Cemlyn DaviesWales political correspondent
BBC
An extra row of desks has been added to the Senedd chamber to accommodate the increased number of Members of the Senedd (MSs)
As the people of Wales bring in the new year, their parliament edges closer to what’s been described as a “once in century change”.
The Senedd election in May will be very different to any previous contest, with the number of politicians elected to Cardiff Bay increasing from 60 to 96.
The constituencies and voting system are changing too.
And with polls suggesting the election could also bring a political shake-up, with Labour’s dominance under threat from Plaid Cymru and Reform, 2026 promises to be the most significant year in the Senedd’s history.
While politics watchers and the media will be across all the planned changes, making sure voters are aware will be a “big challenge”, according to election campaigners.
“There’s a lot of change coming this way,” said Jess Blair from Electoral Reform Society Cymru.
“It’s hard enough to communicate one change…let alone all these changes. But I think the message to voters is register to vote and turn out on 7 May.”
Alice Cockrell said she hadn’t heard of the upcoming changes to May’s election
Getting the message out has historically been a tough ask.
Fewer than 50% of voters have cast their ballot in each of the Assembly or Senedd elections so far, with suggestions low turnout has possibly been down to a lack of clarity and media coverage.
On St Mary Street in Cardiff it was clear that many voters weren’t aware of the changes.
“I haven’t got a clue about none of it,” said one young mother pushing a pram, before adding that she’d like to see more information.
Alice Cockrell said she was aware that the constituencies were changing, but not the voting system or the number of MSs.
“I read a lot of news on my phone and on TV and stuff and I’ve not heard of these changes,” she said.
“There should be more information for people,” said Jonathan Harris. “We don’t know nothing about it.”
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Labour has been the biggest party in the Welsh Parliament – previously known as the National Assembly for Wales – since it was established in 1999
Yvonne Murphy, founder of The Democracy Box – an educational resource aimed at improving political understanding – said more must be done to help voters.
“Every time an election comes up we have this frenzy of ‘we must get people to the polls and we must register people to vote’, but why would you want to partake in something that you don’t understand?
“It’s like sitting down at Christmas and asking someone to play a game of Monopoly without explaining the rules.”
Work is continuing to prepare the parliamentary estate for the additional Members of the Senedd (MSs) who will be elected this year.
The debating chamber is being renovated to include 36 more desks and upgraded technology, at an estimated cost of £4.2m to the taxpayer.
The expansion was a policy backed by Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Liberal Democrats, with the aim of ensuring the Senedd is better equipped to deal with the extra powers it has gained over the years.
However, critics including the Welsh Conservatives argue that increasing the number of politicians is a waste of taxpayers’ money.
The election will also see the number of constituencies cut from 40 to 16, with each one represented by six MSs all elected via a new proportional system.
These will be the most significant reforms to the Senedd since devolution began in 1999.
In fact, according to the Senedd’s presiding officer Elin Jones, the institution “is about to about to embark on not a once in a generation change but a once in a century change for our Senedd here in Wales”.
“It’s the opportunity to do the work of a Senedd properly and Wales deserves no less than that,” she added as the sound of construction work echoed around us.
AP
Elin Jones’s time as Llywydd – the Senedd’s presiding officer – will come to an end after the election
As well as keeping order in the Senedd, Jones is also chiefly responsible for ensuring the changes are implemented.
She would be forgiven for feeling a degree of nervousness as the deadline approaches, however, she insisted that she only felt “excitement at the prospect of Wales finally getting the chance to elect a parliament that is fully, effectively able to fulfil the functions of a parliament”.
Jones acknowledged that the reforms represent a big change for the public and said politicians and the Senedd itself had a “responsibility” to voters to explain what is happening.
The election itself will determine who governs Wales.
Labour’s struggles in the latest polls mean there is “a degree of jeopardy… that we haven’t seen in Wales for a time,” Jones added.
“That, I hope, will enthuse the people of Wales to engage and to use their vote.”
