Summary

  1. The key moments from tonightpublished at 22:17 BST 15 April

    Nick Servini talking to the audience

    Tonight we've heard from the leaders of Welsh Labour, Reform UK, and the Wales Green Party as they were quizzed by voters.

    • Eluned Morgan clapped back at the suggestion that Labour has run out of chances to reduce the pressure on on the NHS. She says her party is ready to take "accountability and responsibility".
    • Dan Thomas insisted that he is "captain of the Reform ship" here in Wales and that he would stand up to Nigel Farage. He also said his party would scrap Natural Resources Wales saying that it should be "absorbed into government".
    • Anthony Slaughter says rent prices "cannot go on as they are" and that the party would freeze rent for a year if they came to power. He says young people have the power to "shape the world" at this election.

    We're ending tonight's live coverage shortly but you can read more about tonight's event here.

    And catch the latest Walescast podcast recorded live after tonight's leaders debate here.

  2. Wales' big six party leaders have their saypublished at 22:03 BST 15 April

    This was the second of two linked events ahead of the Senedd election.

    Last week we heard from the leaders of the Welsh Conservatives, Welsh Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru.

    You can can watch that debate on BBC iPlayer here.

  3. A revealing hour and a halfpublished at 22:01 BST 15 April

    David Deans
    Wales politics reporter

    Eluned Morgan was keen to burnish Welsh Labour's achievements as they see them - better trains, free prescriptions and a bypass around Caernarfon.

    But in saying that the north Wales health board Betsi Cadwaladr is "not a pretty sight" underlined a major problem for Labour in this part of the world - how can ministers argue that change is risky when they have been in charge for so long, and admit themselves services are not the best?

    Dan Thomas attempted to head off the criticism that he is here to do Nigel Farage's bidding - making the case that he is his own man and would be willing to stand up to the Reform UK leader who appointed him.

    He tried to argue that he could find the cash to fix the NHS - that the money existed in the budget but was not being spent in the right places, or that the leadership wasn't great. But he admitted he could not perform miracles to fix the health service overnight.

    Meanwhile, Anthony Slaughter was forced to defend the party's stance on nuclear energy to an audience question asking why the party would turn down the jobs offered by the plans for Wylfa, on Anglesey. He hammered the party's priorities on rental controls - something perhaps more aimed at the south Wales rather than the north.

    His most engagement with his audience was on gender and transgender issues, when he said he wanted a youth gender service and that vulnerable people were being "turned into political footballs".

  4. What does an MS do?published at 21:50 BST 15 April

    Media caption,

    A BBC Bitesize summary of what a Member of the Senedd does

  5. A simple guide to constituencies and candidatespublished at 21:47 BST 15 April

    How we vote in Wales is changing for the Senedd election on 7 May.

    Wales now has 16 constituencies, which have each been given a new Welsh-only name.

    People aged 16 and over will be asked to vote for one party in their constituency, and from those votes six Members of the Senedd will be elected in each area to represent it.

    So what are the new constituencies and what are the different issues they face?

    Click here to find out more and swipe through our constituency cards.

    Outside of the SeneddImage source, Reut
  6. Analysis

    Ripping up nursing agency model not easypublished at 21:42 BST 15 April

    Jenny Rees
    Wales health correspondent

    Agency nursing was an issue mentioned several times by Dan Thomas of Reform.

    He said if those staff were brought in as bank staff, then eventually as staff, around £170m could be saved.

    This was a hot topic during the nurses strikes a few years ago, when the Labour government made plans to tackle that spend.

    The difficulty is that to a certain extent, that horse has bolted.

    Agency work offers greater flexibility for so many - to pick and choose the hours that suit their own needs.

    Ripping up that model is not as easy as it might seem.

  7. Analysis

    Energy prices a concern for audiencepublished at 21:35 BST 15 April

    Felicity Evans
    Wales money editor

    First Minister Eluned Morgan knows the cost of living is at the top of many voters list of concerns, and her party has made tackling it one of their key pledges.

    Some members of the audience tonight were particularly concerned about energy prices.

    The next Welsh government doesn't have direct control over energy costs and an increase for most households from July looks baked in given the effects of the war in Iran.

    But Morgan talked about supporting renewable energy to help make Wales [and the rest of the Britain presumably] less reliant on imports that can be so affected by international events, but this is a long term ambition rather than something that can be achieved in the short term.

    She also referred to the development of small modular reactors at Wylfa, which she said would also boost the local economy with high skilled jobs.

    But again, Wylfa is a longer-term project.

  8. Event finishespublished at 21:33 BST 15 April

    Each leader has now had their say, and the Ask the Leader programme is brought to a close.

    Stay with us we bring you more reaction to what's been said tonight.

  9. Senedd election will 'shape the world'published at 21:31 BST 15 April

    Danielle Morse

    The final question of the night comes from Danielle Morse who is a digital inclusion advocate.

    She asks Slaughter how the party's can engage young people in politics.

    He responds saying the party's policies on cost of living and public transport will benefit young people.

    Slaughter says young voters have resonated with the message of "hope" offered by the Greens.

    He adds that young people have the opportunity to "shape the world" in this Senedd election.

    And with that Slaughter is thanked and leaves the stage.

  10. 'Vulnerable people turned into political footballs' on genderpublished at 21:28 BST 15 April

    An audience member demands to know Slaugter's support for single sex spaces - he is accused of not wanting to follow the supreme court ruling on the legal definition of a woman.

    Slaughter says they want to see "a youth gender service" and NHS Wales "write their own advice".

    "There is some dispute about the equalities act at moment," he claims.

    "What matters to me the most is human beings, people. And I hate the fact that people's lives are being turned into a culture war.

    "Young vulnerable people are being turned into political footballs by bad faith actors."

  11. Analysis

    Rent control warningspublished at 21:25 BST 15 April

    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 is firmly targeted at those who've struggled to keep up with those increases.

    But landlord's organisations have warned that the policy could see the supply of good quality rental properties shrink.

  12. Rent hikes 'cannot carry on'published at 21:24 BST 15 April

    Slaughter says rent prices "cannot carry on as they are", highlighting people he has met who are in their 30s who are unable to even afford to rent.

    He says the party are calling for a rent freeze for one year to give people some "breathing space".

    "Then we've got time to look a the data and learn from that. This is a long term plan."

  13. Green help 'not cost free'published at 21:23 BST 15 April

    Slaughter says any Green help to other parties in the Senedd would not "come cost free".

    He says: "There are things I've stressed over and over again in this campaign what matters to us... rent freezes and rent caps, cutting people's bills, cleaning up our rivers and the climate and nature emergency isn't going away any time soon."

    "We're very clear about what matters to us, and those are non-negotiable," Slaughter adds.

  14. Greens won't work with Reformpublished at 21:21 BST 15 April

    The third question to Slaughter is from Clive Hurren, 73, from Conwy, retired school advisor.

    "Is there any party you might agree to work with after the election, and what would be your bottom-line demands,” he asked.

    He says he would not work with Reform or the Tories, although he says that "moot" given there may not be many Tories.

    Anthony Slaughter
  15. Analysis

    Little risk in Greens opposing Wylfa?published at 21:19 BST 15 April

    Gareth Lewis
    Wales political editor

    Anthony Slaughter promises the audience "no flannel" on his party's opposition to the planned new small modular nuclear reactors planned for Wylfa on Anglesey.

    Is there little political risk in doing that for him?

    It is not where the party has told us they would be targeting seats.

    Under Wales's new proportional system parties need to gain roughly 12% of the vote in any given constituency to win one of the six available seats there.

  16. Social homespublished at 21:18 BST 15 April

    Wouldn't you make it as easy as possible to build more homes if you were a cost of living party, rather than regulating retrofitting homes, Slaughter is asked.

    He says they know the value of social housing which is why they are committed to building 60,000 new social homes, he says.

  17. 'Energy markets rigged'published at 21:16 BST 15 April

    Asked that people need to be brought with them on renewables, Slaughter says wind is the "cheapest form" of energy.

    "We have to fix the energy markets. The energy markets are rigged."

    He says the Greens would retrofit people homes to reduce bills.

  18. Analysis

    Greens have biggest spending commitmentspublished at 21:13 BST 15 April

    Felicity Evans
    Wales money editor

    Anthony Slaughter has accepted that the Greens’ manifesto is not fully costed, but he rejects the idea that it is an outlier compared to the other main parties.

    His manifesto has by far the biggest spending commitments of the six parties, and the Institute for Fiscal Studies' verdict was that "it lacks any plan for how to pay for the bigger state" that it promised.

    Slaughter says his party has not yet had a chance to look at the government's books.

  19. Wind is 'cleaner and safer'published at 21:12 BST 15 April

    "Wind delivers cheaper and quicker, cleaner and safer," Slaughter says.

    Audience member James Hoey replies net zero won't happen without nuclear, and says young people move away "all the time" from the area to get jobs.

  20. Nuclear 'never comes in on time'published at 21:11 BST 15 April

    The second question is from James Hoey, 70, from Deganwy, a retired banker.

    "The Wylfa development is the best economic news for north Wales in decades. It will bring thousands of jobs" he said.

    "Why would anyone vote for you when you would deny us that opportunity?"

    Slaughter says he doesn't want to "flannel" the audience. He says renewables come on stream much faster and nuclear "always comes in over budget" and "never comes in on time.