New Commissioners appointed to Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru

The Welsh Government has announced the appointment of three new Commissioners to join the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru.

The Cabinet Secretary for Housing and Local Government appointed Dr Anwen Elias, Ian Brancroft, and Siwan Davies for 4 years, with their terms lasting until 30 April 2030.

The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru is an independent, Welsh Government-sponsored body responsible for reviewing local government electoral arrangements, setting Senedd constituency boundaries, and overseeing remuneration for local elected officials

It also manages the Electoral Management Board for Wales to ensure effective local government and democratic health.

Ian Bancroft will become the new chair of the Electoral Management Board, with current chair Karen Jones having recently become the chair of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru.

Mr Bancroft’s term begins 1 April 2026, with Dr Anwen Elias and Siwan Davies’ terms beginning 1 May 2026.

Mr Bancroft has been a public sector leader for over 35 years with his last permanent position being as Chief Executive and Returning Officer at Wrexham CBC.

During this time he oversaw every type of election including acting as a regional returning officer and was involved in early work to establish the Electoral Management Board.

Since January 2025, he has been undertaking a portfolio of work including mentoring and coaching, leadership work, public appointments and voluntary roles.

He is currently Vice Chair of Sport Wales where he has taken an active role on governance and board development work.

Dr Anwen Elias is Reader in Politics at Aberystwyth University.

She is an experienced researcher with expertise in devolution in the UK and Europe, Welsh elections and politics, and participatory and deliberative democracy.

She is the Co-Director of the Centre for the Welsh Politics and Society and the Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research and Data.

Dr Elias was a member of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales (2021-2024) and chaired the Welsh Government’s Innovating Democracy Advisory Group (2025-26).

Siwan Davies is an experienced director and board-level executive in national and international parliaments.

Her expertise is strategic leadership in political environments with a focus on good governance, ethical leadership and organisational change.

Ms Davies has worked alongside elected members for over 20 years in senior advisory, corporate and delivery roles and has modernised electoral, remuneration and oversight regimes.

As a non-executive, she has served as an independent member of local authority governance, audit and standards committees.

As Deputy Chief Executive of the Senedd, she led member-focused services that enabled politicians to legislate, develop policy and scrutinise performance across all portfolios to improve services to citizens.

Ms Davies also led the Senedd reform programme, delivering the biggest institutional and electoral change since devolution.

She now has a portfolio career and holds senior-level Crown and public appointments and chairs a housing association and also works with elected members and senior public sector leaders to enhance their strategic leadership capabilities.

Fluent in Welsh and English, Ms Davies champions bilingual leadership in Wales.

The Welsh Government has also confirmed extensions to the terms of Commissioners Frank Cuthbert, Ginger Wiegand, and Michael Imperato for 4 years from 1 October 2026 until 30 September 2030.

Commenting on the appointments, Chair of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Karen Jones said: “The Commission is grateful to the Welsh Government for making these new appointments and looks forward to benefiting from the expertise and experience of our new commissioners, as well as those whose terms have been extended.

“We’d also like to thank Frances Duffy for her committed work as a commissioner as her term comes to an end.

“Frances was instrumental in ensuring the smooth transition of responsibilities to the Commission from the former Independent Remuneration Panel for Wales.

“The new commissioners join at an exciting time for the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, as we work towards building people’s voting confidence with the new information website, vote.wales, and look ahead to the next Senedd constituencies review after the May election.”