7. 6. Statement: Local Government Reform

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:13 pm on 18 July 2017.

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Photo of Neil McEvoy Neil McEvoy Plaid Cymru 5:13, 18 July 2017

Some observations, really. I think there’s an issue with postal voting, especially for disabled people and elderly people whose signature doesn’t always correspond and they’ve found that their votes have been discounted in recent elections. I think if we’re all honest here, as well, then we all know that there is also an issue with postal voting and the integrity of the process. I have concerns of going down the road of postal voting more, because I actually think that postal voting should be restricted. There should be a reason why you have a postal vote, because the process is abused, and we all know this.

We do need to encourage people to vote, and I think the idea of supermarkets and other places like that is a very, very good idea. Again, back to the integrity of the process, there was an example in 2016 in the Assembly election in the Cardiff West constituency where somebody went to vote at 08:30, and they’d been told they had already voted. The individual gave the person a description of the person who had been there at 07:30 and voted in his name. Now, I think there’s certainly an argument for, maybe, identification when voting, because the process at the minute is far too easy to abuse, I would say, to use the same phrase again.

I’d like to see local referenda given some teeth. Again, we had a local referendum where I live, where 99.9 per cent of people voted in a certain way, and they just were not listened to, and thousands of people voted, as well.

I’ve got to touch on the dual mandate. I assume it applies to the House of Lords as well. Maybe you can clarify that. [Interruption.] I certainly would not, but there are some colleagues here who have a dual mandate there. More than anything else, it’s a matter of democratic principle. I was elected as a councillor, and recently re-elected. Everybody knew I was an Assembly Member. What gives you the right as an individual, as a Minister, to say to people they can’t vote for me or anybody else to be their councillor? In terms of the allowances, yes, I’m happily donating my allowances, 50 per cent to the community and 50 per cent to Plaid Cymru. But the issue is one of democracy. Who are you, Minister, or Cabinet Secretary, to tell people they haven’t got the right to vote for people? It’s not right.