5. Member Debate under Standing Order 11.21(iv): Local Government elections

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 3:35 pm on 16 February 2022.

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Photo of Rhys ab Owen Rhys ab Owen Plaid Cymru 3:35, 16 February 2022

One more example from the 2017 local elections: in the Whitchurch and Tongwynlais ward in the north of Cardiff, the Conservative Party won all four seats, even though 60 per cent of the voters did not vote Conservative. One hundred per cent of the seats, only 40 per cent of the vote; 4,092 votes in that one ward were wasted. This should not be about party politics, this should not be about gaining power; it should be about fairness. If we call ourselves democrats, we should want the vast majority of ballot papers to really count. A proportional system is the only way of achieving this. It allows for the flourishing of plurality, plurality of choice, plurality of votes and a plurality of outcomes.