Contentious plans to create 36 extra politicians in the Welsh Parliament reared their ugly ahead again last week - with Labour and Plaid Cymru backing the out-of-touch project.

Expanding the Welsh Parliament – which forms part of a reform package being pushed forward by Labour and their nationalist chums – will leave taxpayers picking up a bill totally more than £120m.

Yep, you read that right – £120m!

Spending that eye-watering amount of cash on putting extra bums on seats in the Senedd is, as far as I am concerned, an absolute farce.

And based on some of the emails, letters and calls I have been receiving, it appears as though these costly expansion plans have gone down like a lead balloon with my constituents too.

Our NHS is in a dire state thanks to years of Labour mismanagement with nearly 25,000 people waiting more than two years for treatment, and we have the highest numbers of people waiting in A&E for 12 hours when compared to England and Scotland.

Our education system is failing with the number of teachers declining and Wales’ PISA results for reading, maths and science falling to its lowest-ever level.

Our economy is struggling with Wales having extremely poor business survival rates, which probably has something to do with the fact the Welsh Government punishes them with the highest business rates in Great Britain.

Twelve Welsh towns find themselves in a list of the top 20 most economically fragile in the UK, and 28 per cent of children in Wales are living in relative poverty.

The list really does, sadly, go on. And it appears as though the Welsh Government is far too busy navel-gazing to tackle them.

If only Labour ministers put as much effort into fixing our NHS, improving our education system and boosting our economy as they do when it comes to their vanity projects…

Wales needs more dentists, doctors, teachers and nurses – not politicians.

As I have said on numerous occasions, if the Welsh Government is so confident that expanding the Welsh Parliament is something the public wants, then they must hold a referendum.

Let the public have the final say.

As ever, if there is anything I can do to help please do not hesitate to get in touch my emailing Natasha.Asghar@Senedd.Wales or by calling 01633 215138.