The number of MSs is increasing from 60 to 96 at this year's election.

The hope is that that having more Members will help will help the Senedd better review and challenge the Welsh government’s plans and give communities a stronger voice.

But critics have previously argued that is is a "vanity project" that is expected to increase the budget by almost £19m.

The increase will mean the number of representatives will fall in line with other countries of a similar size to Wales like Scotland and Northern Ireland.

You can find out more about the expansion here.

Still need help deciding who to vote for?published at 22:18 BST

22:18 BST

We’ve put together a handy guide offering a simple summary of where the main parties stand on the issues most important to voters.

The guide is based on the promises that have been made during the campaign, issues include the cost of living, the economy, NHS & care, the environment, immigration, housing, transport, and democracy.

You can find it here.

Image source, PA Media

Greens promise rent controlspublished at 22:12 BST

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Felicity Evans
Wales money editor

Private sector rents in Wales have increased substantially over the last five years and the Greens’ promise to introduce a rent freeze and subsequent rent controls, which Anthony Slaughter mentioned tonight, is firmly targeted at those who’ve struggled to keep up with those increases.

Landlord’s organisations have warned that the policy could see the supply of good quality rental properties shrink.

Image source, Getty Images

Claim on A&E deathspublished at 22:10 BST

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The leader of Welsh Conservatives Darren Millar earlier claimed: “The Royal College of Emergency Medicine has told us very clearly that a 1,000 people died last year because they waited 12 hours or more in our emergency departments across the country.”

This claim is based on the State of Emergency Medicine in Wales, external report which estimated that there were at least 965 deaths in Wales associated with waits of 12 or more hours in Emergency Departments (ED) for patients in 2025.

However, these figures do not show the actual number of deaths but are an estimate based on a 2022 study, external into the link between long waits in EDs and deaths within 30 days, in the NHS in England.

The study suggested there was one extra death for every 82 patients who spent more than six to eight hours in an ED before being transferred to a hospital bed.

Additionally, where deaths in hospital have been reviewed as part of an inquests in Wales since the beginning of 2025, coroners do not appear to have raised concerns about extended waiting in EDs.

A number of these reports, external have raised concerns about ambulance response times, and handover delays at hospital, but none reviewed by the BBC addressed waits in EDs.

"Given this new system, it’s almost guaranteed we’re not going to see a party with an overall majority", says James Williams as the discussion continues on Walescast.

He says from 8 May onwards, after election day, a debate could continue for weeks as to how to form a new Welsh government.

WalesOnline political editor Ruth Mosalski asks a hypothetical question, “what happens if people go out and vote Reform and they get the most votes but no-one will work with them?”

During the debate Rhun ap Iorwerth did not rule out working with Labour when he was asked, while Eluned Morgan said the only party she would rule out working with was Reform.

Ruth Mosalski, WalesOnline's political editor, says the Welsh Labour leader Eluned Morgan "came out fighting on health" during the debate.

"She's got an awful lot to defend there," she adds.

Morgan was asked about the three pre-election waiting times targets that were missed last week.

But Mosalski says she didn't hear much else from the leader until the discussion turned to the coalition with the Westminster government.

Does UK owe Wales money because of HS2?published at 22:01 BST

22:01 BST

Earlier on, Wales Green party leader Anthony Slaughter talked about the UK’s government funding for Wales and said: "We don't get money from HS2 - we need that money, that’s the money that belongs to Wales."

This claim refers to the call to give Wales money under the so-called "Barnett formula" to reflect the billions of pounds spent on the HS2 high speed rail project.

Under the formula, public spending in England triggers money for Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, but despite not planning any track in Wales, HS2 is classed as an England and Wales project.

The UK government in Westminster says Welsh railways are heavily integrated with railways in England meaning they should be considered as one network. Most rail infrastructure in Wales is the responsibility of the UK government.

When the previous government scrapped the northern leg of HS2 in 2023, it promised to spend £1bn on electrifying the line between Crewe and Holyhead.

In February 2026 the UK government announced a £14bn plan to "transform" Welsh railways.

It allocated £445m for seven new train stations in Wales, but specific funding for other projects is yet to be announced.

Eluned Morgan probably took most of the audience's ire during the first question about the state of the health service, according to BBC Wales money editor Felicity Evans.

She says that when Morgan responded "it's not what's happening now, it's what comes next", it encapsulated how difficult it is for the first minister to defend a 27-year Labour record.

Bethan Lewis
Wales family and education correspondent

Several young people in the audience mentioned student finance.

The issue has been higher on the agenda in recent months because of a controversial decision by the UK government to freeze the threshold for repaying loans for many English graduates.

The Welsh government said they wouldn’t follow suit, but it has prompted wider questions about the costs facing young people.

Welsh graduates’ debt is lower on average than for their English peers but the new Welsh government will have to consider whether the system adequately supports students, whether it is affordable for the taxpayer as well as factoring in the significant financial pressures on universities.

James Williams points out that the majority of the debate centred around Reform and Plaid Cymru.

Appearing on Walescast, he says there "wasn't much on the government's record", despite Labour being in power in Wales for the last 27 years.

"A reflection of the polls and where we are," he adds.

Gareth Lewis, BBC Wales political editor, supports this saying if a person had come to this debate knowing nothing about Welsh politics "you'd get the impression that the two parties at the top are Plaid and Reform".

Variety of 'fixes' for cost of livingpublished at 21:48 BST

21:48 BST

Felicity Evans
Wales money editor

The cost of living crisis is one of the biggest issues in this election and all of the parties are making promises to try to make life more affordable.

Broadly speaking their approach is split between those offering tax cuts and those promising to expand free services that the state can offer.

Reform and the Welsh Conservatives are offering income tax cuts and a cap on council tax bills.

Only the Lib Dems are raising the possibility of an income tax increase to give extra money to social care.

There is a variety of new spending promised for different policies and expanding free childcare has been a common theme for Labour, Plaid, the Greens and the Lib Dems (the Welsh Conservatives also mention this but aren’t specific about the details).

But while some manifestos are more costly than others, presenting different visions for Wales, the IFS said that "no party has fully confronted the fiscal reality facing the next government".

In other words, what’s the trade off to fund these commitments?

Are a third of children in Wales in poverty?published at 21:46 BST

21:46 BST

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said tonight that “we know that being in the UK leaves us with a third of our children living in poverty”.

This is correct. According to the latest Welsh government figures, external, 31% of children in Wales were living in relative income poverty between April 2022 and April 2024.

Relative income poverty is living in a household where the total household income is less than 60% of the median UK household income.

Other sources, such as the , externalBevan Foundation, external, say there has been no change to child poverty rates in Wales over the past two decades, which have remained around 1 in 3 - a third of all children.

'No mention of environmental issues'published at 21:43 BST

21:43 BST

Steffan Messenger
Wales environment correspondent

Barely a mention of environmental issues in tonight's debate.

Environmental psychologists have what they call the "finite pool of worry" hypothesis, which feels relevant to this election campaign.

In the grip of a deepening cost of living crisis, people's capacity for concern over the threats posed by climate change, nature loss and pollution is limited.

The debate on immigration saw passionate arguments in the room tonight, including from this 23-year-old member of the audience.

The post-debate analysis has begun on Walescast.

Gareth Lewis says it was a "feisty" debate with the feistiest exchanges taking place between Plaid Cymru and Reform - the top two parties according to the polls.

He adds that the audience was "really feisty" as well.

"You couldn't tell at times whether they heckling and booing or cheering, and perhaps it was a combination of both," he says.

That's it from the leaders debate here in Cardiff.

Stay with us as we bring you reaction and analysis.

The party leaders have given their final statements.

Rhun ap Iorwerth says "we can't risk handing power to Nigel Farage".

Darren Millar says Plaid does not represent change: "They represent more of the same", he says.

Jane Dodds says Wales is better than the "nasty politics that Reform UK want to import from Donald Trump's America".

Anthony Slaughter says "Wales is crying out for change" and said under the new voting system voting Green will get Greens.

Dan Thomas says Plaid would do a "back-room deal with Labour" and Reform will "unite Wales around our common sense policies".

Eluned Morgan says other parties want you to take a risk. "Welsh Labour have a credible plan," she says.

And with that the debate ends.

Plaid Cymru's Rhun ap Iorwerth says his preference would be to lead a minority government.

"I would explicitly reach out to people to help give stability in order to drive forward a programme of government that would work for the people of Wales.

"I wouldn't work for Reform because they stand in diametric opposition to all the values that I stand for," he says.

Would he rule out working with Labour. "I am here to replace Labour," he says.

Pressed on if he was ruling that out or not, he does not say.

Eluned Morgan then also says "we don't think we've got enough in common to be working with Reform".

She says she won't go further than that until after the election.