Jayne Bryant MS, Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government
Preparations for the Senedd election
The Welsh Government has ensured legislation and financial arrangements are in place to support the effective delivery of the Senedd election.
The Welsh Government is working closely with the Electoral Commission and other partners to prepare for the elections in May. Our Electoral Management Board is supporting Returning Officers and their teams, including police involvement in security planning.
Candidate Safety
The Electoral Commission has recently shared updated candidate safety guidance with political parties in Wales and further guidance is available on the UK Government website.
The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) also offers cyber security advice to candidates and political parties about protecting accounts, devices, and websites.
I would encourage all political parties and candidates to take up any offer of security briefings from the Police and the NCSC.
Harassment, intimidation, abuse and violence towards candidates has no place in our democracy and the Welsh Government has been supporting the Jo Cox Civility Commission’s work to address intimidation and abuse in politics. It recently published ‘A Renewed Call to Action’ which makes recommendations for devolved governments, elected representatives and candidates.
Through recent legislation, we have strengthened the offence of undue influence at Welsh elections and exempted security-related expenses from campaign spending limits for Senedd elections and local elections.
Through the pilot Candidate Diversity Grant, the Welsh Government is funding Shout Out UK to co-design a Candidate Resilience Guide to address abuse and intimidation. This will be available by the close of nominations.
Elections Security
We are working closely with the UK Government, the Electoral Commission and other partners on election security planning, including through the Defending Democracy Taskforce. I welcome the recent extension of police protection via Operation Ford to all Senedd Members and candidates.
Chief Constables are engaging with local authority chief executives across Wales to monitor and manage potential community tensions and prepare for the safe delivery of elections.
Officials are establishing enhanced resilience planning structures within the Welsh Government to ensure robust coordination with UK partners to safeguard the integrity of the Senedd election.
Mis/Disinformation
We are ensuring access to reliable and accessible information about elections in Wales through the new Elections Information Platform, delivered by the Electoral Management Board. Information is also available on the Ofcom website.
The most harmful content should be reported.
Shout Out UK has a range of resources available to help tackle mis and disinformation:
Our Democratic Engagement Grant awarded funding to Shout Out UK to deliver a Media Literacy training programme directly to young people in 3 schools in Wales.
The Welsh Government has developed a stakeholder misinformation toolkit which aims to help community leaders support people to consider whether information is inaccurate or intended to cause harm, and what can be done to mitigate this.
The Welsh Government has also developed a practical guide on ‘Protecting Your Organisation from Hate and Harassment’ for community and voluntary sector groups. The guide aims to help organisations to minimise exposure and vulnerability to harassment, prepare for incidents, tailor their communication approaches, and find help.
Both the toolkit and practice guide can be requested from cohesion@gov.wales.