LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR … Draft Proposals Report v2.0.pdfthe Local Democracy...

LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR WALES

Review of the Electoral Arrangements of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf

Draft Proposals Report

June 2019

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FOREWORD

This is our report containing our Draft Proposals for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

In September 2013, the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (the Act) came into force. This was the first piece of legislation affecting the Commission for over 40 years and reformed and revamped the Commission, as well as changing the name of the Commission to the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.

The Commission published its Council Size Policy for Wales’ 22 Principal Councils, its first review programme and a new Electoral Reviews: Policy and Practice document reflecting the changes made in the Act. A glossary of terms used in this report can be found at Appendix 1, with the rules and procedures at Appendix 4.

This review of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council is the fourteenth of the programme of reviews conducted under the new Act and Commission’s policy and practice. The issue of fairness is set out clearly in the legislation and has been a key principle for our Policy and Practice. We are also required to look to the future and have asked the Council to give us predictions of the number of electors in 5 years’ time. We also look at the number of electors not registered to vote.

In working up our proposals, we have considered local ties and those who wish to retain current boundaries. We have looked carefully at every representation made to us however, we have had to balance these issues and representations against all the other factors we have to consider, and the constraints set out above. In particular, the requirement for electoral parity, democratic fairness for all electors, is the dominant factor in law and this is what we have tried to apply.

Finally, may I thank the Members and officers of the Principal Council, Town and Community Councils and all other respondents for helping us develop our draft proposals.

We look forward to receiving any views you may wish to share.

Ceri Stradling Acting Chair


REVIEW OF THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS OF THE COUNTY BOROUGH OF RHONDDA CYNON TAF

DRAFT PROPOSALS REPORT

Contents Page

Chapter 1 Introduction 1

Chapter 2 Summary of Draft Proposals 2

Chapter 3 Assessment 5

Chapter 4 The Draft Proposals 7

Chapter 5 Summary of Proposed Arrangements 70

Chapter 6 Consequential Arrangements 72

Chapter 7 Responses to the Draft Proposals 75

Chapter 8 Acknowledgements 76

APPENDIX 1 GLOSSARY OF TERMS APPENDIX 2 EXISTING COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP APPENDIX 3 PROPOSED COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP APPENDIX 4 RULES AND PROCEDURES APPENDIX 5 SUMMARY OF REPRESENTATIONS APPENDIX 6 CABINET SECRETARY FOR FINANCE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT 23

JUNE 2016 WRITTEN STATEMENT

1st Edition printed April 2019

The Commission welcomes correspondence and telephone calls in Welsh or English. Mae’r ddogfen ar hon ar gael yn y Gymraeg.

The translation of this report was provided by Trosol

The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales Hastings House Fitzalan Court

CARDIFF CF24 0BL

Tel Number: (029) 2046 4819 Fax Number: (029) 2046 4823

E-mail: [email protected]


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Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION 1. The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales (the Commission) is conducting a

review of the electoral arrangements of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. This review is being conducted in accordance with the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (the Act), specifically Sections 29, 30 and 34-36.

2. The Commission has a duty to conduct a review of all 22 of Wales’ Principal Councils every ten years. This ten-year programme was due to commence in January 2014. However, due to the uncertainties in local government at the time the Commission suspended its programme. This programme of reviews has come as a result of the former Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government’s Written Statement of 23 June 2016, where the Commission was asked to restart its programme of reviews with an expectation that all 22 electoral reviews be completed in time for the new arrangements to be put in place for the 2022 local government elections. The Written Statement can be found at Appendix 6.

3. The rules and procedures the Commission follows can be found in the Commission’s Electoral Reviews: Policy and Practice [2016] and outlined in Appendix 4.

4. A Glossary of Terms can be found at Appendix 1, providing a short description of some of the common terminology used within this report.

5. The Commission is now seeking views on the proposed electoral arrangements identified at Chapter 4 in this report. On receipt of these views the Commission will consider the representations and make final proposals to Welsh Government. It will then be for Welsh Government Ministers to make the Order, if they deem it appropriate, with or without modification.

6. The Commission welcomes representations that are based on evidence and facts which are relevant to the proposals under consideration.

RHONDDA CYNON TAF DRAFT PROPOSALS

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Chapter 2. SUMMARY OF DRAFT PROPOSALS

• The Commission proposes a change to the arrangement of electoral wards that will achieve a significant improvement in the level of electoral parity across the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf.

• The Commission proposes a council of 75 members, unchanged from its current membership of 75. This results in a proposed county average of 2,302 electors per member.

• The Commission proposes 45 electoral wards, a reduction from 52 existing wards.

• The largest under-representation (in terms of electoral variance) within the proposals is to be in Taffs Well and Treorchy (both 23% above the proposed county average). At present the greatest under-representation is in Tonyrefail West (108% above the proposed county average).

• The largest over-representation (in terms of electoral variance) within the proposals is to be in Ynysybwl (25% below the proposed county average). At present the greatest over-representation is in Rhigos (39% below the proposed county average).

• The Commission is proposing 26 multi-member wards in the county; consisting of 22 two-member electoral wards and four three-member electoral wards.

• The Commission has proposed no changes to 18 electoral wards.

• The Commission proposes to have one electoral wards within the county which combine a part of a warded community, along with its neighbouring community.

• The Commission received representations from: Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (which included representations from one town and community council, three Members of Parliament, three Assembly Members, 11 county councillors and two residents), four town and community councils, one Assembly Member, six county borough councillors, one community councillor, four political party groups and six residents. The Commission considered all of these representations carefully before it formulated its proposals. A summary of those representations can be found at Appendix 5.

Summary Maps

1. On the following pages are thematic maps illustrating the current and proposed arrangementsand their variances from the proposed county average of 2,302 electors per member. Thoseareas in green are within +/-10% of the county average; yellow and hatched yellow between+/-10% and +/-25% of the county average; orange and hatched orange between +/-25% and+/-50% of the county average; and, those in red and hatched red are over +/-50% of thecounty average.

2. As can be seen from these maps the proposed arrangements provide for a significantimprovement in electoral parity across the county.


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Page 4


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Chapter 3. ASSESSMENT Council size

1. The number of elected members for the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf has beendetermined by the Commission’s Council Size Policy and methodology. This policy can befound in our Electoral Reviews: Policy and Practice document. At present the size of thecouncil at 75 members is at the maximum number of members for the methodology’s overallaim. The methodology sets out a size of the Council of 75 for this review.

2. The Commission reviewed the electoral arrangements for the County Borough of RhonddaCynon Taf in the light of our methodology. For the reasons given below the Commissionbelieves that in the interests of effective and convenient local government a council of 75members would be appropriate to represent the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf.

3. The Commission has provided a set of arrangements that provides for effective andconvenient local government. The Commission is restrained by the building blocks that it canuse to create new electoral wards. The current building blocks in the County Borough ofRhondda Cynon Taf have led the Commission to creating the proposals as set out in Chapter4 of this report.

Number of electors

4. The numbers shown as the electorate for 2018 and the estimates for the electorate in theyear 2023 are those submitted by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. The forecastfigures supplied by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council show a forecasted increasein the electorate of Rhondda Cynon Taf from 172,673 to 178,294. The Office for NationalStatistics (ONS) have also provided their estimated number of persons eligible to vote but whoare not on the electoral register. This showed an estimated 15,733 more people eligible tovote than the 2018 electorate.

5. The Commission is aware that there are Welsh Government proposals to legislate to extendthe franchise to include 16 and 17 year olds and foreign nationals, not currently eligible tovote, at the 2022 local government elections. The Commission‘s Council Size Policy utilises theentire population to determine Council Size and these two groups were included in theCouncil Size deliberations.

6. While 16 and 17 year olds are not in the existing electoral figures provided by Rhondda CynonTaf County Borough Council, they will have been included in the forecasted figures providedby the Council. Consideration of these figures has been included in the Commission’sdeliberations on its recommendations.

7. Foreign nationals are included in the census data provided by the ONS. Consideration of thisdata has been included as part of the Commission’s deliberations on its recommendations.

Councillor to electorate ratio

8. In respect of the number of electors per councillor in each electoral ward there is a widevariation from the current county average of 2,302 electors per councillor which ranges from39% below (1,399 electors) to 108% above (4,790 electors). The determination of the councilof 75 members (see paragraph 2) results in the same average of 2,302 electors beingrepresented by each councillor.

9. The Commission considered the ratio of local government electors to the number ofcouncillors to be elected, with a view to proposing changes to ensure that the number of local


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government electors shall be, as near as may be, the same in every ward in the principal area. The size and character of the council was considered as were a wide range of other factors including local topography, road communications, and local ties.

Judgement and Balance

10. In producing a scheme of electoral arrangements the Commission must have regard to anumber of issues contained in the legislation. It is not always possible to resolve all of these,sometimes conflicting, issues. In the proposed scheme the Commission has placed emphasison achieving improvements in electoral parity whilst maintaining community ties whereverpossible. The Commission has made every effort to ensure that the revised electoral wardsare an appropriate combination of existing communities and community wards.

11. In some areas, because of the number of electors in a community or community ward, theCommission has considered the retention of multi-member wards in order to achieveappropriate levels of electoral parity. This issue often arises in urban areas where the numberof electors is too high to form a single-member ward. It also may arise in more rural wardswhere the creation of single-member wards would result in substantial variances in electoralparity. The Commission acknowledges the established practice of multi-member wards withinthe County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf and this is reflected in the Commission’s proposals.

12. The Commission has looked at each area and is satisfied that it would be possible to achieveelectoral arrangements that keep the existing combination of communities and communitywards without having a detrimental effect on one or more of the other issues that theCommission must consider. The Commission recognises however that there may be differentcombinations of communities and community wards that better reflect community ties and itwould welcome any alternative suggestions that comply with the legislation.

Electoral Ward Names

13. In the creation of these draft proposals the Commission has considered the names of all theelectoral wards proposed in Welsh and English, where appropriate. For these draft proposalswe have selected names of either electoral wards or communities that appear in Orders,where they exist, as these are considered to be the existing legal names. Views are welcomedon the proposed names and any alternative names suggested will be considered.

14. The Commission consulted with the Welsh Language Commissioner on the suitability of thenames in their draft form prior to the publication of these draft proposals, with a particularfocus on the Welsh language names. This recognises the Welsh Language Commissioner’sresponsibility to advise on the standard forms of Welsh place-names and specialist knowledgein the field. It must be clear that these proposals are not proposals for changes to any placenames. At each proposal an indication is given of the Welsh Language Commissioner’srecommendation and, where they differ, the specific recommendation and why the WelshLanguage Commissioner proposed an alternative to the Commission’s proposed name. It ishoped that this process will encourage debate on the proposed names and will ensure theeventual, final proposals of the Commission are accurate and meet local wishes.


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Chapter 4. THE DRAFT PROPOSALS 1. The Commission’s proposals are described in detail in this chapter. For each new proposal the

report sets out:

• The name(s) of the existing electoral wards which wholly or in part constitute the proposedward;

• A brief description of the existing electoral wards in terms of the number of electors nowand projected and their percentage variance from the proposed county average;

• Key arguments made during the initial consultation (if any);• The views of the Commission; and,• The composition of the proposed electoral ward and the proposed name.

Retained Electoral Wards

2. The Commission has considered the electoral arrangements of the existing electoral wardsand the ratio of local government electors to the number of councillors to be elected. It isproposed that the existing arrangements should be retained within the following electoralwards. Names displayed in bold within the list below denote the electoral wards where theexisting geography and electoral ward names have been prescribed within Orders, and whichthe Commission is recommending to retain.

• Abercynon • Pen-y-Graig• Aberdare East • Pen-y-Waun• Aberdare

West/Llwydcoed• Pontypridd

Town• Cilfynydd • Porth• Cwm Clydach • Taffs Well• Gilfach Goch • Tonypandy• Glyncoch • Tonyrefail East• Llantwit Fardre • Trallwng• Penrhiwceiber • Treherbert

3. The Commission is recommending to preserve the geographical arrangements within the electoralwards listed above, but is proposing the following electoral ward names:

• Aberdare West/Llwydcoed to be given the Welsh Language name of Gorllewin Aberdâr aLlwydcoed and the English Language name of Aberdare West and Llwydcoed. The WelshLanguage Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal.

• Gilfach Goch to be given the single name of Gilfach-goch. The Welsh LanguageCommissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal.

• Glyncoch to be given the single name of Glyn-coch. The Welsh Language Commissioneragrees with the Commission’s proposal.

• Penrhiwceiber to be given the single name of Penrhiw-ceibr. The Welsh LanguageCommissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal.

• Pen-y-Graig to be given the single name of Pen-y-graig. The Welsh Language Commissioneragrees with the Commission’s proposal.


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• Pen-y-Waun to be given the single name of Pen-y-waun. The Welsh Language Commissioneragrees with the Commission’s proposal.

• Taffs Well to be given the name of Ffynnon Taf in the Welsh Language and Taff’s Well in theEnglish Language; The Welsh Language Commissioner agrees with the Commission’sproposal.

4. The Commission would welcome any comments on the names mentioned in this section.

Proposed Electoral Wards

5. The Commission considered changes to the remaining electoral wards. Details of the currentelectoral arrangements can be found at Appendix 2. The Commission’s proposedarrangements can be found at Appendix 3.

Community Ward Boundaries

Community Boundaries

Proposed Electoral Ward Boundary


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Cymmer, Graig, Rhondda and Treforest

6. The existing Cymmer ward is composed of the Communities of Cymmer and Trehafod. It has3,971 electors (4,012 projected electors) represented by two councillors which is 14% belowthe proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 4,417eligible voters.

7. The existing Graig electoral ward is comprised of the Graig ward of the Town of Pontypridd.It has 1,853 electors (1,910 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 20%below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of1,901 eligible voters.

8. The existing Rhondda electoral ward is comprised of the Rhondda ward of the Town ofPontypridd. It has 3,481 electors (3,520 projected electors) represented by two councillorswhich is 24% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 3,703 eligible voters.

9. The existing Treforest electoral ward is comprised of the Treforest ward of the Town ofPontypridd. It has 2,901 electors (2,997 projected electors) represented by one councillorwhich is 26% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 4,449 eligible voters.

10. The Commission received three representations concerning these electoral wards from:Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (RCTCBC) (which included representations fromChris Bryant MP (Rhondda), Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd), Councillor Gareth Caple(Cymmer), and Councillors Christina Leyshon and Robert W Smith (both Rhondda)) andCouncillor Jayne Brencher (Graig) and Plaid Cymru Rhondda.

11. RCTCBC proposed to re-align the boundary of the Graig ward to include a section of Maes-y-Coed which is currently situated in the Rhondda electoral ward. This would transfer 450electors into the Graig electoral ward. The Council also proposed to transfer part of thecurrent Rhondda electoral ward (known as Trehafod) into the existing Cymmer electoralward. The Council’s alternative proposal is to combine the electoral wards of Graig andRhondda (less Trehafod) to form a two-member electoral ward. The Council unanimouslysupported the retention of the existing electoral arrangements in the Treforest electoralward.

12. Chris Bryant MP (Rhondda), Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd), Councillors Gareth Caple(Cymmer), Christina Leyshon and Robert W Smith (both Rhondda) and Plaid Cymru Rhonddaall support the Council’s proposal to unite the Community of Trehafod within the Cymmerelectoral ward.

13. Councillor Brencher (Graig) proposed that the Graig electoral ward retain its existing single-member representation due to its strong community links. Councillor Brencher alsosuggested extending the Graig ward boundary with Treforest along Alma Terrace, LauraStreet and Wood Road to balance the number of electors between the two electoral wards.Councillor Brencher states the Communities of Graig and Treforest conduct many activitiestogether and that popular mountain walks link the two areas and University students work


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closely with locals in Graig to develop community events. Councillor Brencher also proposed the electoral ward name be changed to Graig and Penycoedcae to better reflect the electoral ward.

14. The Commission proposes to apply the boundaries to the Cymmer electoral ward as proposed by RCTCBC and illustrated on page 12 to form a two member electoral ward with 4,222 electors (4,259 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors, would result in a level of representation that is 8% below the proposed county average.

15. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the single name of Cymmer. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed the single name of Cymer as this is the form recommended in the national standard reference work, Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd/A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names (University of Wales Press, 1967). One should not deviate from its recommendations without good reason. The letter -m- is never doubled in standard modern Welsh orthography. If the difference between the Welsh form and the 'English' form consists of only one or two letters, the use of a single form is recommended, with preference being given to the Welsh form. This accords with the recommendations of the Ordnance Survey and the Highway Authorities. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

16. The Commission proposes that the Graig ward boundary with Rhondda is extended to include an additional 450 electors from the Rhondda electoral ward as proposed by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and illustrated on page 13. The Commission proposes to combine the revised Graig electoral ward with the Treforest electoral ward to form a two-member ward with 5,204 electors (5,361 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors would result in a level of electoral representation that is 13% above the proposed county average.

17. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name of Graig a Threfforest and the English language name of Graig and Treforest. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed Graig and Trefforest as the English language name. The Welsh Language Commissioner notes Trefforest is the form recommended in the national standard reference work, Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd/A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names (University of Wales Press, 1967). One should not deviate from its recommendations without good reason. If the difference between the Welsh form and the 'English' form consists of only one or two letters, the use of a single form is recommended, with preference being given to the Welsh form. This accords with the recommendations of the Ordnance Survey and the Highway Authorities. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

18. The remainder of the Rhondda electoral ward will form an electoral ward, as illustrated on page 14, with 2,780 electors (2,815 projected electors) which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of electoral representation that is 21% above the proposed county average. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the single name of Rhondda. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed no change to the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

19. The Commission considered the alternative proposals for the area put forward by RCTCBC to


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combine the revised Rhondda electoral ward (less Trehafod) and the existing Graig electoral ward, and the proposal by Councillor Brencher to extend the Graig ward boundary into the Treforest electoral ward. The Commission believes that the evidence presented by Councillor Brencher of the existing community collaboration between the Graig and Treforest electoral wards supports the Commission’s proposal to combine the electoral wards of Graig and Treforest and builds on the existing community cooperation between both electoral wards.

20. This proposal provides for an improvement in electoral parity for the area and provides clearand identifiable boundaries for residents.

21. The Council has made no suggestions as to the consequential arrangements for the area;these have been considered by the Commission in Chapter 6.


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<Map of Cymmer>


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<Map of Graig and Treforest>


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<Map of Rhondda>


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Hawthorn and Rhydfelen Central/Ilan

22. The existing Hawthorn electoral ward is composed of the Hawthorn and Rhydfelen Lowerwards of the Town of Pontypridd. It has 3,116 electors (3,116 projected electors)represented by one councillor which is 35% above the proposed county average. Theelectoral ward has an estimated population of 3,138 eligible voters.

23. The existing Rhydfelen Central/Ilan electoral ward is composed of the Ilan and RhydfelenCentral wards of the Town of Pontypridd. It has 3,033 electors (3,035 projected electors)represented by one councillor which is 32% above the proposed county average. Theelectoral ward has an estimated population of 3,435 eligible voters.

24. The Commission received seven representations concerning these wards from: RCTCBC,Councillor Martin Fidler-Jones (Hawthorn) and five residents of Hawthorn.

25. RCTCBC proposed to create three single member wards in the area. The Council proposes tocreate a new ward that includes all areas to the West of Dyffryn Road and includes SycamoreStreet and Poplar Road by utilising the existing ward boundaries of Rhyfelen Central/Ilan andthe A470 as the boundaries between the electoral wards. The new electoral wards wouldassist in addressing the existing levels of under-representation in the area and introduce anadditional councillor.

26. Councillor Fidler-Jones (Hawthorn) suggested the creation of an additional single memberelectoral ward in the area. Councillor Fidler-Jones proposed to utilise the existing wardboundaries between Hawthorn and Rhydfelen Central/Ilan and using Dyffryn Road (knownlocally as Maggie’s Hill) as the boundary between the new ward and the existing electoralwards. Councillor Fidler-Jones stated that the A470 serves as a natural boundary along theremainder of the electoral ward. The Councillor also suggested that a higher threshold ofelectors to councillor ratio would allow existing boundaries to be maintained and lessenconfusion for residents.

27. The Commission proposes to apply the boundaries as submitted by the County Council andas illustrated on page 17 to create a new single-member electoral ward in the Hawthorn andRhydfelen Central/Ilan area with 1,949 electors (1,949 projected electors) which, ifrepresented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 15% belowthe proposed county average.

28. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh Language name of CanolRhydfelen; and the English Language name of Rhydfelen Central. The Welsh LanguageCommissioner agreed with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes anysuggestions for alternative names.

29. The Commission proposes as a consequence to apply the boundaries as submitted by theCounty Council as illustrated on page 18 to alter the current boundary of the Hawthornelectoral ward to form an electoral ward with 1,803 electors (1,805 projected electors)which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 22%below the proposed county average.


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30. The Commission has given the revised Hawthorn electoral ward the Welsh language name of Y Ddraenen Wen; and the English language name of Hawthorn. The Welsh Language Commissioner agreed with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

31. The Commission also proposes to apply the boundaries as submitted by the County Council as illustrated on page 19 to alter the current boundary of the existing Rhydfelen Central/Ilan electoral ward to form an electoral ward with 2,397 electors (2,397 projected electors) which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 4%above the proposed county average.

32. The Commission has given the revised Rhydfelen Central/Ilan electoral ward the Welsh language name of Rhydfelen Uchaf a Glyn-taf; and the English language name of Upper Rhydfelen and Glyn-taf. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed Rhydfelen Uchaf and Glyn-taf as a Welsh language name and Upper Rhydfelen and Glyn-taf as the English language name. The Welsh Language Commissioner notes Glyn-taf is the form recommended in the national standard reference work, Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd/A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names (University of Wales Press, 1967). One should not deviate from its recommendations without good reason. The hyphen is used in Welsh place-names in order to aid pronunciation by showing that the stress does not fall on the penultimate syllable. The stress falls on the final syllable of this name and is therefore preceded by a hyphen. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

33. The Commission considers that these proposals provide for an improvement in the level of electoral variance in the area and is supported by RCTCBC and the majority of members.

34. The Council has made no suggestions as to the consequential arrangements for the area; these have been considered by the Commission in Chapter 6.


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<Map of Rhydfelen Central>


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<Map of Hawthorn>


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This page is intentionally blank


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Ynysybwl

35. The existing Ynysybwl electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm. It has 3,457 electors (3,485 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 50% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 3,619 eligible voters.

36. The Commission received three representations concerning this ward from: RCTCBC (which included representations from Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley), and Vikki Howells AM (Cynon Valley)), Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm Community Council, and the Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon Constituency Party.

37. RCTCBC proposes to include an additional member to the Ynysybwl electoral ward in order to address the existing inappropriate levels of under-representation in the ward.

38. Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm Community Council, Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley), Vikki Howells AM (Cynon Valley) and the Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon Constituency Party all supported the Council’s proposal to include an additional member in Ynysybwl.

39. The Commission proposes that the Community of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm form a two-member electoral ward with 3,457 electors (3,485 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors (an increase of one), would result in a level of representation that is 25%below the proposed county average.

40. The Commission has given the electoral ward the single name of Ynysybwl by utilising the ward name specified in the 1998 Electoral Arrangements Order. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed the single name of Ynys-y-bwl. The Welsh Language Commissioner notes the hyphen is used in Welsh place-names when the Welsh definite article (y/yr) occurs before a final monosyllable; hyphens are used before and after the definite article in order to highlight the individual elements and aid pronunciation. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

41. This Commission agrees with the representations received and the significant improvement to electoral variance in the Ynysybwl electoral ward. The Commission believes that the proposed electoral ward would provide for effective and convenient local government and build on the existing community, communication and social links within the Ynysybwl electoral ward.


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<Map of Ynysybwl>


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Church Village and Ton-teg

42. The existing Church Village electoral ward is comprised of the Church Village ward of theCommunity of Llantwit Fardre. It has 4,313 electors (4,350 projected electors) representedby one councillor which is 87% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward hasan estimated population of 3,898 eligible voters.

43. The existing Ton-teg electoral ward is comprised of the Ton-teg ward of the Community ofLlantwit Fardre. It has 3,222 electors (3,222 projected electors) represented by twocouncillors which is 30% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has anestimated population of 3,282 eligible voters.

44. The Commission received two representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC (whichincluded a representation from Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd)) and Councillor Lewis Hooper(Ton-teg).

45. RCTCBC proposes to re-align the boundary between Church Village and Ton-teg electoralwards in order to transfer the area known as ‘Upper Church Village’ into the Church Villageelectoral ward. This change would transfer 720 electors into the Church Village ward. TheCouncil also proposes to include an additional member in the ward to form a two-memberelectoral ward by reducing the number of councillors in the Ton-teg electoral ward from twoto one.

46. Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) supports the Council’s proposals to re-align the boundarybetween the Church Village and Ton-teg electoral wards and to include an additionalmember in the Church Village electoral ward to address the existing inappropriate levels ofunder-representation in the electoral ward. Mr Antoniw AM also proposed thatconsideration be given to a solution which ensures that businesses on the Treforest industrialestate have a single point of contact. Mr Antoniw AM believes it is important that the estatecontinues to be sited in an electoral ward that is likely to continue to form part of both theParliamentary and Assembly constituencies.

47. Councillor Hooper (Ton-teg) proposed to re-align the boundary of the Church Villageelectoral ward by utilising a country road as a natural boundary between the electoralwards of Church Village and Ton-teg. This alteration would mean that ‘The Rise’, ‘BrynRhedyn’ and a small section of Church Road would remain in the Ton-teg electoral wardand involves transferring 140 electors into the Church Village electoral ward.

48. The Commission proposes to re-align the boundary of Church Village electoral ward asproposed by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council (and illustrated on page 25) toform an electoral ward with 5,033 electors (5,070 projected electors) which, if representedby two councillors (an increase of one), would result in a level of representation that is 9%above the proposed county average.

49. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name of Pentre’rEglwys, and the English language name of Church Village, as prescribed in the 2016Communities Order for Rhondda Cynon Taf. The Welsh Language Commissioner agrees withthe Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative


Page 24

names.

50. The Commission, as a consequence, proposes that the remainder of the Ton-teg electoral ward, as illustrated on page 26, would form an electoral ward with 2,502 electors (2,502 projected electors) which, if represented by one councillor (a reduction of one), would result in a level of representation that is 9% above the proposed county average.

51. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the single name of Ton-teg. The Welsh Language Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

52. The Commission considers that this proposal successfully addresses the existing inappropriate levels of electoral variance in the Church Village ward. It creates no split communities and provides for no additional members in the area. Consideration of the consequential changes to the Community of Llantwit Fardre; these have been considered by the Commission at Chapter 6.


Page 25

<Map of Church Village>


Page 26

<Map of Ton-teg>


Page 27

Beddau and Tyn-y-nant

53. The existing Beddau electoral ward is comprised of the Beddau ward of the Community ofLlantrisant. It has 3,167 electors (3,174 projected electors) represented by one councillorwhich is 38% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 3,575 eligible voters.

54. The existing Tyn-y-Nant electoral ward is comprised of the Tyn-y-nant ward of theCommunity of Llantrisant. It has 2,414 electors (2,414 projected electors) represented byone councillor which is 5% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has anestimated population of 2,657 eligible voters.

55. The Commission received three representations concerning these electoral wards from:RCTCBC (which included a representation from Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd)), CouncillorsClayton Willis (Tyn-y-nant) and Richard Yeo (Beddau) and Community Councillor SamuelTrask (Llantrisant Community Council).

56. RCTCBC proposed to combine the electoral wards of Beddau and Tyn-y-Nant to form a two-member ward with appropriate levels of electoral variance. The Council also proposed analternative option to combine the Beddau and Tyn-y-nant electoral wards and include anadditional councillor to form a three-member electoral ward.

57. Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) supported the Council’s proposals to combine the electoralwards of Beddau and Tyn-y-nant.

58. Councillors Willis (Tyn-y-nant) and Yeo (Beddau) jointly proposed that the Beddau and Tyn-y-nant wards be combined to form a three-member electoral ward. The Councillors cite theproposals put forward in the aborted 2009 Boundary Review, which were popular locallywith residents, future housing developments and social issues that arise in socially deprivedareas as reasons to support the increase in member representation.

59. Community Councillor Trask (Llantrisant Community Council) suggested that the existingTyn-y-nant electoral ward is relatively balanced, whilst the Beddau electoral ward is currentlyunder-represented. Councillor Trask proposed to re-align the boundary of the Beddauelectoral ward in order to transfer the homes bordered by, and those on the B4595Llantrisant Road as far as its junction with Heol-y-Beddau into the Tyn-y-nant electoral ward.Councillor Trask stated that this area of housing is similar in nature and community to thosein Tyn-y-nant, and adding this area to the Tyn-y-nant electoral ward would produce twowards with similar levels of representation.

60. The Commission proposes to combine the electoral wards of Beddau and Tyn-y-nant to forma two-member electoral ward with 5,581 electors (5,588 projected electors) which, ifrepresented by two councillors, would result in a level of representation that is 21% abovethe proposed county average. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward theWelsh language name of Beddau a Thyn-y-nant, and the English language name of Beddauand Tyn-y-nant as they appear in the 2016 Communities Order for Rhondda Cynon Taf. TheWelsh language Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commissionwelcomes any suggestions for alternative names.


Page 28

61. The Commission considers that this proposal successfully addresses the existinginappropriate levels of electoral representation in the Beddau electoral ward. TheCommission believes that this proposal builds on the existing community, communicationand social links within the Beddau and Tyn-y-nant electoral wards.


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<Map of Beddau and Tyn-y-nant>


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Page 31

Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green

62. The existing Llantrisant Town electoral ward is comprised of the Llantrisant Town ward ofthe Community of Llantrisant. It has 3,162 electors (3,247 projected electors) representedby one councillor which is 37% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward hasan estimated population of 3,935 eligible voters.

63. The existing Talbot Green electoral ward is comprised of the Talbot Green ward of theCommunity of Llantrisant. It has 1,956 electors (1,991 projected electors) represented byone councillor which is 15% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has anestimated population of 2,302 eligible voters.

64. The Commission received one representation concerning the area from: RCTCBC (whichincluded representations from Chris Elmore MP (Ogmore), Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd)and Councillors Glynne Holmes (Llantrisant Town) and Stephen Powell (Talbot Green)).

65. RCTCBC proposed to combine the electoral wards of Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green tocreate a single two-member ward with an appropriate level of electoral variance.

66. Chris Elmore MP (Ogmore) supported the Council’s proposal to combine the electoral wardsof Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green.

67. Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) and Councillors Holmes (Llantrisant Town) and Powell (TalbotGreen) all supported the Council’s proposal to combine the electoral wards of LlantrisantTown and Talbot Green.

68. The Commission proposes to combine the electoral wards of Llantrisant Town and TalbotGreen as proposed by RCTCBC and shown on page 32, to form a two-member electoral wardwith 5,118 electors (5,238 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors,would result in a level of representation that is 11% above the proposed county average.

69. The Commission has given the ward the Welsh language name of Tref Llantrisant aThonysguborion, and the English language name of Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green. TheWelsh Language Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commissionwelcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

70. The Commission considers that this proposal successfully addresses the existinginappropriate levels of electoral representation in the Llantrisant Town electoral ward andhas the support of the representations received concerning these electoral wards. TheCommission believes that the proposed electoral ward builds on the existing community,communication and social links within the Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green electoralwards.


Page 32

<Map of Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green>


Page 33

Llanharry and Pont-y-clun

71. The existing Llanharry electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Llanharry. It has 3,121 electors (3,167 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 36% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 2,999 eligible voters.

72. The existing Pont-y-clun electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Pont-y-clun. It has 6,014 electors (6,873 projected electors) represented by two councillors which is 31% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 6,470 eligible voters.

73. The Commission received three representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC (which included representations from Chris Elmore MP (Ogmore), Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) and Huw Irranca-Davies AM (Ogmore)), Llanharry Community Council and Pont-y-clun Community Council.

74. RCTCBC proposed to transfer the community ward of Tyle-Garw from the Llanharry electoral ward into the Pont-y-clun electoral ward and to include an additional member, the Council then proposed to divide the resulting Pont-y-clun electoral ward into three single-member wards. The Council’s alternative proposal is to transfer the community ward of Tyle-Garw into the Pont-y-clun electoral ward and include an additional member to create a three-member electoral ward.

75. Llanharry Community Council wrote to propose that the community ward of Tyle-Garw remain in the Llanharry electoral ward. The Council also proposes to re-align the boundary between the electoral wards of Llanharry and Pont-y-clun utilising the Nant Melyn and Ely Rivers as natural boundaries to transfer the area of Brynsadler from the Pont-y-clun electoral ward into the Llanharry electoral ward. The Council proposed to include an additional member in Llanharry as a consequence of these changes to form a two-member ward.

76. Pont-y-clun Community Council proposes to transfer all of the properties in the community ward of Tyle-Garw from Llanharry to Pont-y-clun and include an additional member in the ward. The Council then proposed to divide the resulting Pont-y-clun ward into three-single member wards of Pont-y-clun West, Pont-y-clun Central and Pont-y-clun East. The Community Council has also provided potential solutions to consequential changes to the Communities as a result of the proposed changes.

77. Chris Elmore MP (Ogmore), Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) and Huw Irranca-Davies AM (Ogmore) all support the Council’s proposal to transfer the community ward of Tyle-Garw into the Pont-y-clun electoral ward and to include an additional member to form a three-member electoral ward.

78. The Commission proposes to combine the entirety of the community ward of Tyle-Garw of the Community of Llanharry with the Community of Pont-y-clun, as illustrated on pages 35 and 36, to create a three-member electoral ward with 6,612 electors (7,471 projected electors) which, if represented by three councillors, would result in a level of representation that is 4% below the proposed county average.


Page 34

79. The Commission has given the electoral ward the single name of Pont-y-clun. The WelshLanguage Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomesany suggestions for alternative names.

80. The Commission, as a consequence, proposes the Llanharry ward of the Community ofLlanharry form an electroral ward with 2,523 electors (2,569 projected electors) which, ifrepresented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 10% abovethe proposed county average.

81. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh Language name ofLlanharri and the English Language name of Llanharry. The Welsh Language Commissionerconsidered the names and proposed the Welsh Language name of Llanhari as Llanhari is theform recommended in the national standard reference work, Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd/AGazetteer of Welsh Place-Names (University of Wales Press, 1967). One should not deviatefrom its recommendations without good reason. The Commission welcomes any suggestionsfor alternative names.

82. The Commission considers that these proposals successfully address the existinginappropriate level of electoral representation in the Llanharry and Pont-y-clun electoralwards. The Commission considered the majority proposal from Rhondda Cynon Taf CountyBorough Council and Pont-y-clun Community Council, however, the proposed boundaries forthe three single-member Pont-y-clun electoral wards were unclear and created artificialsplits across the Communities.


Page 35

<Map of Pont-y-clun>


Page 36

<Map of Llanharry>


Page 37

Brynna and Llanharan

83. The existing Brynna electoral ward is composed of the Brynna and Llaniliad wards of theCommunity of Llanharan. It has 3,441 electors (4,237 projected electors) represented by onecouncillor which is 49% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has anestimated population of 3,496 eligible voters.

84. The existing Llanharan ward is comprised of the Llanharan ward of the Community ofLlanharan. It has 2,730 electors (2,783 projected electors) represented by one councillorwhich is 19% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 2,717 eligible voters.

85. The Commission received one representation concerning the area from: RCTCBC (whichincluded representations from Chris Elmore MP (Ogmore), Huw Irranca-Davies AM (Ogmore)and Councillor Roger Turner (Brynna)).

86. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to divide the electoral ward of Brynna between its existingwarded communities of Brynna and Llaniliad and to include an additional member in thearea to create three single-member electoral wards of Brynna, Llaniliad and Llanharan. TheCouncil acknowledges that the existing Llaniliad electoral ward, if represented by onecouncillor, would be significantly over-represented; the electoral ward would achieve anappropriate level of electoral variance by 2023 due to significant development planned forthe area. The Council’s alternative proposal was to combine the existing electoral wards ofBrynna and Llanharan to create a three-member electoral ward.

87. Chris Elmore MP (Ogmore) supports the Council’s majority proposal to create three single-member electoral wards for Brynna, Llaniliad and Llanharan. Mr Elmore MP believes thisproposal would provide the best solution for the area when looking ahead to 2023. MrElmore MP is opposed to the alternative proposal to combine the electoral wards of Brynnaand Llanharan.

88. Huw Irranca-Davies AM (Ogmore) supports the Council’s majority proposal to create threesingle-member electoral wards for Brynna, Llaniliad and Llanharan. Mr Irranca-Davies AMsuggested that utilising the railway line as the boundary between Brynna and Llaniliadpresents a logical solution.

89. Councillor Turner (Brynna) supports the Council’s majority proposal to create an additionalsingle-member electoral ward representing the Llaniliad area. Councillor Turner is opposedto the Council’s alternative proposal to combine the existing wards of Brynna and Llanharan.

90. The Commission proposes that the whole Community of Llanharan form an electoral wardwith 6,171 electors (7,020 projected electors) which, if represented by three councillors,would result in a level of representation that is 11% below the proposed county average. TheCommission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh Language name of Brynna aLlanharan and the English language name of Brynna and Llanharan. The Welsh LanguageCommissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes anysuggestions for alternative names.


Page 38

91. The Commission acknowledges that this proposal does not conform to many of therepresentations received concerning the area. However, the proposal does conform to theCouncil’s alternative proposal. The Commission considers that the level of variance in theproposed Llaniliad ward would be inappropriate and that this proposal provides for the bestparity for the area.


Page 39

<Map of Brynna and Llanharan>


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Page 41

Tonyrefail West

92. The existing Tonyrefail West electoral ward is composed of the Penrhiw-fer, Thomastownand Tynybryn wards of the Community of Tonyrefail. It has 4,790 electors (5,225 projectedelectors) represented by one councillor which is 108% above the proposed county average.The electoral ward has an estimated population of 5,145 eligible voters.

93. The Commission received one representation concerning the area from: RCTCBC (whichincluded a representation from Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd)).

94. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to increase the number of councillors in the ward to two inorder to address the existing inappropriate levels of under-representation in the ward. TheCouncil’s alternative proposal was to combine the community of Penrhiw-fer with the Pen-y-Graig electoral ward and to transfer the area known as Edmundstown to the Cymmerelectoral ward.

95. Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) supports the Council’s majority proposal to increase thenumber of councillors in Tonyrefail West to two. However, Mr Antoniw AM also believesconsideration should be given to transferring the Community Ward of Penrhiw-fer and thearea known as Edmundstown to wards to the north as there is evidence that thesecommunities identify more closely with these wards.

96. The Commission proposes that the existing Tonyrefail West ward form an electoral wardwith 4,790 electors (5,225 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors (anincrease of one), would result in a level of electoral representation that is 4% above theproposed county average. The Commission has given the electoral ward the Welsh Languagename of Gorllewin Tonyrefail and the English language name of Tonyrefail West. The WelshLanguage Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomesany suggestions for alternative names.

97. The Commission believes this proposal provides significant improvement to electoralrepresentation in the electoral ward. The Commission considers that the proposed electoralward builds on the existing community, communication and social links within the TonyrefailWest electoral ward.


Page 42

<Map of Tonyrefail West>


Page 43

Llwyn-y-pia, Trealaw and Ystrad

98. The existing Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Llwyn-y-pia. It has 1,632 electors (1,713 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 29% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 1,858 eligible voters.

99. The existing Trealaw electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Trealaw. It has 2,809 electors (2,840 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 22% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 3,244 eligible voters.

100. The existing Ystrad electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Ystrad. It has 4,248 electors (4,266 projected electors) represented by two councillors which is 8% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 4,630 eligible voters.

101. The Commission received five representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC (which included a representation from Chris Bryant MP (Rhondda)), Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda), Councillor Wendy Lewis (Llwyn-y-pia), Councillor Joy Rosser (Trealaw) and Plaid Cymru Rhondda.

102. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to adjust the electoral ward boundaries of Llwyn-y-Pia and Trealaw to include the Ynyscynon area including Buckley Road and Avenue within Llwyn-y-pia. The Council also proposed to re-align the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward boundary with Ystrad to transfer properties within the village of Llwyn-y-pia that are situated in the Ystrad electoral ward into the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward. These boundary changes will transfer 742 electors into the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward. The Council’s alternative proposal is to combine the electoral wards of Llwyn-y-pia and Trealaw to create a two-member electoral ward.

103. Chris Bryant MP (Rhondda) supports the Council’s proposals to extend the boundaries of the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward into the Trealaw and Ystrad wards. Mr Bryant MP supports the transfer of the Ynyscynon area of the Trealaw electoral ward into the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward due to the location of the area’s polling stations. The transfer of housing from the Ystrad electoral ward into the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward would lessen confusion for residents.

104. Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda) opposed the Council’s proposals to alter the boundaries of the Ystrad electoral ward or to divide the electoral ward between the Communities of Ystrad and Gelli. Ms Wood AM states that the two communities are inextricably linked by sports clubs and is complimented by shared social and cultural connections. Ms Wood AM requests that the Ystrad ward should remain as they are in terms of geographical coverage and being represented by two members.

105. Councillor Wendy Lewis (Llwyn-y-pia) supports the Council’s majority proposal to extend the boundaries of the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward into the Trealaw and Ystrad electoral wards. Councillor Lewis advised that bringing the Llwyn-y-Pia element of the Ystrad electoral ward into the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward would lessen confusion for residents and increase elector

RHOND DA CYNON TAF DRAFT PROPOSALS

numbers in the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward. Councillor Lewis also stated that transferring the Ynyscynon area into the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward provides a more convenient solution to residents due to the location of the area’s polling stations.

106. Councillor Joy Rosser (Trealaw) opposed the Council’s proposal to combine the electoral wards of Llwyn-y-pia and Trealaw. Councillor Rosser supported the Council’s majority proposal to extend the ward boundary between the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward into the Trealaw and Ystrad electoral wards to address and re-balance the electorate figure in the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward.

107. Plaid Cymru Rhondda proposed to combine the electoral wards of Llwyn-y-pia and Trealaw to form a two-member electoral ward.

108. The Commission proposes to amend the boundary of the Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward as proposed by RCTCBC and illustrated on page 45. The proposed Llwyn-y-pia electoral ward will have 2,374 electors (2,459 projected electors) which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 3% above the proposed county average.

109. The Commission has given the electoral ward the single name of Llwyn-y-pia. The Welsh language Commissioner considered the name and proposed the single name of Llwynypia as this is the form recommended in the national standard reference work, Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd/A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names (University of Wales Press, 1967). One should not deviate from its recommendations without good reason. There is no need for hyphens in this name to aid pronunciation. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

110. The Commission, as a consequence, proposes that the remainder of the Trealaw electoral ward will form an electoral ward, as illustrated on page 46, with 2,511 electors (2,542 projected electors) which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 9% above the proposed county average.

111. The Commission has given the electoral ward the single name of Trealaw. The Welsh Language Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

112. The Commission, as a consequence, proposes that the remainder of the Ystrad electoral ward will form an electoral ward, as illustrated on page 47, with 3,804 electors (3,822 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors, would result in a level of electoral representation that is 17% below the proposed county average.

113. The Commission has given the electoral ward the single name of Ystrad. The Welsh Language Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

114. The Commission considers that this proposal aligns with RCTCBC’s majority proposal. It creates no split communities and provides improvements to electoral variance in the area. The proposed ward builds on the existing community, communication and social links within the area.


Page 45

<Map of Llwyn-y-pia>


Page 46

<Map of Trealaw>


Page 47

<Map of Ystrad>


Page 48



Page 49

Pentre

115. The existing Pentre electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Pentre. It has 3,857 electors (3,885 projected electors) represented by two councillors which is 16% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 4,147 eligible voters.

116. The Commission received four representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC (which included a representation from Chris Bryant MP (Rhondda)), Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda), Plaid Cymru Rhondda and a resident of Pentre.

117. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to divide the existing Pentre ward into two single-member electoral wards representing the communities of Pentre and Ton-pentre. The Council proposes to utilise the railway line as the clear and identifiable boundary between the two electoral wards. The Council’s alternative proposal is to retain the existing two-member arrangements for the Pentre ward.

118. Chris Bryant MP (Rhondda) supports the Council’s majority proposal to divide the existing Pentre electoral ward into two single-member wards by using the railway line as the boundary between the two.

119. Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda) opposed the Council’s majority proposal to divide the Pentre electoral ward between the communities of Pentre and Ton-pentre. Ms Wood AM cites inextricable community links through sports clubs and local schools as reasons for retaining the existing arrangements in the Pentre electoral ward.

120. Plaid Cymru Rhondda are opposed to the Council’s majority proposal to divide the existing Pentre electoral ward into two single-member electoral wards representing the communities of Pentre and Ton-pentre. The Party believes the communities would be best served by retaining the existing two-member arrangements.

121. A resident of Pentre supports the Council’s majority proposal to divide the existing Pentre electoral ward into two single-member electoral wards representing the communities of Pentre and Ton-pentre. The resident further proposed to combine the Ton-pentre electoral ward with part of the Ystrad ward.

122. The Commission proposes to apply the boundaries as submitted by RCTCBC (as illustrated on page 52) to divide the existing Pentre electoral ward to form a new electoral ward with 2,117 electors (2,119 projected electors) which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 8% below the proposed county average.

123. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the single name of Ton-pentre. The Welsh Language Commissioner has suggested the single name of Tonpentre. This is the form recommended in the national standard reference work, Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd/A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names. The Welsh Language Commissioner states that there is no need for hyphens in this name to aid pronunciation. The Commission would welcome any suggestions for alternative names.


Page 50

124. The remainder of the Pentre electoral ward, as illustrated on page 51, would include 1,740electors (1,766 projected electors) which, if represented by one councillor, would result in alevel of representation that is 24% below the proposed county average.

125. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the single name of Pentre. The WelshLanguage Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission wouldwelcome any suggestions for alternative names.

126. The Commission considers that this proposal aligns with the majority proposal supported byRCTCBC by creating two new community wards for Pentre and Ton-pentre and builds on theexisting community, communication and social links within the area.

127. The Council has made no suggestions as to the consequential arrangements for theCommunity of Pentre; these have been considered by the Commission in Chapter 6.


Page 51

<Map of Pentre>


Page 52

<Map of Ton-Pentre>


Page 53

Treorchy

128. The existing Treorchy electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Treorchy. It has 5,652electors (5,750 projected electors) represented by three councillors which is 18% below theproposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 6,118 eligiblevoters.

129. The Commission received four representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC, LeanneWood AM (Rhondda), Councillors Sêra Evans, Alison Chapman and Emyr Webster (allTreorchy) and Plaid Cymru Rhondda.

130. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to reduce the number of councillors representing Treorchyfrom three to two. This option allows the Council to re-distribute the additional councillor toother parts of the County Borough in order to address other areas with inappropriate levelsof electoral variance. The Council’s alternative proposal is to retain the existing three-member arrangements for Treorchy.

131. Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda) proposed to retain the existing electoral arrangements inTreorchy. Ms Wood AM believes that reducing the number of councillors for this ward fromthree to two would stretch the ratio of constituents to elected members too far. Ms WoodAM also stated that with Treorchy’s thriving town centre, large school and infrastructureissues, reducing Treorchy’s political weight would be a mistake. Ms Wood AM madereference to the submission from Plaid Cymru Rhondda for the area, which she fullyendorsed.

132. Councillors Sêra Evans, Alison Chapman and Emyr Webster (all Treorchy) jointly proposed toretain the existing three-member electoral arrangements in Treorchy. The Councillors citesocio-economic factors, democratic representation and proposed electorate figures asreasons to maintain the existing three-member arrangement.

133. Plaid Cymru Rhondda wrote to propose that no changes are made to the existing electoralarrangements for Treorchy. As part of their submission, Plaid Cymru Rhondda suggested award name (acceptable in both Welsh and English) for the ward. Plaid Cymru Rhondda’ssuggestion for the Treorchy electoral ward is Treorci.

134. The Commission proposes that the electoral ward of Treorchy form an electoral ward with5,652 electors (5,750 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors (areduction of one), would result in a level of representation that is 23% above the proposedcounty average. The Commission has given the electoral ward the Welsh language name ofTreorci and the English language name of Treorchy. The Welsh Language Commissioneragrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions foralternative names.

135. The Commission has considered the representations received and agrees with the Council’sproposal to reduce the number of councillors in the Treorchy electoral ward, whilstacknowledging the other representations the Commission considers that a reduction of acouncillor in this electoral ward provides appropriate variance from the county average.


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<Map of Treorchy>


Page 55

Tylorstown and Ynyshir

136. The existing Tylorstown electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Tylorstown. It has2,981 electors (3,034 projected electors) represented by two councillors which is 35% belowthe proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 3,404eligible voters.

137. The existing Ynyshir electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Ynyshir. It has 2,391electors (2,398 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 4% above theproposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 2,649 eligiblevoters.

138. The Commission received seven representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC, LeanneWood AM (Rhondda), Councillor Darren Macey (Ynyshir), Plaid Cymru Rhondda, TylorstownWard Labour Party, a resident of Tylorstown and a resident of Ynyshir.

139. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to combine the electoral wards of Tylorstown and Ynyshir toform a two-member electoral ward. This would result in the loss of one member in the area,however, it also provides moderate improvements to the existing levels of over-representation in the Tylorstown electoral ward. The Council’s alternative proposal is toretain the existing arrangements in Ynyshir, and to combine the electoral wards ofTylorstown and Ferndale to create a three-member electoral ward.

140. Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda) opposed the Council’s proposals to combine the electoralwards of Tylorstown and Ynyshir. Ms Wood AM states that there are no natural communitylinks between Tylorstown and Ynyshir.

141. Councillor Macey (Ynyshir) opposed the Council’s majority proposal to combine the electoralwards of Tylorstown and Ynyshir. Cllr Macey proposed to combine the electoral wards ofTylorstown and Ferndale to create a three-member electoral ward. Cllr Macey has alsoprovided evidence to support the assertion that there are no community-linked groups orinitiatives in place between Tylorstown and Ynyshir. Cllr Macey requested that no changesare made to the existing arrangements for Ynyshir.

142. Plaid Cymru Rhondda opposed the Council’s majority proposal to combine the electoralwards of Tylorstown and Ynyshir. The Party proposed to combine the electoral wards ofTylorstown and Ferndale to create a three-member electoral ward.

143. The Tylorstown Ward Labour Party is opposed the Council’s proposals to combine theelectoral wards of Tylorstown and Ynyshir and also Tylorstown and Ferndale. The Partyrequested that no changes are made to the existing electoral arrangements for Tylorstown.

144. A resident of Tylorstown proposed to combine the electoral wards of Tylorstown andFerndale to create a two-member electoral ward, resulting in a loss of two councillors in theRhondda Fach area.

145. A resident of Ynyshir requested that no changes are made to the existing electoralarrangements for Ynyshir.


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146. The Commission proposes to combine the Communities of Tylorstown and Ynyshir to createan electoral ward with 5,372 electors (5,432 projected electors) which, if represented by twocouncillors, would result in a level of representation that is 17% above the proposed countyaverage.

147. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name ofRhondda Fach Isaf and the English language name of Rhondda Fach Lower, as suggested byRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council. The Welsh language Commissioner agrees withthe Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternativenames.

148. The Commission has considered the representations received and agrees with the Council’smajority proposal. The Commission acknowledges the representations received inopposition to the majority proposal. The Commission considers that the proposal to form anelectoral ward with two members provides an appropriate level of variance from the countyaverage.


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<Map of Rhondda Fach Lower>


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Ferndale and Maerdy

149. The existing Ferndale electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Ferndale. It has 3,037electors (3,072 projected electors) represented by two councillors which is 34% below theproposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 3,369 eligiblevoters.

150. The existing Maerdy electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Maerdy. It has 2,287electors (2,398 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 1% below theproposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 2,387 eligiblevoters.

151. The Commission received four representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC, LeanneWood AM (Rhondda), Plaid Cymru Rhondda and a resident of Ferndale.

152. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to combine the electoral wards of Ferndale and Maerdy tocreate a two-member electoral ward. This would result in the loss of one councillor in thearea and provides moderate improvements to electoral variance. The proposal successfullyaddresses the existing levels of over-representation in the Ferndale electoral ward. TheCouncil’s alternative proposal for the area is to combine the electoral wards of Ferndale andTylorstown to create a three-member electoral ward whilst retaining the existing single-member arrangements for Ynyshir and Maerdy.

153. Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda) opposed the Council’s proposal to combine the electoral wardsof Maerdy and Ferndale. Ms Wood AM states that there are no natural community linksbetween Maerdy and Ferndale.

154. Plaid Cymru Rhondda opposed the Council’s majority proposal to combine the electoralwards of Ferndale and Maerdy. The Party proposed to combine the electoral wards ofFerndale and Tylorstown to create a three-member electoral ward.

155. A resident of Ferndale opposed the Council’s majority proposal to combine the electoralwards of Ferndale and Maerdy. The resident suggested combining the electoral wards ofFerndale and Tylorstown to create a two-member ward, resulting in the loss of twocouncillors from the area.

156. The Commission proposes to combine the Communities of Ferndale and Maerdy to form anelectoral ward with 5,324 electors (5,470 projected electors) which, if represented by twocouncillors, would result in a level of representation that is 16% above the proposed countyaverage. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language nameof Rhondda Fach Uchaf, and the English language name Rhondda Fach Upper. The WelshLanguage Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomesany suggestions for alternative names.

157. The Commission notes that the existing Maerdy electoral ward is currently well represented,however, the existing Ferndale electoral ward has an inappropriate level of representation.The Commission agrees with the Council that this proposal provides the best solution to theissue of electoral representation in the area.


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<Map of Rhondda Fach Upper>


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Hirwaun and Rhigos

158. The existing Hirwaun electoral ward is comprised of the Hirwaun ward of the Community ofHirwaun. It has 3,123 electors (3,239 projected electors) represented by one councillorwhich is 36% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 3,374 eligible voters.

159. The existing Rhigos electoral ward is composed of the Penderyn ward of the Community ofHirwaun and the Community of Rhigos. It has 1,399 electors (1,443 projected electors)represented by one councillor which is 39% below the proposed county average. Theelectoral ward has an estimated population of 1,441 eligible voters.

160. The Commission received two representations concerning the area from RCTCBC (whichincluded representations from Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley) and Vikki Howells AM (CynonValley)) and Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon.

161. RCTCBC proposed to retain the existing single-member arrangements in both the Hirwaunand Rhigos electoral wards. The Council cites the large geographical area encompassed bythe wards, and the rural nature of the communities as reasons for retaining the existingelectoral arrangements.

162. Ann Clwyd MP and Vikki Howells AM (both Cynon Valley) supported the Council’s proposalto retain the existing single-member arrangements for Hirwaun and Rhigos.

163. Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon proposed that no changes are made to the existing electoralarrangements for Hirwaun and Rhigos.

164. The Commission proposes to combine the Communities of Hirwaun and Rhigos to form anelectoral ward with 4,522 electors (4,682 projected electors) which, if represented by twocouncillors, would result in a level of representation that is 2% below the proposed countyaverage.

165. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name ofHirwaun a Rhigos and the English language name of Hirwaun and Rhigos. The WelshLanguage Commissioner considered the name and proposed an alternative Welsh Languagename of Hirwaun a’r Rhigos as ‘Y Rhigos’ is the form recommended in the national standardreference work Rhestr o Enwau Lleoedd/A Gazetteer of Welsh Place Names. The Commissionwelcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

166. The Commission considers that this proposal provides for significant improvement toelectoral variance in the area. The Commission recognises the representations and theirpreference for retaining the existing arrangements. However, the Commission is of the viewthat both the current and projected statistics do not justify such an atypical level ofrepresentation.


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<Map of Hirwaun and Rhigos>


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Aberaman

167. The existing Aberaman North electoral ward is comprised of the Community of AberamanNorth. It has 3,648 electors (3,781 projected electors) represented by two councillors whichis 21% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated populationof 4,143 eligible voters.

168. The existing Aberaman South electoral ward is comprised of the Community of AberamanSouth. It has 3,463 electors (3,609 projected electors) represented by two councillors whichis 25% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated populationof 3,758 eligible voters.

169. The Commission received two representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC (whichincluded representations from Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley) and Vikki Howells AM (CynonValley)) and Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon.

170. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to combine the electoral wards of Aberaman North andAberaman South to form a three-member electoral ward. The Council’s alternative proposalis to divide the electoral wards of Aberaman North and Aberaman South into three single-member electoral wards.

171. Ann Clwyd MP and Vikki Howells AM (both Cynon Valley) supported the Council’s majorityproposal to combine the electoral wards of Aberaman North and Aberaman South to form athree-member electoral ward.

172. Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon opposed the Council’s proposals to combine the electoral wards ofAberaman North and Aberaman South. The Party cited the Review of Rhondda Cynon TafCommunity Arrangements of 2014 by the Commission which was approved at Ministeriallevel. That Review proposed to divide Aberaman between the two communities ofAberaman North and Aberaman South and the Commission was satisfied that the changewould provide effective and convenient local government.

173. The Commission proposes to combine the Communities of Aberaman North and AberamanSouth to form an electoral ward with 7,111 electors (7,390 projected electors) which, ifrepresented by three councillors, would result in a level of representation that is 3% abovethe proposed county average. The Commission has given the electoral ward the single nameof Aberaman. The Welsh Language Commissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal.The Commission welcomes any suggestions for alternative names.

174. The Commission agrees with the Council that this proposal provides for significantimprovement in electoral variance in the area.


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<Map of Aberaman>


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Cwmbach

175. The existing Cwmbach electoral ward is comprised of the Community of Cwmbach. It has3,679 electors (3,959 projected electors) represented by one councillor which is 60% abovethe proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 3,940eligible voters.

176. The Commission received two representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC (whichincluded representations from Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley) and Vikki Howells AM (CynonValley)) and Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon.

177. RCTCBC proposed to increase the number of councillors in the Cwmbach electoral ward fromone to two. This was unanimously supported by the membership of the full council. Noalternative proposal was submitted for the Cwmbach electoral ward.

178. Ann Clwyd MP, Vikki Howells AM (both Cynon Valley) and Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon allsupported the Council’s proposal to increase the number of councillors in the Cwmbach wardfrom one to two.

179. The Commission proposes that the Cwmbach electoral ward form an electoral ward with3,679 electors (3,959 projected electors) which, if represented by two councillors (anincrease of one), would result in a level of representation that is 20% below the proposedcounty average.

180. The Commission has given the electoral ward the single name of Cwmbach. The WelshLanguage Commissioner considered the name and proposed the single name of Cwm-bachas this is the form recommended in the national standard reference work, Rhestr o EnwauLleoedd/A Gazetteer of Welsh Place Names, and that the hyphen is used to aid pronunciationby showing that the stress falls on the final syllable of this name. The Commission welcomesany suggestions for alternative names.

181. This proposal provides significant improvement to electoral variance in the ward and has thesupport of all representations received. The Commission believes that the proposedelectoral ward would build on the existing community, communication and social links withinthe Cwmbach electoral ward.


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<Map of Cwmbach>


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Mountain Ash

182. The existing Mountain Ash East electoral ward is comprised of the Community of MountainAsh East. It has 2,158 electors (2,381 projected electors) represented by one councillor whichis 6% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated populationof 2,335 eligible voters.

183. The existing Mountain Ash West electoral ward is comprised of the Community of MountainAsh West. It has 3,120 electors (3,197 projected electors) represented by two councillorswhich is 32% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 3,608 eligible voters.

184. The Commission received two representations concerning the area from: RCTCBC (whichincluded representations from Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley), Vikki Howells AM (CynonValley) and Councillors Andrew Morgan and Wendy Treeby (both Mountain Ash West)) andPlaid Cymru Cwmcynon.

185. RCTCBC’s majority proposal is to combine the electoral wards of Mountain Ash East andMountain Ash West to form a two-member electoral ward. This proposal would result in theloss of one councillor from the area. The Council’s alternative proposal for the area is toretain the existing arrangements in Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West.

186. Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley) supported the Council’s proposal to combine the electoralwards of Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West. Ms Clwyd AM states that whilst shecannot fully support any loss of representation in the Cynon Valley, she understands thatreducing the number of members from three to two may be necessary.

187. Vikki Howells AM (Cynon Valley) and Councillors Morgan and Treeby (both Mountain AshWest) all supported the Council’s proposal to combine the electoral wards of Mountain AshEast and Mountain Ash West to form a single two-member electoral ward.

188. Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon proposed that no changes are made to the existing electoralarrangements for Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West.

189. The Commission proposes to combine the Communities of Mountain Ash East and MountainAsh West to form an electoral ward with 5,278 electors (5,578 projected electors) which, ifrepresented by two councillors (a reduction of one), would result in a level of representationthat is 15% above the proposed county average. This will result in the loss of one councillorfor the area.

190. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name ofAberpennar and the English language name of Mountain Ash. The Welsh LanguageCommissioner agrees with the Commission’s proposal. The Commission welcomes anysuggestions for alternative names.

191. The Commission agrees with the recommendation made by Rhondda Cynon Taf CountyBorough Council for this area, and the improvement in electoral parity. The Commissionbelieves that the proposed ward would provide for effective and convenient local


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government and build on the existing community, communication and social links within the Mountain Ash area.


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<Map of Mountain Ash>


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Chapter 5. SUMMARY OF PROPOSED ARRANGEMENTS

1. The existing electoral arrangements (as shown at Appendix 2) provide for the following levelsof electoral representation within the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf:

• Electoral variance ranges from 39% below the current county average (Rhigos) to 108%above the current county average (Tonyrefail West) of 2,302 electors per councillor.

• Four electoral wards have levels of representation more than 50% above or below thecurrent county average of 2,302 electors per councillor.

• 15 electoral wards have levels of representation more than 25% above or below thecurrent county average of 2,302 electors per councillor.

• 18 electoral wards have levels of representation between 10% and 25% above or belowthe current county average of 2,302 electors per councillor.

• 15 electoral wards have levels of representation less than 10% above or below the currentcounty average of 2,302 electors per councillor.

2. In comparison with the existing electoral arrangements shown above, the proposed electoralarrangements (as shown in Appendix 3) illustrate the following improvements to theelectoral representation across the County Borough:

• Electoral variance ranges from 25% below the proposed county average (Ynysybwl) to23% above the proposed county average (Taff’s Well and Treorchy) of 2,302 electors percouncillor.

• None of the electoral wards have levels of representation more than 25% above or belowthe proposed county average of 2,302 electors per councillor.

• 23 electoral wards have levels of representation between 10% and 25% above or belowthe proposed county average of 2,302 electors per councillor.

• 22 electoral wards have levels of representation less than 10% above or below theproposed county average of 2,302 electors per councillor.

3. As described in Appendix 4, in producing a scheme of electoral arrangements theCommission must have regard to a number of issues contained in the legislation. It is notalways possible to resolve all of these, sometimes conflicting, issues. In the Commission’sproposed scheme it has placed emphasis on achieving improvements in electoral paritywhilst maintaining the current pattern of electoral wards.

4. The Commission has looked at each area and is satisfied that it was possible to achieveelectoral arrangements that keep the existing combination of communities and communitywards without having a detrimental effect on one or more of the other issues that it mustconsider. The Commission recognises however that there may be different combinations ofcommunities and community wards that better reflect community ties and it would welcomeany alternative suggestions that comply with the legislation.

5. In this document the proposed electoral wards have been given working names which areintended to represent an area. The Commission recognises that there may be names thatare more appropriate and it would welcome alternative suggestions. The Commission wouldrequest that these suggested names should not merely consist of listed communities and


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villages but, instead, should reflect the character of the areas involved as well as being effective in either English or Welsh.

6. This draft scheme represents the Commission’s preliminary views on the electoralarrangements for the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. The Commission shall welcomeany representations in respect of these proposals. The Commission will consider carefully allrepresentations made to it before formulating its final proposals and submitting them to theWelsh Government.


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Chapter 6. CONSEQUENTIAL ARRANGEMENTS

1. In considering the changes to electoral wards where the Commission has proposed boundarychanges, it has also been necessary to consider the consequence of these changes to theboundaries and electoral arrangements of the community and town councils. This section ofthe report details our proposals for such consequential changes. The electoral statistics usedin this section were provided by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

Community and Community Ward Boundaries

2. There are ten changes to electoral wards which, as a consequence, the Commission mustconsider the underlying community and community ward arrangements. The proposedchange to community and community ward boundaries are as follows:

Llantwit Fardre Community Council

3. The proposed electoral ward of Church Village is proposed to have the same consequentialchange to the Church Village ward of the Community Council of Llantwit Fardre, as illustratedon the map at page 25.

4. The proposed electoral ward of Ton-teg is proposed to have the same consequential changeto the Ton-teg ward of the Community Council of Llantwit Fardre, as illustrated on the mapat page 26.

Pentre Community Area

5. The proposed electoral wards of Pentre and Tonpentre are proposed to have the sameconsequential change to the Pentre Community Area. The Pentre Community Area will besplit to create two new Community Areas of Pentre and Tonpentre, as illustrated on themaps at page 51 and 52.

Pontypridd Town Council

6. The proposed electoral ward of Graig and Trefforest is proposed to have the sameconsequential change to the Graig ward of the Town of Pontypridd, as illustrated on the mapat page 13.

7. The proposed electoral ward of Hawthorn is proposed to have the same consequentialchanges to the Hawthorn ward of the Town of Pontypridd, as illustrated on the map at page18.

8. The proposed electoral ward of Rhondda is proposed to have the same consequentialchange to the Rhondda ward of the Town of Pontypridd, as illustrated on the map at page14.

9. The proposed electoral ward of Rhydfelen Central is proposed to have the sameconsequential changes to the Hawthorn and Rhydfelen Central/Ilan wards of the Town ofPontypridd, as illustrated on the map at page 17.

10. The proposed electoral ward of Rhydfelen Upper and Glyn-taf is proposed to have the sameconsequential change to the Rhydfelen Central/Ilan ward of the Town of Pontypridd, asillustrated on the map at page 19.

Trehafod Community Area

11. The proposed electoral wards of Cymmer and Rhondda is proposed to have the same


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consequential changes to the Trehafod Community as illustrated on the map at pages 12 and 14.

Town and Community Council Electoral Arrangements

12. The Commission is required to consider the consequential changes to the communityelectoral arrangements that would occur following the proposals detailed above. Theexisting electoral arrangements and the proposed changes to those arrangements are shownbelow:



Existing Proposed

Wards Electors Community Councillors

Electors per Councillor

Variance Electors Community Councillors

Electors per Councillor

Variance

Church Village

4,313 4 1,078 5% 5,033 5 1,007 -2%

Efail Isaf 1,025 1 1,025 0% 1,025 1 1,025 0%

Llantwit Fardre

3,778 4 945 -8% 3,778 4 945 -8%

Ton-teg 3,222 3 1,074 4% 2,502 2 1,251 22%

12,338 12 1,028 12,338 12 1,028

13. The Commission is satisfied that these proposed changes are appropriate and are in theinterests of effective and convenient local government.


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14. The Commission is required to consider the consequential changes to the communityelectoral arrangements that would occur following the proposals details above. The existingelectoral arrangements and the proposed changes to those arrangements are shown below:


Existing Proposed

Wards Electors Community Councillors

Electors per

Councillor

Variance Wards Electors Community Councillors

Electors per

Councillor

Variance

Cilfynydd 2,095 2 1,048 3% Cilfynydd 2,095 2 1,084 4%

Glyncoch 2,021 2 1,011 -1% Glyncoch 2,021 2 1,011 0%

Graig 1,853 2 927 -9% Graig 5,204 2 1,152 14%

Hawthorn 1,684 2 842 -17% Hawthorn 1,803 2 902 -11%

Ilan 934 1 934 -8% Rhydfelen Upper and

Glyn-taf

2,397 2 1,199 19%

Rhondda 3,481 4 870 -15% Rhondda 2,780 3 927 -8%

Rhydfelen Central

2,099 2 1,050 3% Rhydfelen Central

1,949 2 975 -3%

Rhydfelen Lower

1,432 1 1,432 40% n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a

Town 2,153 2 1,077 6% Town 2,153 2 1,077 7%

Trallwng 2,795 3 932 -9% Trallwng 2,795 3 932 -8%

Treforest 2,901 2 1,451 42% Treforest 2,901 3 967 -4%

23,448 23 1,019 23,197 23 1,009


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Chapter 7. RESPONSES TO THE DRAFT PROPOSALS

1. All observations on these draft proposals should be sent to:

The Chief ExecutiveLocal Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales Hastings HouseFitzalan CourtCardiffCF24 0BL

Or by email to: [email protected]

no later than 17 September 2019.

mailto:%[email protected]


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Chapter 8. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1. The Commission wish to express our gratitude to the principal council, the CommunityCouncil and other interested bodies and persons for their assistance during the course ofdeveloping these draft proposals. The Commission commend the draft proposals containedwithin this report.

CERI STRADLING (Deputy Chair)

DAVID POWELL (Member)

JULIE MAY (Member)

THEODORE JOLOZA (Member)

SHEREEN WILLIAMS (Chief Executive)

April 2019

1

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 1 – GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Commission The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.

Community (area) The unit of local government that lies below the level of the Principal Council.

Community Council An elected council that provides services to their particular community area. A Community Council may be divided for community electoral purposes into community wards.

Community / Town ward

An area within a Community Council created for community electoral purposes.

Directions Directions issued by Welsh Ministers under Section 48 of the Act.

Electoral wards The areas into which Principal Councils are divided for the purpose of electing county councillors, previously referred to as electoral divisions.

Electoral review A review in which the Commission considers the electoral arrangements for a Principal Council.

Electoral variance How far the number of electors per councillor in a ward varies from the county average; expressed as a percentage.

Electorate The number of persons registered to vote in a local government area.

Estimated Population of Eligible Voters

The estimated number of eligible persons (18+) within a local government area who are eligible to vote. These figures have been sourced from the Office of National Statistics’ 2015 Ward population estimated for Wales, mid-2015 (experimental statistics).

Interested party Person or body who has an interest in the outcome of an electoral review such as a community or town council, local MP or AM or political party.

Order Order made by an implementing body, giving effect to proposals made by the Principal Council or the Commission.

Over- representation

Where there are fewer electors per councillor in a ward compared to the county average.

Principal area The area governed by a Principal Council: in Wales a county or county borough.

2

APPENDIX 1

Principal council The single tier organ of local government, responsible for all or almost all local government functions within its area. A county or county borough council.

Projected electorate

The five-year forecast of the electorate.

Split Community A Community which is divided between two, or more, Electoral Wards.

The Act The Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013.

Town Council A Community Council with the status of a town are known as Town Councils. A Town Council may be divided for community electoral purposes into wards.

Under- representation

Where there are more electors per councillor in a ward compared to the county average.

APPENDIX 2

1

RHONDDA CYNON TAF COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL EXISTING COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP

No. NAME DESCRIPTION No. OF COUNCILLORS

ELECTORATE 2018

2018 RATIO

% variance

from County average

ELECTORATE 2023

2023 RATIO

% variance

from County average

Population Eligible to

Vote

1 Aberaman North The Community of Aberaman North 2 3,648 1,824 -21% 3,781 1,891 -20% 4,143

2 Aberaman South The Community of Aberaman South 2 3,463 1,732 -25% 3,609 1,805 -24% 3,758

3 Abercynon The Community of Abercynon 2 4,487 2,244 -3% 4,537 2,269 -5% 4,968

4 Aberdare East The Community of Aberdare East 2 4,900 2,450 6% 5,077 2,539 7% 5,243

5 Aberdare West/Llwydcoed

The Communities of Aberdare West (5,943) [6,295] and Llwydcoed (1,233) [1,266] 3 7,176 2,392 4% 7,561 2,520 6% 7,601

6 Beddau The Beddau ward of the Community of Llantrisant 1 3,167 3,167 38% 3,174 3,174 34% 3,575

7 Brynna The Brynna (2,025) [2,084] and Llaniliad (1,416) [2,153] wards of the Community of Llanharan

1 3,441 3,441 49% 4,237 4,237 78% 3,496

8 Church Village The Church Village ward of the Community of Llantwit Fardre 1 4,313 4,313 87% 4,350 4,350 83% 3,898

9 Cilfynydd The Cilfynydd ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,095 2,095 -9% 2,136 2,136 -10% 2,260

10 Cwm Clydach The Community of Cwm Clydach 1 1,944 1,944 -16% 2,049 2,049 -14% 2,177 11 Cwmbach The Community of Cwmbach 1 3,679 3,679 60% 3,959 3,959 67% 3,940

12 Cymmer The Communities of Cymmer (3,406) [3,427] and Trehafod (565) [585] 2 3,971 1,986 -14% 4,012 2,006 -16% 4,417

13 Ferndale The Community of Ferndale 2 3,037 1,519 -34% 3,072 1,536 -35% 3,369 14 Gilfach Goch The Community of Gilfach Goch 1 2,434 2,434 6% 2,495 2,495 5% 2,723

15 Glyncoch The Glyncoch ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,021 2,021 -12% 2,023 2,023 -15% 2,310

16 Graig The Graig ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 1,853 1,853 -20% 1,910 1,910 -20% 1,901

17 Hawthorn The Hawthorn (1,684) [1,684] and Rhydfelen Lower (1,432) [1,432] wards of the Town of Pontypridd

1 3,116 3,116 35% 3,116 3,116 31% 3,138

18 Hirwaun The Hirwaun ward of the Community of Hirwaun 1 3,123 3,123 36% 3,239 3,239 36% 3,374

19 Llanharan The Llanharan ward of the Community of Llanharan 1 2,730 2,730 19% 2,783 2,783 17% 2,717

20 Llanharry The Community of Llanharry 1 3,121 3,121 36% 3,167 3,167 33% 2,999

APPENDIX 2

2


ELECTORATE 2018

2018 RATIO

% variance

from County average

ELECTORATE 2023

2023 RATIO

% variance

from County average


Vote

21 Llantrisant Town

The Llantrisant Town ward of the Community of Llantrisant 1 3,162 3,162 37% 3,247 3,247 37% 3,935

22 Llantwit Fardre The Efail Isaf (1,025) [1,029] and Llantwit Fardre (3.778) [3,785] wards of the Community of Llantwit Fardre

2 4,803 2,402 4% 4,814 2,407 1% 4,795

23 Llwyn-y-Pia The Community of Llwyn-y-Pia 1 1,632 1,632 -29% 1,713 1,713 -28% 1,858 24 Maerdy The Community of Maerdy 1 2,287 2,287 -1% 2,398 2,398 1% 2,387

25 Mountain Ash East The Community of Mountain Ash East 1 2,158 2,158 -6% 2,381 2,381 0% 2,335

26 Mountain Ash West The Community of Mountain Ash West 2 3,120 1,560 -32% 3,197 1,599 -33% 3,608

27 Pen-y-Graig The Community of Pen-y-graig 2 3,924 1,962 -15% 3,983 1,992 -16% 4,307 28 Pen-y-Waun The Community of Pen-y-waun 1 2,011 2,011 -13% 2,122 2,122 -11% 2,345 29 Penrhiwceiber The Community of Penrhiwceiber 2 4,114 2,057 -11% 4,136 2,068 -13% 4,561 30 Pentre The Community of Pentre 2 3,857 1,929 -16% 3,885 1,943 -18% 4,147 31 Pont-y-clun The Community of Pont-y-clun 2 6,014 3,007 31% 6,873 3,437 45% 6,470

32 Pontypridd Town The Town ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,153 2,153 -6% 2,217 2,217 -7% 2,279

33 Porth The Community of Porth 2 4,301 2,151 -7% 4,426 2,213 -7% 4,799

34 Rhigos The Penderyn ward (658) [658] of the Community of Hirwaun and the Community of Rhigos (741) [785]

1 1,399 1,399 -39% 1,443 1,443 -39% 1,441

35 Rhondda The Rhondda ward of the Town of Pontypridd 2 3,481 1,741 -24% 3,520 1,760 -26% 3,703

36 Rhydfelen Central/Ilan

The Ilan (934) [934] and Rhydfelen Central wards (2,099) [2,101] of the Town of Pontypridd

1 3,033 3,033 32% 3,035 3,035 28% 3,435

37 Taffs Well The Community of Taffs Well 1 2,826 2,826 23% 2,830 2,830 19% 3,123

38 Talbot Green The Talbot Green ward of the Community of Llantrisant 1 1,956 1,956 -15% 1,991 1,991 -16% 2,302

39 Ton-Teg The Ton-Teg ward of the Community of Llantwit Fardre 2 3,222 1,611 -30% 3,222 1,611 -32% 3,282

40 Tonypandy The Community of Tonypandy 1 2,638 2,638 15% 2,695 2,695 13% 3,001

41 Tonyrefail East The Coedely (1,347) [1,474], Collena (1,619) [1,623], and Tylcha (1,294) [1,312] wards of the Community of Tonyrefail

2 4,260 2,130 -7% 4,409 2,205 -7% 4,701

42 Tonyrefail West The Penrhiw-fer (1,062) [1,066], Thomastown (1,307) [1,441], and Tynybryn (2,421) [2,718] wards of the Community of Tonyrefail

1 4,790 4,790 108% 5,225 5,225 120% 5,145

APPENDIX 2

3


ELECTORATE 2018

2018 RATIO

% variance

from County average

ELECTORATE 2023

2023 RATIO

% variance

from County average


Vote

43 Trallwng The Trallwng ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,795 2,795 21% 2,819 2,819 19% 3,087

44 Trealaw The Community of Trealaw 1 2,809 2,809 22% 2,840 2,840 19% 3,244

45 Treforest The Treforest ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,901 2,901 26% 2,997 2,997 26% 4,449

46 Treherbert The Community of Treherbert 2 4,165 2,083 -10% 4,242 2,121 -11% 4,583

47 Treorchy The Community of Treorchy 3 5,652 1,884 -18% 5,750 1,917 -19% 6,118

48 Tylorstown The Community of Tylorstown 2 2,981 1,491 -35% 3,034 1,517 -36% 3,404

49 Tyn-y-Nant The Tyn-y-Nant ward of the Community of Llantrisant 1 2,414 2,414 5% 2,414 2,414 2% 2,657

50 Ynyshir The Community of Ynyshir 1 2,391 2,391 4% 2,398 2,398 1% 2,649

51 Ynysybwl The Community of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm 1 3,457 3,457 50% 3,485 3,485 47% 3,619

52 Ystrad The Community of Ystrad 2 4,248 2,124 -8% 4,266 2,133 -10% 4,630

TOTAL: 75 172,673 2,302 178,294 2,377 188,406 Ratio is the number of electors per councillor

Electoral figures supplied by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council Population figures supplied by the Office for National Statistics

2018 2023

Greater than + or - 50% of County average 4 8% 4 8% Between + or - 25% and + or - 50% of County average 15 29% 15 29%

Between + or - 10% and + or - 25% of County average 18 35% 23 44% Between 0% and + or - 10% of County average 15 29% 10 19%

APPENDIX 3

1

RHONDDA CYNON TAF COUNTY BOROUGH COUNCIL PROPOSED COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP


ELECTORATE 2018

2018 RATIO

% variance

from County average

ELECTORATE 2023

2023 RATIO

% variance

from County average

1 Aberaman The Communities of Aberaman North and Aberaman South 3 7,111 2,370 3% 7,390 2,463 4%

2 Abercynon The Community of Abercynon 2 4,487 2,244 -3% 4,537 2,269 -5%

3 Aberdare East The Community of Aberdare East 2 4,900 2,450 6% 5,077 2,539 7%

4 Aberdare West and Llwydcoed The Communities of Aberdare West and Llwydcoed 3 7,176 2,392 4% 7,561 2,520 6%

5 Beddau and Tyn-y-nant The Beddau and Tyn-y-Nant wards of the Community of Llantrisant 2 5,581 2,791 21% 5,588 2,794 18%

6 Brynna and Llanharan The Brynna, Llaniliad and Llanharan wards of the Community of Llanharan 3 6,171 2,057 -11% 7,020 2,340 -2%

7 Church Village The Church Village ward of the Community of Llantwit Fardre 2 5,033 2,517 9% 5,070 2,535 7%

8 Cilfynydd The Cilfynydd ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,095 2,095 -9% 2,136 2,136 -10%

9 Cwm Clydach The Community of Cwm Clydach 1 1,944 1,944 -16% 2,049 2,049 -14%

10 Cwmbach The Community of Cwmbach 2 3,679 1,840 -20% 3,959 1,980 -17%

11 Cymmer The Communities of Cymmer and Trehafod 2 4,222 2,111 -8% 4,259 2,130 -10%

12 Gilfach Goch The Community of Gilfach Goch 1 2,434 2,434 6% 2,495 2,495 5%

13 Glyncoch The Glyncoch ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,021 2,021 -12% 2,023 2,023 -15%

14 Graig and Treforest The Graig and Treforest wards of the Town of Pontypridd 2 5,204 2,602 13% 5,361 2,681 13%

15 Hawthorn The Hawthorn ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 1,803 1,803 -22% 1,805 1,805 -24%

16 Hirwaun and Rhigos The Hirwaun and Penderyn wards of the Community of Hirwaun and the Community of Rhigos 2 4,522 2,261 -2% 4,682 2,341 -2%

17 Llanharry The Community of Llanharry 1 2,523 2,523 10% 2,569 2,569 8%

18 Llantrisant Town and Talbot

Green The Llantrisant and Talbot Green wards of the Community of Llantrisant 2 5,118 2,559 11% 5,238 2,619 10%

19 Llantwit Fardre The Efail Isaf and Llantwit Fardre wards of the Community of Llantwit Fardre 2 4,803 2,402 4% 4,814 2,407 1%

APPENDIX 3

2


ELECTORATE 2018

2018 RATIO

% variance

from County average

ELECTORATE 2023

2023 RATIO

% variance

from County average

20 Llwyn-y-Pia The Community of Llwyn-y-Pia 1 2,374 2,374 3% 2,459 2,459 3%

21 Mountain Ash The Communities of Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West 2 5,278 2,639 15% 5,578 2,789 17%

22 Penrhiwceiber The Community of Penrhiwceiber 2 4,114 2,057 -11% 4,136 2,068 -13%

23 Pentre The Pentre ward of the Community of Pentre 1 1,740 1,740 -24% 1,766 1,766 -26%

24 Pen-y-Graig The Community of Pen-y-Graig 2 3,924 1,962 -15% 3,983 1,992 -16%

25 Pen-y-Waun The Community of Pen-y-Waun 1 2,011 2,011 -13% 2,122 2,122 -11%

26 Pont-y-clun The Community of Pont-y-clun 3 6,612 2,204 -4% 7,471 2,490 5%

27 Pontypridd Town The Town ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,153 2,153 -6% 2,217 2,217 -7%

28 Porth The Community of Porth 2 4,301 2,151 -7% 4,426 2,213 -7%

29 Rhondda The Rhondda ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,780 2,780 21% 2,815 2,815 18%

30 Rhondda Fach Lower The Communities of Tylorstown and Ynyshir 2 5,372 2,686 17% 5,432 2,716 14%

31 Rhondda Fach Upper The Communities of Ferndale and Maerdy 2 5,324 2,662 16% 5,470 2,735 15%

32 Rhydfelen Central The Rhydfelen Central ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 1,949 1,949 -15% 1,949 1,949 -18%

33 Rhydfelen Upper and Glyn-taf The Rhydfelen Upper and Glyn-taf ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,397 2,397 4% 2,397 2,397 1%

34 Taffs Well The Community of Taffs Well 1 2,826 2,826 23% 2,830 2,830 19%

35 Ton-pentre The Ton-pentre ward of the Community of Pentre 1 2,117 2,117 -8% 2,119 2,119 -11%

36 Ton-teg The Ton-Teg ward of the Community of Llantwit Fardre 1 2,502 2,502 9% 2,502 2,502 5%

37 Tonypandy The Community of Tonypandy 1 2,638 2,638 15% 2,695 2,695 13%

38 Tonyrefail East The Coedely, Collena and Tylcha wards of the Community of Tonyrefail 2 4,260 2,130 -7% 4,409 2,205 -7%

39 Tonyrefail West The Penrhiw-fer, Thomastown and Tynybryn wards of the Community of Tonyrefail 2 4,790 2,395 4% 5,225 2,613 10%

40 Trallwng The Trallwng ward of the Town of Pontypridd 1 2,795 2,795 21% 2,819 2,819 19%

41 Trealaw The Community of Trealaw 1 2,511 2,511 9% 2,542 2,542 7%

42 Treherbert The Community of Treherbert 2 4,165 2,083 -10% 4,242 2,121 -11%

APPENDIX 3

3

43 Treorchy The Community of Treorchy 2 5,652 2,826 23% 5,750 2,875 21%

44 Ynysybwl The Community of Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm 2 3,457 1,729 -25% 3,485 1,743 -27%

45 Ystrad The Community of Ystrad 2 3,804 1,902 -17% 3,822 1,911 -20%

TOTAL: 75 172,673 2,302 178,294 2,377

Ratio is the number of electors per councillor Electoral figures supplied by Rhondda Cynon Taf

County Borough Council Population figures supplied by the Office for National

Statistics (ONS)

2018 2023

Greater than + or - 50% of County average 0 0

Between + or - 25% and + or - 50% of County average 0 2

Between + or - 10% and + or - 25% of County average 23 24

Between 0% and + or - 10% of County average 22 19

APPENDIX 4

RULES AND PROCEDURES

Scope and Object of the Review

1. Section 29 (1) of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (the Act) lays upon theCommission the duty, at least once in every review period of ten years, to review the electoralarrangements for every principal area in Wales, for the purpose of considering whether or notto make proposals to the Welsh Government for a change in those electoral arrangements. Inconducting a review the Commission must seek to ensure effective and convenient localgovernment (Section 21 (3) of the Act).

2. The former Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government of the Welsh Governmentasked the Commission to submit a report in respect of the review of electoral arrangementsfor the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf before the 2022 local government elections.

Electoral Arrangements

3. The changes that the Commission may recommend in relation to an electoral review are:

(a) such changes to the arrangements for the principal area under review as appear to itappropriate; and

(b) in consequence of such changes:

(i) Such community boundary changes as it considers appropriate in relation to anycommunity in the principal area;

(ii) Such community council changes and changes to the electoral arrangements forsuch a community as it considers appropriate; and

(iii) Such preserved county changes as it considers appropriate.

4. The “electoral arrangements” of a principal area are defined in section 29 (9) of the 2013 Actas:

i) the number of members for the council for the principal area;

ii) the number, type and boundaries of the electoral wards;

iii) the number of members to be elected for any electoral ward in the principal area; and

iv) the name of any electoral ward.

1

APPENDIX 4

Considerations for a review of principal area electoral arrangements

5. Section 30 of the Act requires the Commission, in considering whether to makerecommendations for changes to the electoral arrangements for a principal area, to:

(a) seek to ensure that the ratio of local government electors to the number of membersof the council to be elected is, as near as may be, the same in every electoral ward ofthe principal area;

(b) have regard to:

(i) the desirability of fixing boundaries for electoral wards which are and will remaineasily identifiable;

(ii) the desirability of not breaking local ties when fixing boundaries for electoralwards.

6. In considering the ratio of local government electors to the number of members, account isto be taken of:

(a) any discrepancy between the number of local government electors and the number ofpersons that are eligible to be local government electors (as indicated by relevantofficial statistics); and,

(b) any change to the number or distribution of local government electors in the principalarea which is likely to take place in the period of five years immediately following themaking of any recommendation.

Local government changes

7. Since the last review of electoral arrangements the following changes to local governmentboundaries in Rhondda Cynon Taf have taken place.

• The Rhondda Cynon Taf (Communities) Order 2016

Procedure

8. Chapter 4 of the Act lays down procedural guidelines which are to be followed in carrying outa review. In compliance with this part of the Act, the Commission wrote on 25 July 2018 toRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council, the Community Council in the area, the Memberof Parliament for the local constituency, the Assembly Members for the area, and otherinterested parties to inform them of our intention to conduct the review and to request theirpreliminary views. The Commission invited the County Borough Council to submit a suggestedscheme or schemes for new electoral arrangements. The Commission also requestedRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council display a number of public notices in their area.The Commission also made available copies of the Electoral Reviews: Policy and Practicedocument. In addition, the Commission made a presentation to both County and

2

APPENDIX 4

Community councillors explaining the review process. The initial consultation period closed on 26 June 2018.

9. This Report is on deposit at the Offices of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Counciland the Office of the Commission in Cardiff, as well as on the Commission’s website(http://ldbc.gov.wales).

Policy and Practice

10. The Commission published the Electoral Reviews: Policy and Practice document inOctober 2016. This document details the Commission’s approach to resolving thechallenge of balancing electoral parity and community ties; it sets out the issues tobe considered and gives some understanding of the broad approach which theCommission takes towards each of the statutory considerations to be made whenaddressing a review’s particular circumstances. However, because thosecircumstances are unlikely to provide for the ideal electoral pattern, in most reviewscompromises are made in applying the policies in order to strike the right balancebetween each of the matters the Commission must consider.

11. The document also provides the overall programme timetable, and how this wasidentified, and the Commission’s Council Size Policy. The document can be viewed onthe Commission’s website or are available on request.

http://ldbc.gov.wales/reviews/electoralreviews/currreviews/?lang=en

APPENDIX 5

1

SUMMARY OF REPRESENTATIONS RECEIVED FOR THE COMMISSION INITIAL CONSULTATION ON THE REVIEW OF ELECTORAL ARANAGEMENTS IN RHONDDA CYNON TAF

1. Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council emailed on 26 October 2018,outlining their recommendations for electoral arrangements across the county.These recommendations are submitted on behalf of the Group Leaders of theCouncil and have been discussed and ‘voted on’ by the membership of the CountyBorough Council.

PROPOSAL

75 Members

51 Electoral Wards consisting of:

29 Single Member Wards;

20 Two Member Wards; and

2 Three Member Wards

Electoral Ward Proposal Council Agreement

a)

Abercynon Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous b) Aberdare East Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous

c)

Aberdare West/Llwydcoed

Retain as three Member Ward

Unanimous

d) Church Village Increase to two Member Ward (realign boundary with Tonteg Ward)

Unanimous

e) Cilfynydd Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

f) Cwmbach Increase to two Member Ward

Unanimous

g) Cwm Clydach Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

h) Gilfach Goch Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

i) Glyncoch Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

j) Llantwit Fardre Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous

k) Pen-Y-Graig Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous

l) Pen-Y-Waun Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

APPENDIX 5

2

m) Penrhiwceiber Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous

n) Pontypridd Town Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

o) Porth Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous

p) Taffs Well Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

q) Tonteg Reduce to one Member Ward (from two) (realign boundary with Church Village Ward)

Unanimous

r) Tonypandy Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

s) Tonyrefail East Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous

t) Trallwng Option 1: Retain as one Member Ward

Option 2: Multi Member Ward of Trallwng and Cilfynydd taking forward small part of Glyntaff (Moved by Cllr Powell)

Option 1: Majority decision

u) Treforest Retain as one Member Ward

Unanimous

v) Treherbert Retain as two Member Ward Unanimous

w) Treorchy Option1: Reduce to two Member Ward (from three)

Option 2: Retain as a 3 Member ward (Moved by Cllr Chapman)


x) Ynysybwl Increase to two Member Ward

Unanimous

y) Aberaman North and Aberaman South

Option 1: Merge both wards to create a single three Member ward. Member Representation Consequence: Loss of 1 Member


APPENDIX 5

3

Option 2: Splitting Aberaman North and Aberaman South Wards into 3 single member wards in line with the Boundary Commission’s preference for single member wards Member Representation Consequence: Loss of 1 Member

z) Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West

Option 1: Merge the two wards to create a two Member ward covering the whole area currently represented by the two existing wards. Member Representation Consequence: Loss of 1 Member

Option 2: Keep existing arrangement of the two Member Mountain Ash West ward (-32% rising to -33%) and the single Member Mountain Ash East ward (-6% falling to 0%) Member Representation Consequence: None


aa) Llwyn-Y-Pia and Trealaw

Option 1: Merge existing Electoral Wards of Llwyn-Y-Pia & Trealaw to create a single two Member ward. Member Representation Consequence: None

Option 2: Adjust the ward boundaries of Llwyn-Y-Pia and Trealaw, and also Llwyn-Y-Pia and Ystrad.

Member Representation Consequence: None


APPENDIX 5

4

bb) Pentre Option 1: Retain the existing two Member ward.

Member Representation Consequence: No change

Option 2: Existing Pentre Ward be split into two single Member wards that represent the communities of Ton Pentre and Pentre. Member Representation Consequence: No change


cc) Ystrad Option1: Retain current two Member Ward arrangement. Member Representation Consequence: No change.

Option 2: Existing Ystrad Ward be split into two single Member wards that represent the communities of Ystrad and Gelli.



dd) Ferndale & Maerdy Option1: Merge the Ferndale and Maerdy Electoral wards to create one, two Member ward. Member Representation Consequence: Loss of one Member

Option 2: Leave existing arrangements in Maerdy and


APPENDIX 5

5

Ynyshir and merge Ferndale and Tylorstown together.

(Moved by Cllr Macey)

ee) Tylorstown and Ynyshir

Option1: Merge the electoral divisions to create a two Member ward that encompasses the electoral territory of both of the current wards. Consequence: Loss of one Member.

Option 2: Leave existing arrangements in Maerdy and Ynyshir and merge Ferndale and Tylorstown together.

(Moved by Cllr Macey)


ff) Beddau and Tyn-Y-Nant

Option 1: Merge Beddau and Tyn-Y-Nant Wards to create a two Member ward.


Option 2: Merge Beddau and Tyn-Y-Nant Wards to create a three Member ward.

Member Representation Consequence: Addition of one Member


gg) Brynna and Llanharan

Option 1: Merge the wards to create one three Member ward.


APPENDIX 5

6

Member Representation Consequence: Addition of one Member.

Option 2: Create three individual, single Member wards.


hh) Cymmer Option 1: Retain existing two Member ward with the current boundaries.


Option 2: Retain existing ward, although the Rhondda ward element of Trehafod would be transferred to Cymmer, encompassing approximately an extra 251 electors.



ii) Graig and Rhondda Option 1: Merge the electoral divisions of Graig and Rhondda Wards to create a single two Member ward.

Member Representation Consequence: Loss of One Member.

Option 2: Retain existing arrangement of one single


APPENDIX 5

7

Member ward (Graig) and one two Member ward (Rhondda).


Option 3: Extend the Graig boundaries to encompass a section of Maes-Y-Coed, which is currently situated in the Rhondda ward. In addition to the proposed transfer of Trehafod, this solution would also include 450 electors being brought under the extended Graig ward.


jj) Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green

Option1: Merge the electoral divisions of Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green.

Member Representation Consequence: None.

Option 2: With the new estate development adjacent to Langley hall bring this into Talbot Green and also bring in Ynysmaerdy.

(moved by Cllr James)


kk) Tonyrefail West Option 1: Increase the number of Members to two.

Member Representation Consequence: Addition of one Member.


APPENDIX 5

8

Option 2: The Communities of Penrhiwfer and Edmundstown do not identify themselves with Tonyrefail West. Merge Penrhiwfer with Penycraig and Edmundstown with Cymmer.

(Moved by Cllr A Davies-Jones)

ll) Llanharry and Pont-y-Clun

Option1: Transfer the community of Tyla-Garw and allocate an additional representative to Pont-y-Clun to create a three-Member ward.


Option 2: Adopt the same arrangement as Option 1, although the area be divided into three separate single Member wards.



mm Hawthorn and Rhydfelen Central/Ilan

Option 1: To create an additional single Member Ward.

Member Representation Consequence: Additional single Member Electoral Ward (Upper Rhydfelen/Glyntaf area)


APPENDIX 5

9

nn) Hirwaun Option 1: Retain the existing arrangement (single Member ward).



oo) Rhigos Option 1: Retain the current single Member ward.



APPENDIX 5

10

APPENDIX 5

11

2. Llanharan Community Council wrote on the 26 October 2018 to inform the Commission of the proposed developments in the Llanharan and Brynna wards that is due to take place within the projected 2023 timescale. The Community Council opposes the Council’s proposal to combine the electoral wards of Llanharan and Brynna.

3. Llanharry Community Council wrote on the 10 October 2018 to oppose the proposal from Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to transfer the community of Tyle-Garw from Llanharry to Pont-y-Clun. The community council proposes to retain the community of Tyle-Garw in Llanharry, and also to transfer the Brynsadler area from Pont-y-Clun into Llanharry. This would allow Pont-y-Clun to remain a two-member ward and allow Llanharry (depending on numbers) to also become a two-member ward.

4. Pont-y-Clun Community Council wrote on the 18 October 2018, to propose the realignment of the Pont-y-Clun boundary with the A470 to form a more easily identifiable boundary. The Council also proposes to include the Community of Tyle-Garw in the Pont-y-Clun Ward, as the residents of Tyle-Garw believed they were transferring to Pont-y-Clun rather than Llanharry as part of the previous boundary review, and that residents are known to use Pont-y-Clun Primary School and other local amenities in Pont-y-Clun. The Council proposes the division of Pont-y-Clun into 3 x single-member Wards to satisfy the Commission’s preference for single-member Wards, with the split being made up as follows; 4.1 Pont-y-Clun West – including Tyle-Garw and all areas South of the railway

line, including Brynsadler and Talygarn. (Estimated Electorate – 2451)

4.2 Pont-y-Clun Central – including the existing Miskin Ward and all areas North of the railway line, including Ynys Ddu and all the streets of Heol Miskin. (Estimated Electorate – 2372)

4.3 Pont-y-Clun East – including Groes Faen, Mwyndy and all streets off Ffordd Cefn yr Hendy. (Estimated Electorate – 1762, however, RCT Council projects that this could increase to over 2500 by 2023)

5. Pontypridd Town Council wrote on the 23 October 2018 to support the Council’s proposals for the Local Authority. The Town Council also supports the apparent move to single member electoral wards for the area.

6. Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm Community Council wrote on the 19 September 2018 to offer their full support to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council’s proposal to increase the number of councillors in Ynysybwl from one to two.

7. Chris Bryant MP (Rhondda) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council on the 2 October 2018 to propose that the boundary of Llwyn-y-Pia be re-drawn to incorporate a section of Trealaw to the South and Ystrad to the North. Mr Bryant also supports the Council’s proposal to transfer the Rhondda element of Trehafod into the Cymmer ward. Mr Bryant also proposes to divide the electoral wards of Pentre and Ystrad (using the railway line as the dividing boundary) to create two new electoral wards of Ton-Pentre and Gelli

APPENDIX 5

12

respectively. Mr Bryant MP also registers his opposition to the reduction of councillor numbers in the Rhondda Fach area.

8. Ann Clwyd MP (Cynon Valley) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf County BoroughCouncil on the 12 October to support the Council’s proposal to combine theelectoral wards of Aberaman North and Aberaman South. However, Ms ClwydMP would appreciate if the possibility of creating three single-member wards inthe area is possible. Ms Clwyd MP also supports the proposal to include anadditional councillor in the Cwmbach and Ynysybwl electoral wards. Ms ClwydMP also supports the proposal to combine the electoral wards of Mountain AshEast and Mountain Ash West, though registers her concern over the loss ofrepresentation in the Cynon Valley.

9. Chris Elmore MP (Ogmore) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf County BoroughCouncil on the 10 October 2018 to propose that the Brynna electoral ward bedivided between Brynna and Llaniliad to create two single-member electoralwards. Mr Elmore MP also suggests that the Llanharan ward be retained in itspresent form. Mr Elmore MP is also pleased to see consideration given totransferring the community of Tyle-Garw into Pont-y-Clun. Mr Elmore MP alsohas no objections to the proposal to combine the electoral wards of Talbot Greenand Llantrisant Town.

10. Mick Antoniw AM (Pontypridd) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf County BoroughCouncil on the 12 October 2018 to support the majority of the Council’s proposalsfor the authority. Mr Antoniw supports the Council’s proposal to combine theelectoral wards of Beddau and Tyn-y-Nant, Talbot Green and Llantrisant Townand the proposed boundary re-alignment between Church Village and Ton-Teg.Mr Antoniw AM also supports the proposals for Hawthorn and Rhydfelen (tocreate three single-member electoral wards), the creation of three single-member wards for Pont-y-Clun, and the allocation of an additional councillor forTonyrefail West. Mr Antoniw AM supports the proposals to transfer the Rhonddaelement of Trehafod into the Cymmer ward. However, Mr Antoniw AM believesspecial consideration must be given to the arrangements for the Rhondda andGraig electoral wards and the optimal solution should ideally come from thecouncillors for the area. Consideration should also be given to the boundaryimplications of Treforest Industrial Estate.

11. Huw Irranca-Davies AM (Ogmore) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf CountyBorough Council on the 12 October 2018 to support the Council’s proposal todivide the electoral ward of Brynna and create a new electoral ward for Llaniliad.The area is projected to grow considerably in the near future due to planneddevelopments and Mr Irranca-Davies AM believes the creation of a new electoralward for Llaniliad would best serve the constituents in the area. Mr Irranca-Davies AM also supports the Council’s proposal to transfer the community ofTyle-Garw into the Pont-y-Clun electoral ward.

12. Vikki Howells AM (Cynon Valley) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf County BoroughCouncil on the 10 October 2018 to register her concern that the scope of thereview is based solely on electoral figures which could lead to false

APPENDIX 5

13

representation in the authority. Ms Howells AM however, does support the Council’s proposals to increase the number of councillors in the Cwmbach and Ynysybwl electoral wards. Ms Howells AM also supports the Council’s proposals to combine the electoral wards of Aberaman North and Aberaman South and Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West.

13. Leanne Wood AM (Rhondda) wrote on the 23 October 2018 to oppose theCouncil’s proposals to alter the electoral arrangements for Maerdy, Pentre,Treorchy, Ynyshir and Ystrad, or to combine them into other electoral wards. MsWood AM states that the communities of Ynyshir and Maerdy are distinct andnatural communities in their own right and are best served by retaining thecurrent arrangements. Ms Wood AM also states that the communities of Pentreand Ton Pentre are inextricably linked by sports clubs as well as the local schoolswho take pupils from both communities. The same is true of the Ystrad ward;Ystrad and Gelli have many things in common and the bond betweencommunities is very close and complimented by shared social and culturalconnections. Ms Wood AM also rejects the proposal to reduce the number ofCouncillors for Treorchy.

14. Councillor Jayne Brencher wrote on the 16 October 2018, to propose thatGraig retains the existing electoral arrangements as a single member Ward. TheCouncillor cites numerous reasons for the proposal, including proposeddevelopments within the Ward, the transient nature of the population due to thenearby University, and historical factors as reasons for Graig to maintain its ownunique identity. Cllr Brencher suggests a possible re-naming of the ward to Graigand Penycoedcae for accuracy.

15. Councillors Sêra Evans, Alison Chapman and Emyr Webster (Treorchy)wrote on the 21 October 2018 to oppose the Council’s proposal to reduce thenumber of councillors for Treorchy from three to two. The Councillors cite socio-economic factors, and the ongoing improvements to the Town Centre area asreasons to maintain a three-member arrangement for this ward.

16. Councillors Glynne Holmes (Llantrisant Town) and Councillor StephenPowell (Talbot Green) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council onthe 11 October 2018 to support the Council’s proposal to combine the electoralwards of Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green.

17. Councillor Lewis Hooper (Ton-Teg) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf CountyBorough Council on the 31 August 2018 to propose the realignment of theChurch Village boundary with Ton-teg be amended to utilise a country road as anatural boundary between the Wards. This alteration would mean that ‘The Rise’,‘Bryn Rhedyn’ and a small section of Church Road would remain in Ton-teg andinvolves transferring approximately 140 electors into Church Village.

18. Councillor Martin Fidler-Jones (Hawthorn) wrote on the 23 October 2018, topropose that the boundaries of the Hawthorn, Rhydfelen Central and UpperRhydfelen/Ilan Wards are re-drawn to use existing boundaries, such as DyffrynRoad (Known locally as Maggie’s Hill) and the existing boundaries of Hawthorn

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and Rhydfelen Central in addition to the A470 to form 3 x single member Wards with estimated electorate number of;

18.1 Hawthorn and Lower Rhydfelen – 2283

18.2 Rhydfelen Central – 1836

18.3 Upper Rhydfelen – 2019

19. Councillor Darren Macey (Ynyshir) wrote on the 22 October 2018 to opposethe proposal from Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to combine theelectoral wards of Tylorstown and Ynyshir. Councillor Macey states that theworkload of a councillor is often disproportionate to the simple equationaveraging out the number of electors per councillor. Councillor Macey proposesto combine the electoral wards of Tylorstown and Ferndale to form a three-member electoral ward and to retain the existing single-member arrangementsfor Maerdy and Ynyshir. Councillor Macey, in his submission to Rhondda CynonTaf County Borough Council also provided six statements from residents ofYnyshir who oppose the proposal to combine the electoral wards of Tylorstownand Ynyshir. All of these statements advocate a possible merger of the Ferndaleand Tylorstown wards to create a three-member electoral ward.

20. Councillors Andrew Morgan and Wendy Treeby (Mountain Ash West) wroteto Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council on the 4 October 2018 to statethat whilst their overriding preference is to maintain the individual wards ofMountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West, they offer their support to theCouncil’s proposal to combine these wards to form one electoral ward for thecommunity of Mountain Ash.

21. Councillors Joy Rosser (Trealaw) and Wendy Lewis (Llwyn-y-Pia) wrote toRhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council on 12 October 2018 to oppose theCouncil’s proposal to combine the electoral wards of Llwyn-y-Pia and Trealaw.The Councillors propose to alter the boundary of Llwyn-y-Pia to incorporate asmall section of the Trealaw ward and also to incorporate a section of the Ystradward which are actually in the village of Llwyn-y-Pia.

22. Councillor Roger Turner (Brynna) wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf CountyBorough Council on the 10 September 2018 to oppose the proposal to mergethe Wards of Brynna and Llanharan. Cllr Turner suggests dividing the Ward ofBrynna into areas represented by Brynna and Llanilid as two individual single-member Wards.

23. Councillor Maureen Webber (Rhydfelen Central/Ilan) wrote to Rhondda CynonTaf County Borough Council on the 10 October 2018 to support the Council’sproposal to create a new single-member electoral ward in theRhydfelen/Hawthorn area.

24. Councillors Richard Yeo (Beddau) and Clayton Willis (Tyn-y-Nant) wrote onthe 17 August 2018 to advise that Beddau and Tyn-y-Nant is one community,and one village. The Councillors cite numerous community ties such as the localfootball team, highways, health & social care and education investment. The

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Councillors advise that the current boundary is artificial and they spend a lot of time advising residents that they live in Beddau when approaching the representative for Tyn-y-Nant and vice versa. Cllrs Yeo and Willis propose to combine the electoral wards of Beddau and Tyn-y-Nant and include an additional councillor to create a 3-member electoral ward.

25. Community Councillor Samuel Trask (Beddau) wrote on the 20 September 2018 to propose that the homes currently in the Beddau electoral ward on Llwyncrwn Road, the B4595 and Llantrisant Road (as far as it’s junction with Heol-y-Beddau) be transferred to the Tyn-y-Nant electoral ward in order to address the existing variances in electoral representation. Councillor Trask states that these homes are similar in nature and community to those in Tyn-y-Nant.

26. Plaid Cymru Cwmcynon wrote on the 23 October 2018. The party proposes no changes to the existing electoral wards of; Aberaman North, Aberaman South, Abercynon, Aberdare East, Aberdare West/Llwydcoed, Cilfynydd, Glyncoch, Hirwaun, Mountain Ash East, Mountain Ash West, Penrhiwceiber and Rhigos. The Party believes the proposals to combine the electoral wards of Aberaman North and Aberaman South and the electoral wards of Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West are inappropriate. The Party cites the proposed development of the Phurnacite in Aberaman South, which is expected to create 500 additional dwellings in the ward, and the entrenched loyalties in Mountain Ash East and Mountain Ash West following the 2015 changes as reasons for retaining the existing arrangements. The Party also supports the proposals from Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council to increase the number of councillors in Ynysybwl and Cwmbach.

27. Plaid Cymru Rhondda wrote on the 23 October 2018 to propose that no changes are made to the existing electoral arrangements for Cwm Clydach, Maerdy, Pentre, Pen-y-Graig, Porth, Tonypandy, Treherbert, Treorchy, Ynyshir and Ystrad. The Party proposes to combine the electoral wards of Ferndale and Tylorstown to create a three-member electoral ward. They also propose to combine the electoral wards of Llwyn-y-Pia and Trealaw, and to unite the community of Trehafod under the Cymmer electoral ward.

28. Rhondda Cynon Taf Liberal Democrats wrote on the 4 September 2018, to support the Commission’s aim to even out the number of electors represented by councillors. The party understands that the ratio of electors to councillors may be affected in some parts of the Local Authority due to social deprivation and other issues. However, the Rhondda Cynon Taf Liberal Democrats would hope to see an overall reduction of councillors in the area as a result of the review, and are not in favour of creating additional multi-member wards across the authority unless there is a change to STV voting. The Rhondda Cynon Taf Liberal Democrats also provided a summary of their responses to the abortive 2010 electoral review, with the proviso that their views remain unchanged.

29. Tylorstown Ward Labour Party wrote on the 18 October 2018 to oppose any proposed changes to the Tylorstown electoral ward. The party proposes that

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Tylorstown remain an electoral ward in its own right, with no other village or community and should retain the present two-member arrangement.

30. A resident of Hawthorn wrote on the 23 October 2018 to oppose the Council’sproposal to create three single-member electoral wards in theHawthorn/Rhydfelen area. The resident believes the way in which the Councilhas divided the area makes no sense and suggests that the boundaries be drawnto use Dyffryn Road (known locally as Maggie’s Hill) as the boundary whencreating the new electoral ward in the area.

31. A resident of Hawthorn wrote on the 23 October 2018 to oppose the Council’sproposal to create three single-member wards in the Hawthorn/Rhydfelen area.The resident proposes to use Dyffryn Road (known locally as Maggie’s Hill) asthe boundary when creating the new electoral ward in the area.





36. A resident of Pentre wrote to Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council onthe 12 October 2018, to propose the division of the Communities of Pentre andTon Pentre into individual, single-member electoral Wards. The resident alsoproposes to join the Community of Ton Pentre with the Community of Gelli withinthe Ystrad Ward.

37. A resident of Wattstown (Ynyshir ward) wrote on the 22 October to oppose theCouncil’s proposal to combine the electoral wards of Ynyshir and Tylorstown.The resident states that Ynyshir already has appropriate levels of electoralvariance and has no historical links to the Tylorstown ward. The resident alsonotes the existing issues in representation in the Rhondda Fach area andsuggests that losing one councillor from Ferndale or Tylorstown would be thebest option.

APPENDIX 6

WRITTEN STATEMENT BY

THE WELSH GOVERNMENT

TITLE LOCAL ELECTIONS AND ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS

DATE Thursday 23rd JUNE 2016

BY MARK DRAKEFORD, CABINET SECRETARY FOR FINANCE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

The Local Authority Elections (Wales) Order 2014 provided for local elections in Wales to be

delayed for a year, from May 2016 to May 2017. This allowed the elections to be separated

from the Assembly elections.

At the present time, the Local Government Act 1972 provides that ordinary elections to local

government in Wales take place on the first Thursday of May every four years. Therefore,

the next local government elections would normally take place in May 2021. Since the

implementation of the provisions of the Wales Act 2014, elections to the National Assembly

take place on a five-yearly cycle. The policy of the Welsh Government is that elections at

local level should also be placed on a five year cycle. It is intended that councillors elected

next May will therefore hold office until May 2022.

The Wales Bill, currently before Parliament, includes provisions which would enable the

Assembly to legislate to determine the term of office for local government. As the Bill is

currently in draft form and should these provisions, for any reason, not come into force, the

Welsh Government could use the same powers under the Local Government Act 2000 as

we did in 2014 to delay the elections by a year. This statement therefore provides clarity to

local government as to the length of office of those to be elected next year.

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In the light of this, I have considered the decision made last year in relation to the electoral

arrangements of some principal councils. It was determined that reviews conducted by the

Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales in relation to nine principal areas

would not be implemented, given the intention that councils elected in 2017 would only

serve a short term prior to mergers.

However, even though the elections in May next year will now result in a full term, due to

their proximity, the arrangements which would be required and the disruption for potential

candidates, I do not intend to implement any changes to current electoral arrangements in

advance of the 2017 elections resultant from those reviews. The councils concerned are

Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Conwy, Denbighshire, Gwynedd, Monmouthshire,

Pembrokeshire, Powys and Torfaen.

The decision that councils will be elected for a full term also means that the Local

Democracy and Boundary Commission (the Commission) will return to its normal ten-year

cycle of reviews of electoral arrangements. I expect the Commission to publish a new,

prioritised programme as soon as possible which takes into account the age of the current

arrangements in some areas and the amount of change since the last review was

undertaken. I will ask the Commission, in planning their work, to start by revisiting the nine

outstanding reviews, with a view to presenting fresh reports on these at the very start of

their programme.

It is my intention that reviews of electoral arrangements in principal councils will be

conducted against a set of common criteria to be agreed through the Commission. I also

expect electoral reviews to have been completed for all 22 authorities within the next local

government term.

These arrangements provide clarity for those considering standing for election in 2017 and

also set out a long term planning horizon for local authorities and their public service

partners. However, I want to be clear that discussions on the reform agenda are on-going

with local authorities and other stakeholders. I will be proposing a way forward on local

government reform in the Autumn.

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