Welsh Government proposes new election spending limits ahead of 2026 Senedd vote

The Welsh Government has announced proposals for new campaign spending limits for the 2026 Senedd election, reflecting significant changes to Wales’s electoral system.

Jayne Bryant MS, the Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government, updated the Senedd on the new arrangements.

The current limits, designed for a system combining single-member constituencies and multi-member regions, are now considered unsuitable following electoral reforms.

The new limit has been set following ‘engagement’ by the Electoral Commission and consultations on both the draft Senedd Cymru (Representation of the People) Order and election campaign expenditure limits for political parties at Senedd elections.

Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government said, “As part of the work to prepare for the Senedd election next year, new campaign expenditure limits must be set. The change to the electoral system means that the existing limits are unsuitable as they are set up for both multi-member regions and single-seat constituencies.

“The limit for individual candidates will be set in the forthcoming “Conduct Order”, which establishes the rules for the conduct of Senedd elections. That limit must be on the recommendation of the Electoral Commission, which has now been received. In line with that recommendation, the proposal in the Conduct Order, which will be laid after Easter recess, is for a limit of £52,500. This is the same level as the proposed limit for a party list of one candidate, ensuring parity.

“Limits for registered parties are set in the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, and draft regulations to revise those limits will be laid before the Senedd in Summer term. These regulations can only be made with the consent of the Electoral Commission, and though formal consent cannot be requested until the draft regulations are complete, in-principle consent has been received on the basis of the following limits:

“For a party list of one candidate, the limit proposed is £52,500. This is then proposed to increase by £3,500 for every additional candidate on the list, up to a maximum of £70,000 for a list of six or more. This provides a similar maximum limit to the current system for a party and its candidates standing in every constituency.

The changes are part of the preparations for the first Senedd election under a reformed electoral system, due to take place in 2026.

In 2022, the Senedd approved major reforms to its structure and voting method, moving towards a fully proportional electoral system with larger constituencies and multiple members elected in each one — a shift from the mixed system introduced when the Senedd (then called the National Assembly for Wales) was established in 1999.