Local Elections

Part of 1. Questions to the Minister for Finance and Local Government – in the Senedd at 2:09 pm on 17 November 2021.

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Photo of Tom Giffard Tom Giffard Conservative 2:09, 17 November 2021

Can I thank Rhys ab Owen for tabling this important question, and also declare my interest as a serving councillor on Bridgend County Borough Council? I note with interest the Welsh Government plans to pilot new measures such as early voting in certain wards in Bridgend council ahead of next year's local government elections, the justification for which being that this will happen in the wards that had the lowest historical turnouts. However, in Bridgend County Borough Council, the vision doesn't quite match the reality, as I note that Coychurch, which was the ward with the joint highest turnout at the last election in the whole of the county, is one of the areas included in this early voting pilot, which completely contradicts the stated intention. So, is it not therefore apparent, Minister, that these so-called pilots are being introduced not to benefit increased voter participation in these elections, but instead being conducted to enhance the electoral prospects of the Labour Party?