Politics
Plans unveiled for new seat boundaries ahead of next Senedd election
PLANS to create 16 “super constituencies” for the 2026 Senedd election have been unveiled.
The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has published initial proposals to redraw Wales’ political map, replacing the current 40 constituencies and five regions.
In 2026, the Senedd will expand from 60 to 96 members and adopt a new electoral system, with the 32 constituencies used in July’s Westminster general election paired to create 16.
The new system would use the new constituency boundaries used at the last UK general election.
The initial proposals would see the Caerphilly constituency paired with the Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney seat, while Newport West and Islwyn would join with Newport East.
The boundary commission has proposed the following constituencies which would each be represented by six Senedd members:
- Bangor Aberconwy Ynys Môn
- Clwyd
- Alyn, Deeside and Wrexham
- Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr
- Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
- Carmarthenshire
- Swansea West and Gower
- Brecon, Radnor, Neath and Swansea East
- Aberafan Maesteg, Rhondda and Ogmore
- Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Pontypridd
- Blaenau Gwent, Rhymney and Caerphilly
- Monmouthshire and Torfaen
- Newport and Islwyn
- Cardiff East and North
- Cardiff West, South and Penarth
- Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend
Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr would stretch from the coast to the border, with the commission saying such a large constituency is not ideal but the best option.
In the full 51-page report, the commission sets out the criteria for the 2026 boundary review, including local ties, shared history, the Welsh language and socio-economic considerations.
Ynys Môn and Dwyfor Meirionnydd, for example, was not considered viable because it is not possible to travel by road from one to the other without entering Bangor Aberconwy.
A four-week consultation has opened seeking people’s views on the initial proposals, with suggestions for different pairings and constituency names welcomed.
Following the initial consultation, which ends on September 30, the independent commission will publish revised proposals in December.
Then a second four-week consultation will follow in January, with a final decision expected to be published in March 2025 ahead of the next Senedd election in May 2026.
A further review will be held after the election, with the commission given more leeway to formulate constituencies which could vary in number of voters by as much as 20%.
Shereen Williams, chief executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, said: “The commission is confident our initial proposals represent a very good first step….
“But we know from experience that these processes are always strengthened when we hear from the public.
“So we strongly encourage everyone to share their views with us, whether they support or oppose the proposals, so we can further strengthen the map ahead of the next election.”
Speaking on the Hiraeth podcast about Welsh politics, Ms Williams described the review as a jigsaw, with the commission tasked with ensuring all the pieces fit and make sense.
She cautioned: “You can’t get a perfect map of constituency boundaries across the country.”
Readers can have their say on the proposals by visiting the commission’s website, emailing consultations@dhcc.gov.wales or by post to DBCC, Cathays Park, Cardiff CF10 3NQ.
Darren Millar, the Conservatives’ shadow constitution minister, reiterated his party’s opposition to Senedd expansion, describing electoral reform as the wrong priority.
He said: “More boundary changes will cause further upheaval and confusion for those who have already had to contend with boundary changes in council and Westminster elections.
“We need a Welsh Government that is focused on getting to grips with problems in our NHS, education system and economy – not one that is obsessed with more politicians and constitutional change.”
Mike Hedges, who represents Swansea East, was surprised to see Neath and Swansea East paired with Brecon, Radnor and Cwm Tawe rather than Aberafan Maesteg.
The Labour backbencher raised concerns about the size of the proposed new Brecon, Radnor, Neath and Swansea East constituency.
Mr Hedges said: “It will be a very big constituency from St Thomas Swansea to Presteigne in Radnorshire – over 80 miles and over two hours’ driving.”
Plaid Cymru described the reforms as a long-overdue move to strengthen Welsh democracy.
The party said: “From 2026, the people of Wales will be better represented and the Welsh Government can be more effectively scrutinised
“We look forward to engaging with the commission to ensure new Senedd constituencies take full account of … geographic, historical, and linguistic considerations.”
The Welsh Government welcomed the initial report as an important first step in the public consultation and stressed it has no role in the independent boundary review process.
A spokesperson said: “We encourage interested parties to engage to help shape the new Senedd electoral constituencies.”
When the final report is published, ministers will be required to bring forward regulations and will not be able to deviate from the recommendations which will not need Senedd approval.
The boundary review forms part of wider reforms to Senedd elections.
Under the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Act, which was passed in May, a new electoral system will be introduced from 2026, meaning boundaries need to be redrawn.
Proponents of the reforms argue a bigger, more proportional Senedd will make it a more effective parliament, better able to hold the Welsh Government to account.
Meanwhile, those opposed point to the estimated £18m-a-year cost of expanding the Senedd, arguing resources would be better spent on schools and hospitals.
Ultimately, the reforms are happening due to the current parliamentary arithmetic which provides a potentially once-in-a-generation opportunity.
A supermajority was needed to pass the law. Labour and Plaid Cymru did not have the numbers in the five years to 2021 and polls suggest they may fall short of two-thirds in 2026.
Currently, Wales uses an additional member system – a mix of proportional representation and the first-past-the-post system used in Westminster elections.
Forty constituency Senedd members are elected via first past the post and a further 20 are elected to represent five regions via party lists.
But from 2026 voters will receive one ballot rather than two, with first past the post scrapped and all members elected via a full form of proportional representation.
Wales will use “closed lists”, which will see people voting for parties rather than specific candidates, despite experts describing the new system as dangerous.
Political parties will decide the order of candidates on lists unlike under a flexible-list system or the single transferable vote which would give the electorate a say.
The D’Hondt method, a formula to apportion seats based on votes, will continue to be used over the Sainte-Lague system which would benefit smaller parties.
PLAID CYMRU has accused the UK government of failing to support Welsh steel communities equally, after it emerged that nationalisation is being considered for British Steel’s Scunthorpe plant—but was ruled out for Port Talbot.
The party has renewed its call for public ownership of the Port Talbot steelworks following comments from Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who said nationalising British Steel remains an option to save jobs at its loss-making Scunthorpe site.
Plaid’s economy spokesperson, Luke Fletcher MS, said: “If it’s good enough for Scunthorpe, why wasn’t it good enough for Port Talbot?”
In September last year, Tata Steel closed its two blast furnaces at Port Talbot with the loss of 2,800 jobs. The closure followed a £500 million support deal with the UK government to help the firm transition to greener steel production—but nationalisation was not considered.
Fletcher, who represents south-west Wales, told BBC Radio Wales: “We were asking for nationalisation to be looked at until we were blue in the face. Labour promised that having governments in Cardiff and Westminster would save Welsh steel—but in the end, the deal they offered wasn’t much different to the Conservatives’.”
Back in 2016, the Conservative government said nationalisation was not an option for Port Talbot. The £500m package announced last year under Labour was broadly the same as the one proposed by the outgoing government.
Plaid’s Swansea spokesperson, Dr Gwyn Williams, said nationalisation could have allowed Wales to adopt hydrogen-based steelmaking, like Tata is doing in the Netherlands.
“Tata are using green hydrogen at their Dutch site but have refused to do the same in Wales,” he said. “Plaid believes Wales deserves world-class green technology to build a sustainable economy for future generations.”
On Thursday, Tata said it had taken a major step forward in decarbonising its operations at Port Talbot, signing contracts with Clecim and ABB Limited to deliver a new pickle line—specialist equipment used in modern steel processing.
Meanwhile, British Steel’s Chinese owner, Jingye, has said the Scunthorpe site is losing £700,000 a day. Around 2,700 people are employed there and the plant is home to the UK’s last blast furnaces.
Talks to try to secure the future of the site are expected to resume this week, with the UK government reportedly offering to buy coal to keep the furnaces running. On Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed that “all options” are being considered—including nationalisation.
Carrie Bone, UK steel editor at Kallanish Commodities, told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast that both Tata and British Steel were in similar situations—facing major losses and needing to modernise.
She noted that Tata accepted the £500m offered by government, while British Steel reportedly turned it down and asked for £1 billion.
“You can understand why the government might be hesitant to offer that much,” she said. “It’s not clear why nationalisation wasn’t considered for Tata, but there are thousands of jobs at stake—and the optics of letting the UK’s last blast furnace close are politically very difficult.”
The UK government has been approached for comment.
A PEMBROKESHIRE council application to demolish a disused school to make way for a potential housing development has been given the go-ahead by county planners.
Pembrokeshire County Council, through agent Asbri Planning, sought approval to demolish the former Hakin Infants School, Picton Road, Hakin, Milford Haven.
Works proposed also include the construction of a bat house and ecological enhancement area.
A supporting statement said: “The former school buildings are boarded up, whereas the gardens and play areas have become overgrown. This is one of three schools to close in the last decade within the local area, alongside Hubberston VC School and Hakin Junior School, which have already been demolished.
“This application forms part of a wider strategy for the site. An outline application for residential development will be submitted in order to confirm the development in principle in land use terms is acceptable. A reserved matters application would follow on from outline approval in order to confirm the details of the actual development to be built.”
It also sought permission for a bat box as a bat survey report “revealed that the building acts as a bat roost for low numbers of brown long-eared bats, greater horseshoe bats and lesser horseshoe bats.”
It finished: “The proposed work seeks to demolish and remove the former school buildings and surrounding hard standing within the eastern half of the site. The playing fields and vegetation located to the west of the site will remain unaffected by the demolition works and would therefore remain intact.”
The application was conditionally approved.
PLANS to convert a Pembrokeshire coach house barn as part of the expansion of a local holiday let business has been approved.
In an application to Pembrokeshire County Council, Mr and Mrs Rodney sought permission for the conversion at Johnston Hall, Church Road, Johnston, having recently purchased the existing business.
A supporting statement through agent Hayston Developments & Planning Ltd said: “The business currently consists of three self-catering units of which two are within Johnston Hall and a third is a detached barn conversion as a disabled friendly holiday unit. This third unit has recently been completed and is open for business. All three existing holiday units offer high-quality visitor accommodation set within an attractive garden and wider grounds setting.”
More recent applications have been submitted for the site, including a scheme for three shepherd huts and a new covered swimming pool, with the latter to serve both personal use and for on-site holiday makers, which was refused permission last summer.
“Although this application was refused in July 2024, it is clear from reading the delegated report that there was no objection to the swimming pool element and that the refusal was solely in regard to the proposed three shepherd huts (i.e. siting and conflict with planning policy),” the statement says, adding: “A revised application for the provision of the covered swimming pool has recently been resubmitted for consideration by the council.
“A further stage of the business is to convert the two-storey traditional stone coach house building, located to the immediate east of the main house, for use as holiday accommodation, thus strengthening my client’s holiday let business.”
An officer report recommended approval for the holiday let, comprising five bedrooms over two levels of accommodation with associated car parking provision and external amenity space, said
The application was conditionally approved by county planners.
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