Wales has redrawn who can sit in Cardiff Bay. The Senedd Cymru (Disqualification) Order 2025 refreshes the list of jobs that bar holders from becoming Members of the Senedd. The instrument was made on 12 November and came into force on 13 November 2025, and is listed as SI 2025/1183 on legislation.gov.uk.

For voters and would‑be candidates, the point is straightforward: hold one of the listed offices and you cannot take up a Senedd seat, though you may still stand for election. That approach is restated in the Welsh Government’s own consultation material.

Timing matters. The new rules only bite for elections with a polling day on or after 6 April 2026, setting the ground rules for the next Senedd contest. The 2020 Disqualification Order is revoked, but it continues to apply to any poll held before that date, as noted by the Senedd’s Legislation, Justice and Constitution Committee.

What kinds of roles are caught? The Schedule sweeps up positions where independence is expected or where appointees are closely tied to government. Examples include BBC Board members, Ofcom board members, the British Transport Police Authority, Transport for Wales directors, Natural Resources Wales board members, Police and Crime Commissioners and their Deputies, National Park Authority members, the Pensions Regulator, the Statistics Board and the Student Loans Company’s Chair and Chief Executive.

Ministers say this is about clean lines rather than broad bans. As Cabinet Secretary Jayne Bryant told Members, the measure is there “to protect certain public offices from political bias and [to] uphold the independence of the electoral process.”

Why it matters up here. Plenty of Northerners serve on UK‑wide regulators and boards named in the Order. If your day job sits on one of those bodies and you’re eyeing a Senedd run-perhaps because your work straddles North Wales and the North West-you can submit nomination papers, but you would need to vacate the role before taking your seat if elected.

For professionals and civic leaders, the practical checklist is simple: first, see whether your board, tribunal or paid local‑authority role is named in the new Schedule; second, cross‑check section 16 and Schedule 1A of the Government of Wales Act 2006, which list other disqualifications beyond this Order. The committee papers spell this out, and the consultation sets out an illustrative list.

Politically restricted posts in Welsh local government remain off‑limits for MSs, while front‑line staff in bodies such as National Park Authorities or Welsh Government‑sponsored bodies aren’t automatically disqualified unless they hold a politically restricted post; ministers say such staff would step down if elected. That continues prior practice.

The bottom line: this is pre‑election housekeeping, not a power grab. It updates, rather than widens, who cannot sit in the Welsh Parliament-and it does so in time for polls held on or after 6 April 2026.