Biggest ever changes to Welsh Local Government boundaries confirmed

The biggest ever changes to Welsh Local Government boundaries have been confirmed.

The Welsh Government has announced its decision on the Electoral Review of Flintshire, which brings the most significant changes to electoral boundaries in Welsh Local Government history to completion.

The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales submitted recommendations for all 22 Principal Councils in Wales to the Welsh Government in a review programme lasting from 2017 to 2021.

The 10-year programme had previously been suspended as the Welsh Government considered reforms to local government in Wales, giving the Commission 4 years to complete the work.

The first set of recommendations, for Ceredigion and Gwynedd, were sent to the Minister for Housing and Local Government in mid-2018 and the programme was completed with the publication of the recommendations for Monmouthshire on 8 June 2021.

Since then, the Welsh Government has been considering each set of recommendations and has announced decisions on an almost weekly basis since the summer, starting with the decisions to accept the recommendations for Rhondda Cynon Taf and Swansea councils on 24 June.

In the vast majority of cases, the Welsh Government has approved every recommendation of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales with the exception of some recommendations on ward names.

Modifications to the wards themselves were only made by the Welsh Government for 3 of the 22 Reviews. Across Wales, the Welsh Government accepted 753 recommended wards, and made modifications to 5 recommendations (excluding ward names).

‘Parity’ 

Chief Executive of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ said: “The decisions from Welsh Government to accept the Commission’s recommendations mean that across Wales, people will have greater electoral parity in their Local Government elections.

“We’re grateful to every council, their councillors, and the public for their support and engagement as we’ve carried out this process.

“We’re already holding discussions with stakeholders on how we can improve the process in future, and are looking forward to increasing our engagement with the public and developing our cooperation with our Local Government partners as we look towards the next round of Reviews following the 2022 elections.”

All recommendations are expected to take effect for the 2022 Local Government elections, subject to Orders made by the Welsh Government.