Boundary plan could see three less councillors
BRIDGEND County Borough Council will lose three councillors from 2022 under revised plans being put forward by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales.
The commission submitted its final recommendations for the future electoral arrangements of the county to Welsh Government Ministers earlier this month.
It recommends a council of 51 members, down from 54, with 28 electoral wards as opposed to the existing 39 wards.
The commission says the changes would result in a recommended county average of 2,096 electors per councillor.
The commission is undertaking electoral reviews of all 22 local authorities in Wales with the expectation that changes will be put in place for the 2022 local government elections.
It takes into account plans by Welsh Government to give 16 and 17-year-olds, and foreign nationals, the right to vote in local government elections.
The final recommendations are slightly different to the commission’s draft proposals which involved a cut in the number of electoral wards from 39 to 32 and an overall reduction in councillors from 54 to 52.
In its report, the commission’s interim chairman Ceri Stradling said the recommendations were aimed at improving electoral parity, so that the vote of an individual elector had an equal value to those of other electors throughout the county, as far as possible.
Currently, there is a county average of 1,979 electors per councillor ranging from 879 electors in Llangeinor to 3,216 electors in Bryntirion, Laleston and Merthyr Mawr.
The changes would see the fewest number of electors per councillor become 1,636 in Cefn Glas and the greatest number of electors per councillor become 2,563 in Pencoed and Penprysg.
It is recommending 15 multi-member wards in the county, consisting of seven two-member electoral wards and eight three-member electoral wards.
Under the plans there would be no changes to nine electoral wards – Aberkenfig, Blackmill, Llangynwyd, Maesteg East, Maesteg West, Nanty-moel, Ogmore Vale, Oldcastle and Pen-y-fai.
The commission is also recommending a number of boundary changes in Brackla and Porthcawl which would lead to changes in Brackla Community Council and Porthcawl Town Council.
The changes are set out below: Caerau
A decrease in councillors from three to two. Blaengarw, Llangeinor and Pontycymmer
These three wards would be combined to form the Garw Valley ward, represented by three councillors. Bryncethin, Bryncoch, Sarn and Ynysawdre
These four wards would be merged to form a new ward called St Bride’s Minor and Ynysawdre, represented by three councillors. Felindre, Hendre and Penprysg
These three wards which already form Pencoed would combine with Coychurch Higher to form a new ward called Pencoed and Penprysg, represented by three councillors. Coity, Litchard and Pendre
These three wards would be combined to form Coity Higher, represented by three councillor. Brackla
The existing four-member ward would be split into four with a new ward called Brackla East and Coychurch Lower, represented by two councillors, and three remaining wards – Brackla East Central, Brackla West and Brackla West Central, each repreFor all the breaking news follow us on Twitter @ sented by one councillor. Morfa and Newcastle
These two wards would be combined to form Bridgend Central, represented by three councillors. Cefn Glas, Llangewydd and Brynhyfryd
These two wards would be merged to form a new ward called Cefn Glas, represented by two councillors. Bryntirion, Laleston and Merthyr Mawr
Retain the existing ward – and an increase in the number of councillors from two to three. Cefn Cribwr and Pyle
These two wards would combine to form Pyle, Kenfig Hill and Cefn Cribwr ward, represented by three councillors. Cornelly
Retain the existing boundaries and increase the number of councillors from two to three. Porthcawl
Recommendations involve moving part of the Nottage ward (Anglesey Way) into the Rest Bay ward, represented by one councillor. Windsor Road would move from Rest Bay ward into Porthcawl West Central.
Meanwhile part of the Newton ward which includes Trecco Bay and part of New Road would move into Porthcawl East Central – and the majority of the town centre would move from Porthcawl West Central to Porthcawl East Central.
Porthcawl East Central would then be represented by two councillors rather than one. Town and Community Councils Brackla Community Council – There would be 12 councillors rather than 11 with three councillors coming from the four new wards: Brackla West, Brackla West Central, Brackla East and Brackla East Central. Porthcawl Town Council – There would be 18 councillors instead of 19 with the numbers in each ward changin. Newton, Nottage, Rest Bay and West Central would have three councillors while East Central would have six.