The Bishop of St Asaph has used his St David’s Day letter to clergy to question the Welsh Government’s Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill.

The Rt Revd Gregory Cameron says one aspect of the bill in particular “rings alarm bells for me” believing it to be “bad news” for “democracy and accountability”.

Bishop Gregory is concerned that the bill, if passed, will mean that people will no longer be voting for an individual to represent them in their constituency. Instead, they will be voting for a party, and it is the party who will select who represents each constituency.

In his Ad Clerum, issued on Friday (1 March), St David’s Day, Bishop Gregory wrote: “This is bad news as it severs the link between local representation and individual Senedd member’s performance. An individual who maybe loathed by the electorate can still be elected because they are loved by the party.

“This represents a huge shift of power away from the people and towards the politicians, since it is the politicians that will decide the personalities who get to work in our parliament, and no longer the people.”

The Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill is currently in its Second Stage and is due to be debated in the Senedd next week (w/c 4 March). If the bill is passed, the elections in 2026 will be held according to this new system.

Bishop Gregory added: “We should be able to eye-ball our politicians and decide whether we trust an individual and not a party. It’s perfectly acceptable for an individual to be chosen by a party and put forward as their candidate, but they know – for now – that they have to choose someone who can win the support of their constituency, and not some faceless party favourite.”

Every month, the Bishop of St Asaph issues a letter to clergy, known as an Ad Clerum, which is published on the diocesan website (https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/) and shared on social media platforms. The Ad Clerum contains news and information about forthcoming services and events as well as links to useful resources.

You can read the full text of Bishop’s Gregory’s concern over the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill at https://dioceseofstasaph.org.uk/bishopgregory/ad-clerums/ Previous editions of the Ad Clerum are also available via this link.

Bishop Gregory has been Bishop of St Asaph since 2009. He has served as lead bishop on education, on doctrine and church liturgy and on ecumenism and interfaith relations.  He has also worked closely with other organisations to support inclusion for homeless people and refugees. In 2016 he established the UK’s first LGBTQIA Chaplaincy. He has served as Chair of the Commission of the Welsh Covenanted Churches, and is a trustee of Cytûn, Churches Together in Wales.

He has written and illustrated a number of books including An Advent Book of Days in 2021, and An Easter Book of Days in 2022, which were published in the UK and US.

The Diocese of St Asaph is one of the six dioceses of the Church in Wales, an autonomous Province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.