GovConnex expands its Wales coverage as the new Senedd’s first budget nears
Senedd committees, Welsh Government consultations and Wales’s public bodies are now tracked in GovConnex, after an election that left no party with a majority.
GovConnex has expanded its coverage of Wales. Alongside the Senedd’s debates, written questions and members’ posts, public affairs teams can now follow its committees and inquiries, Welsh Government consultations and the bodies that deliver Welsh policy, in the same search as Westminster.
It comes as the Seventh Senedd reaches its first full budget. May’s election left Plaid Cymru leading a minority government with 43 of the 96 seats, the first Welsh Government not led by Labour since 1999. Its draft budget for 2027–28 is due on 17 November, and it will need another party’s votes to pass.
Westminster isn’t the whole story
In May the UK Government introduced a bill to bring British Steel into public ownership. Because it reached into devolved areas, it needed the consent of Holyrood and the Senedd, and both used it. The Scottish Government said in June it would refuse consent, then agreed once UK ministers committed to consult Scottish ministers before using the powers in Scotland. The Welsh Government held back its recommendation until it had won a greater role for Welsh ministers in the bill. The Senedd consented by 86 votes to 7 on 14 July, and British Steel was in public ownership two days later.
GovConnex followed the bill through all three parliaments: Holyrood’s vote, the Senedd committee letters in between, and the Commons order paper noting Cardiff’s consent. It isn’t a one-off. Since June the Senedd’s Legislation Committee has considered 15 consent memoranda on Westminster legislation, among them the Railways, Health, and Immigration and Asylum Bills.
“More and more, decisions that shape our customers’ work are made outside Westminster,” said Cooper Darling-Blair, chief executive of GovConnex. “The Senedd sets taxes, makes laws and passes budgets that no single party can carry alone. If you only watch Westminster, you’re missing a part of the picture.”
Wales coverage is live in GovConnex now. To see it, request a demo.
About GovConnex
GovConnex is a political intelligence platform for public affairs and government relations teams, covering the UK Parliament, the Scottish Parliament, the Senedd and the Northern Ireland Assembly, and their governments. Founded in 2019, it has offices in London and Sydney.
Media enquiries: contact (at) govconnex.com
