Julie James MS, Minister for Housing and Local Government
This was published under the 2016 to 2021 administration of the Welsh Government
In June 2016 the then Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government took the decision that all 22 electoral boundary reviews should take place within the current Local Government term i.e. in advance of the next elections in May 2022 and in sufficient time to enable changes in the electoral boundaries to be taken into account and reflected in Orders. In order to be in place before the principal council elections in May 2022 the reviews need to be completed and Orders in force by the end of September 2021 to provide local authorities with sufficient time to implement the changes.
On 17 December 2020 I wrote to members setting out an overview of the review process used by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales (the Commission) and the position on the current programme of electoral reviews. I confirmed a small number of the electoral reviews have attracted a significant number of representations.
The representations relate to:
- Cardiff – Llanrumney, Pontprennau and Old St Mellons
- Caerphilly –Ystrad Mynach and Llanbradach
- Flintshire - Hope and Caergwrle
I have been considering the points made in these representations carefully to inform my decision on those reviews.
In conducting electoral arrangement reviews the Commission is required to:
- Seek to ensure, that the ratio of local government electors to each elected member of the council is, as nearly as possible, the same in every electoral ward of the principal area,
- Have regard to the desirability of fixing boundaries for electoral wards which are and will remain easily identifiable, and,
- Have regard to the desirability of not breaking local ties when fixing boundaries for electoral wards.
In light of the content of the representations made, I have written to the Commission to ask for further information about the specific recommendations for the areas listed above.
I have asked the Commission to provide this information by 30 April. The information provided will be used to inform decisions of an incoming Welsh Government following the Senedd elections in May.