Review of Members’ pay and support for the final year of this Senedd
Proposals to adjust Members’ pay, as well as the support available when they leave the Senedd is open to consultation.
As part of the annual review of provisions available to Members of the Senedd, the Independent Remuneration Board of the Senedd is seeking views on proposals which will come into effect in April 2025.
The consultation includes a proposal to remove the 3% cap on Members’ pay in 2025/26, instead linking it to the average pay increases in Wales at 6%. This is after a period when Members’ pay was either frozen or increased at less than the Wales average, and it also brings the Senedd in line with pay increases at other UK legislatures in recent years.
Additionally, the Board proposes changing the payments for Members who stand down or who stand and not re-elected at the next election. This will become similar to the approach in the UK Parliament, as former Members are required to spend time closing down their offices.
Dr Elizabeth Haywood is the Chair of the Independent Remuneration Board of the Senedd. She says:
“This consultation focuses on proposed changes for the Determination for 2025/26, considering changing circumstances and inflationary pressures.
“The Board’s review focused on its core objectives and principles to ensure Members are remunerated fairly and provided with sufficient resources to support them in their duties, whilst ensuring that decisions are appropriate within the wider financial circumstances of Wales and represent value for money.
“The latest average earnings figure for 2023/24 (ASHE Wales), published in November, has confirmed a three-year period of unexpected and consistent growth in average salaries, with increases to ASHE of 7.3%, 5.7% and 6% during 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 respectively. Retaining the 3% cap on Members’ pay, which has been in place since 2021, would contradict this principle and the Board therefore proposes an increase of 6% in line with the latest ASHE figures for Wales.
“The Board has also reviewed the support provided for Members leaving the Senedd, drawing on international evidence and the approaches of other UK legislatures. We look forward to hearing people’s views on these proposals to help shape a fair final offer.”
More information about the Remuneration Board’s consultation and how to submit a response is available on the website. The deadline for submitting responses is 17:00 Wednesday 19 February 2025.