THE Welsh Government has set out the criteria it will use before deciding whether to postpone the Senedd elections in May.

The election will take place in the shadow of the pandemic, but indicators are showing cases are falling every week across Wales, and the vaccination programme is progressing. Last month MSs approved a bill which would allow the election to be delayed for up to six months.

In setting out the decision-making process, local government minister Julie James MS said it is the government’s “firm intention to proceed” with the election on May 6, but a postponement “would be used as a last resort if the public health situation required it”.

In a statement on Friday afternoon, she said: “We are supporting returning officers and electoral administrators to take action to mitigate risks associated with running the election during the pandemic.

“Social distancing and hygiene measures will be in place at polling stations and counting venues, and voters will be encouraged to consider postal and proxy voting.

"Emergency proxy votes will be available to those who need to self-isolate close to polling day.

"The Welsh Elections (Coronavirus) Bill makes provision to respond to the potential risks to the election arising from the coronavirus pandemic with the objective of ensuring the election can be administered and proceed safely and that the electorate can participate and vote, or, in extremis, that the election can be postponed if necessary."

The Welsh Government will use the following criteria when coming to a decision on whether the postponement of the election is necessary.

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Public health situation

The prevalence of the virus and the capacity of the NHS to deal with it will be fundamental to any decision to postpone the election.

Key indicators:

  • Confirmed case rates;
  • Hospital capacity;
  • Feedback from local health professionals (including incident management teams or outbreak control teams);
  • Feedback from local authority leaders and other local partners;
  • Rates of change in the Alert Level Indicators;
  • The progress of the vaccination programme;
  • Incidence of variants of concern;

Status of preparations for the election

Key indicators:

  • Advice from the Welsh Government’s Chief Medical Officer regarding the impact of the current spread of the virus on the safe running of the poll;
  • Feedback from Returning Officers, the Electoral Commission and other stakeholders on the impact of the pandemic on the logistics of running the election, for example relating to the availability of staff and venues or capacity to process absent votes;
  • The timing of the Police and Crime Commissioner elections.

The minister said the criteria is “not an exhaustive list and the Welsh Government will also take into account any other relevant factors that are applicable at the time a decision is required”.