Welsh Parliament expansion means £19m budget increase

A newly-expanded Senedd will need a budget increase of almost £19m next year, according to the body responsible for the institution’s day-to-day running.

The number of Members of the Senedd (MSs) is increasing from 60 to 96 at May’s election.

The Senedd Commission’s spending plans for 2026-27 include £12.7m to cover the salaries and costs associated with the extra 36 MSs and their staff, contributing to a 21% total rise from £83.8m in 2025-26 to £102.7m in 2026-27.

The plans will now be scrutinised by the Senedd’s finance committee.

The proposals published on Thursday come after the Senedd’s Presiding Officer Elin Jones told MSs on Wednesday that the cost of adapting the Senedd debating chamber so it can accommodate the extra politicians had increased by 30%.

A Freedom of Information response published in May estimated it would cost £3.25m, but Jones told the Senedd the cost to the taxpayer was now set to be £4.22m.

“This cost will be fully funded from the Senedd reform budget for this current year,” she said.

The Senedd Commission is responsible for the day-to-day running of the Welsh Parliament, including maintaining politicians’ offices in Cardiff Bay and the Senedd building itself, where MSs hold debates.

It also pays the salaries of MSs and their staff, as well as any additional allowances.

Its funding comes from the UK government via the Welsh Consolidated Fund, which is where the Welsh government also gets most of its money.

The draft budget sets aside £33.9m to cover the salaries and costs of MSs and their staff.

This includes an assumed 5% pay rise for MSs which would take a backbench politician’s basic annual salary to £80,199.

An additional £4.5m is budgeted to pay for costs linked to the election itself.

The commission says this money will cover winding up costs for MSs who are either standing down in May or are not re-elected, as well as redundancy payments for support staff.

It will also pay for equipment for new MSs and a campaign to boost public awareness of the expanded Senedd.

The budget plans include £3.1m for the Bay 32 project which will determine where MSs and Senedd staff have their offices when the lease on the current building expires in 2032.

Options under consideration include buying or extending the lease on the existing offices and constructing a new building.

The commission said the “preferred solution will be the solution that best meets the requirements of the commission and offers the best value for money for the taxpayer”.

A decision is expected in early 2026.

A commission official said: “The draft budget laid today will now follow the usual process of being considered and challenged by the Senedd’s finance committee before a final budget is laid in November.”

Much of the work preparing the draft budget was done by Labour MS Hefin David in his role as the commissioner for finance.

Following his sudden death in August, the draft budget document described him as “engaged, supportive and passionate” about the work of the commission.