The Independent Remuneration Board of the Senedd has launched the
first phase of a major consultation exercise, seeking views on
the resources available to Members of the Senedd and their staff.
The proposals form part of the Board's review of its
Determination for the next Senedd as the parliament prepares for
the biggest change since devolution – becoming a parliament of 96
Members, with greater power to hold Welsh Government to account,
develop new laws and better represent the people of Wales.
This phase of the consultation focuses on:
- overnight accommodation
- constituency offices and engagement; and
- support for Senedd groups.
The next election in May 2026 will also see the introduction of
revised constituency boundaries under a new election system,
where six Members will represent each of 16 new
constituencies.
This will require significant changes to the Determination and
for the Board to decide on the appropriate support for Members to
enable them to do their jobs effectively whilst also ensuring
value for money for the people of Wales.
The Board's work is shaped by its statutory duties and its core
principles, which include ensuring Members receive the support
they need to reflect the complexity and importance of their
roles, and that people are not deterred, on financial grounds,
from seeking election to the Senedd.
Dr Elizabeth Haywood is the Chair of the Independent
Remuneration Board of the Senedd:
“The next Senedd will look and feel very different to the current
and all previous Senedd terms and present the biggest change
since devolution.
“Within this context, the Board will need to decide on the
appropriate provisions and support for Members to enable them to
do their jobs effectively - representing their constituents,
making laws and holding the Welsh Government to account - whilst
always ensuring value for money for the people of Wales. We
are carrying out an in-depth review, re-assessing the purpose of
every aspect of financial support available to Members, from
office costs and staff budgets to pay.”
This is the first of a two-part consultation in preparation for
the next Senedd, with a second on Members' salaries and staffing
budgets to follow in spring 2025.
The first consultation opens on Friday 25 October, and will close
at 17:00 Friday 6 December, 2024. Information about the proposals
and how to submit views is available on the Independent
Remuneration Board's website.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
The Independent Remuneration Board of the Senedd – the
independent body which makes decisions on Members' pay and the
resources available to them to do their job effectively – is
seeking views on proposed changes to the provisions and support
which will be available to Members in the next Senedd, after the
election in May 2026.
This first phase of the consultation will focus on:
- Overnight accommodation: provision for overnight stays away
from their main home in order to attend business in the Senedd
and carry out their duties ac elected representatives.
- Constituency offices and engagement: reimbursement for
reasonable costs for running of an office and engaging with
people in their constituency.
- Support for Senedd groups: resource to support political
groups' effective scrutiny of the government.
The Consultation is available on the Remuneration Board website
The Board is an independent body responsible for ensuring Members
of the Senedd have the appropriate remuneration and resources
available to them to undertake their role. This includes setting
the salaries of Members as well as their other support such as
staffing and office costs.
The Board's work is underpinned by a set of clearly defined
principles:
- financial support and remuneration for Members should support
the strategic purpose of the Senedd and facilitate the work of
its Members;
- decisions must be appropriate within the context of Welsh
earnings and the wider financial circumstances of Wales;
- the system of financial support for Members must be robust,
clear, transparent, sustainable, inclusive, and represent value
for money for the taxpayer.
