Quick history lesson. Way back in 1997 when The Spice Girls and Oasis ruled the charts, Wales voted to make things spicier in a vote on a single issue - a referendum.
And the subject of this particular vote? Asking for some powers to be handed over from the UK government to Wales. Devolution.
It was very close, but the vote passed - and boom! Wales had its own devolved government. That means that the stuff that the Senedd does is independent of the UK government - it has no say in how Wales spends money in those areas.
Since the 1997 referendum, Wales has picked up more powers and today it runs loads of things that affect everyday life in Wales, like education, the National Health Service and agriculture.
What does the Senedd actually do?
First up: Money.
Most of the Welsh government’s cash comes from the UK government, which they collect through various taxes. So, when someone earns a wage, part of it goes to the government as income tax.
Lots of things like clothes, computers and cars are also taxed. Wales also sets some taxes to raise money itself.
Altogether, it controls an annual budget of over £25 billion. Yes, billion!
That money pays for things like teachers, social housing and the environment — and the Welsh government can make laws in those areas too.
Which area gets LOTS of money? Although I’m sure they’d say it’s not enough!
That would be the NHS. It takes up a whopping 55% of all Welsh government spending. More than half. Gone. Boom!
The Welsh government is run by the party that wins the most seats - that’s Members of the Senedd - in an election. The main person in charge is the first minister of Wales - basically the boss. Right now, that’s Eluned Morgan.
She leads a team of Welsh ministers. Each one is in charge of different things - like health, education and the environment.
So yeah, the Welsh government does a lot - but not everything.
Lots of things are still controlled by the UK government in Westminster.
Stuff like…
Defence - that funds the army, the RAF and the navy. And immigration - controlling who and how many people can come into the UK.
But shouldn’t Wales be able to make those decisions?
Well, some people think Wales should get even more powers. Others think Wales should scrap its own government completely.
Either way, this debate isn’t going away anytime soon - and the relationship between the UK and Welsh governments will be a big talking point during the Senedd elections.
It could get spicy guys!
Description
What the Welsh Parliament does, how it’s run and about the UK government’s powers. Learn about establishing the Senedd and the relationship between Wales and the UK government. Find out more about GCSE Politics (Wales)
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