Senedd 'could run out of money' to pay politicians

THE Senedd could face a £22m funding gap and run out of money to pay staff, politicians and contractors by January 2027, the Welsh Parliament's speaker has revealed.

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Elin Jones, the presiding officer or Llywydd, warned of dire knock-on effects for the Senedd of a failure to agree the Welsh Government's 2026-27 budget.

Labour lacks a majority and needs opposition support to pass its spending plans. If the deadlock is not broken, the Senedd - like the government - would be forced to operate on 75%, and subsequently 95%, of this year's budget in the next financial year from April.

Ms Jones said such a scenario would present a significant financial challenge, resulting in the Senedd effectively running out of cash after only nine months in January 2027.