welsh Labour Party
- The Welsh Conservatives
- Plaid Cymru
- Welsh Liberal Democrats
- Wales Green Party
- Propel
- UKIP
- Reform UK
- Community Party of Britain
- Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party
- Freedom Alliance
- Gwlad
We have summarised the main points from the party manifestos on the production of food, fuel and fibre and land use for you, which can be found here.
Information on other political parties that have put forward candidates in your region can be found here: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/