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LOCAL DEMOCRACY AND BOUNDARY COMMISSION FOR WALES

Review of the Electoral Arrangements of the County of Denbighshire

Draft Proposals Report

September 2018

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FOREWORD This is our report containing our Draft Proposals for Denbighshire County 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 Denbighshire County Council is the eighth 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 for their assistance in helping us develop our draft proposals, the Community and Town Councils for their contribution and last, but most importantly, all who made representations. We look forward to receiving any views you may wish to share. Owen Watkin OBE DL Chair


REVIEW OF THE ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS OF THE COUNTY OFDENBIGHSHIRE

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 23

Chapter 6 Responses to the Draft Proposals 24

Chapter 7 Acknowledgements 25

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

JUNE 2016 WRITTEN STATEMENT

1st Edition printed September 2018

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

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

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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 of Denbighshire. This review is beingconducted in accordance with the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (theAct), specifically Sections 29, 30 and 34-36.

2. The Commission has a duty to conduct a review of all 22 of Wales’ Principal Councils everyten years. This ten-year programme was due to commence in January 2014. However, dueto the uncertainties in local government at the time the Commission suspended itsprogramme. This programme of reviews has come as a result of the former CabinetSecretary for Finance and Local Government’s Written Statement of 23 June 2016. TheCommission was asked to restart its programme of reviews with an expectation that all 22electoral reviews be completed in time for the new arrangements to be put in place for the2022 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’sElectoral 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 ofthe common terminology used within this report.

5. The Commission is now seeking views on the proposed electoral arrangements identified atChapter 4 in this report. On receipt of these views the Commission will consider therepresentations and make final proposals to Welsh Government. It will then be for WelshGovernment Ministers to make the Order, if they deem it appropriate, with or withoutmodification.

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

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DENBIGHSHIRE DRAFT PROPOSALS REPORT

Chapter 2. SUMMARY OF PROPOSALS

• The Commission proposes a change to the arrangement of electoral wards that willachieve a significant improvement in the level of electoral parity in the County ofDenbighshire.

• The Commission proposes a council of 48 members, an increase of one from 47. Thisresults in a proposed county average of 1,589 electors per member.

• The Commission proposes 29 electoral wards, a reduction from 30 existing wards.

• The largest under-representation (in terms of electoral variance) within the proposal isDyserth (23% above the proposed county average). At present the greatest under-representation is in Llanarmon yn Ial/Llandegla and Rhyl South East (28% above theproposed county average).

• The largest over-representation (in terms of electoral variance) within the proposal is StAsaph West (17% below the proposed county average). At present the greatest over-representation is in Llandrillo (41% below the proposed county average).

• The Commission is proposing 16 multi-member wards in the county. 13 two-memberelectoral wards: Corwen and Llandrillo, Denbigh Lower, Llangollen, Prestatyn Central,Prestatyn East, Prestatyn South West, Rhuddlan, Rhyl East, Rhyl South, Rhyl South West,Rhyl Trellewelyn, Rhyl Ty Newydd and Rhyl West; and three three-member electoralwards: Denbigh Central and Upper with Henllan, Prestatyn North and Ruthin.

• The Commission has proposed no changes to 23 electoral wards.

• The Commission proposes to have one electoral ward (Denbigh Central and Upper withHenllan) within the county which combines a part of a warded community, along with itsneighbouring community. This community split is present within the Town of Denbigh.

• The Commission received representations from Denbighshire County Council, fourCommunity and Town Councils and one County Councillor. The Commission considered allof these representations carefully before it formulated its proposals. A summary of thoserepresentations can be found at Appendix 5.

Summary Maps

1. On the following pages are thematic maps illustrating the current and proposedarrangements and their variances from the proposed county average of 1,589 electors permember. Those areas in green are within +/-10% of the county average; yellow and hatchedyellow between +/-10% and +/-25% of the county average; orange and hatched orangebetween +/-25% and +/-50% of the county average; and, those in red and hatched red areover +/-50% of the county average.

2. As can be seen from these maps the proposed arrangements provide for an improvement inelectoral parity across the county.

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Chapter 3. ASSESSMENT

Council size

1. The number of elected members for the County of Denbighshire has been determined bythe Commission’s Council Size Policy and methodology. This policy can be found in ourElectoral Reviews: Policy and Practice document. At present the size of the council is 47 andthe methodology sets out a size of the Council of 47 for this review.

2. The Commission reviewed the electoral arrangements for the County of Denbighshire in thelight of our methodology and took account of the representations which had been made.For the reasons given below we believe that in the interests of effective and convenientlocal government a council of 48 members would be appropriate to represent the County ofDenbighshire.

Number of electors

3. The numbers shown as the electorate for 2017 and the estimates for the electorate in theyear 2022 are those submitted by Denbighshire County Council. The forecast figuressupplied by Denbighshire County Council show a forecasted increase in the electorate ofDenbighshire from 76,292 to 79,098. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has alsoprovided estimated number of persons eligible to vote but who are not on the electoralregister. This showed an estimated 1,094 less people eligible to vote than the 2017electorate.

Councillor to electorate ratio

4. In respect of the number of electors per councillor in each electoral ward there is a widevariation from the current county average of 1,623 electors per councillor ranging from 41%below (Llandrillo) to 28% above (Rhyl South East and Llanarmon-yn-Ial/Llandegla). Thedetermination of the council of 48 members (see paragraph 2) results in an average of 1,589electors being represented by each councillor.

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

Judgement and Balance

6. 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.

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7. The Commission is of the view that, in the first instance, it is desirable that each electoral ward of a principal authority area should return a single-member. In some areas however, because of the number of electors in a community or community ward the Commission has considered the creation of multi-member wards in order to achieve appropriate levels of electoral parity. This issue often arises in urban areas where the number of electors is too high to form a single-member ward. It also may arise in more rural wards where the creation of single-member wards would result in substantial variances in electoral parity.

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

Electoral Ward Names

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

10. The Commission consulted with the Welsh Language Commissioner on the suitability of the names in their draft form prior to the publication of these draft proposals, with a particular focus on the Welsh language names. This recognises the Welsh Language Commissioner’s responsibility to advise on the standard forms of Welsh place-names and specialist knowledge in the field. It must be clear that these proposals are not proposals for changes to any place names. In each proposal an indication is given of the Welsh Language Commissioner’s recommendations and, where they differ, the specific recommendation and why they proposed an alternative to the Commission’s proposed name. It is hoped that this process will encourage debate on the proposed names and will ensure the eventual 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 proposalthe report sets out:

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

• 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). Although not allrepresentations are mentioned in this section, all representations have been consideredand a summary can be found at Appendix 5;

• The views of the Commission;• The composition of the proposed electoral ward and the proposed name;• A map of the proposed electoral ward. (See the key below)

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, andwhich the Commission is proposing to retain.

• Bodelwyddan• Denbigh Lower• Dyserth• Efenechtyd• Llandyrnog• Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd/

Gwyddelwern• Llangollen• Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch• Prestatyn Central• Prestatyn East• Prestatyn Meliden

• Prestatyn North• Prestatyn South West• Rhuddlan• Rhyl East• Rhyl South• Rhyl South West• Rhyl West• Ruthin• St. Asaph East• St. Asaph West• Trefnant• Tremeirchion

3. Whilst the Commission is recommending to preserve the geographical arrangements withinthe electoral wards listed above, it is proposing to introduce new electoral ward names forthe following:

Proposed Electoral Ward Boundary

Community Ward Boundaries

Community Boundaries

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• The Electoral Ward of Denbigh Lower to retain the English language name of DenbighLower, based on The County of Denbighshire (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1998 (1998Order), and to be given the Welsh language name of Dinbych Isaf, based on the Welshlanguage name used by Denbighshire County Council in the 2017 Local Governmentelections (2017 elections). The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name andproposed no change to the Commission’s proposed name.

• The Electoral Ward of Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd/Gwyddelwern to be renamed Llanfair DyffrynClwyd a Gwyddelwern in the Welsh language and, Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd andGwyddelwern in the English language. With reference to the existing electoral ward nameof Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd/Gwyddelwern, the Commission has decided to apply consistencywithin ward names across the county by avoiding the use of this type of punctuationwithin names of wards which combine two, or more, community areas. The WelshLanguage Commissioner considered the name and proposed no change to theCommission’s proposed name.

• The Electoral Ward of Prestatyn Central to retain the English language name of PrestatynCentral, based on the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of CanolPrestatyn, based on the 2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered thename and proposed no change to the Commission’s proposed name.

• The Electoral Ward of Prestatyn East to retain the English language name of PrestatynEast, based on the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of DwyrainPrestatyn, based on the 2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered thename and proposed no change to the Commission’s proposed name.

• The Electoral Ward of Prestatyn Meliden to retain the English language name of PrestatynMeliden, based on the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of PrestatynGallt Melyd, based on the 2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner consideredthe name and proposed a change to the Commission’s proposed name (see paragraph 5for further details).

• The Electoral Ward of Prestatyn North to retain the English language name of PrestatynNorth, based on the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of GogleddPrestatyn, based on the 2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered thename and proposed no change to the Commission’s proposed name.

• The Electoral Ward of Prestatyn South West to retain the English language name ofPrestatyn South West, based on the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh languagename of De Orllewin Prestatyn, based on the 2017 elections. The Welsh LanguageCommissioner considered the name and proposed a change to the Commission’s proposedname (see paragraph 5 for further details).

• The Electoral Ward of Rhyl East to retain the English language name of Rhyl East, based onthe 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of Dwyrain Y Rhyl, based on the2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed achange to the Commission’s proposed name (see paragraph 5 for further details).

• The Electoral Ward of Rhyl South to retain the English language name of Rhyl South, basedon the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of De Y Rhyl, based on the

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2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed a change to the Commission’s proposed name (see paragraph 5 for further details).

• The Electoral Ward of Rhyl South West to retain the English language name of Rhyl SouthWest, based on the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of De OrllewinY Rhyl, based on the 2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered thename and proposed a change to the Commission’s proposed name (see paragraph 5 forfurther details).

• The Electoral Ward of Rhyl West to retain the English language name of Rhyl West, basedon the 1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of Gorllewin Y Rhyl, basedon the 2017 elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name andproposed a change to the Commission’s proposed name (see paragraph 5 for furtherdetails).

• The Electoral Ward of Ruthin to retain the English language name of Ruthin, based on the1998 Order, and to be given the Welsh language name of Rhuthun, based on the 2017elections. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed nochange to the Commission’s proposed name.

• The Electoral Ward of St. Asaph East to be renamed Dwyrain Llanelwy in the Welshlanguage and, St Asaph East in the English language, based on the 1998 Order, and the2017 elections. The Commission’s proposal also applies the current convention to omit afull stop at the end of a contraction which includes the final letter of the word (i.e. ‘St’ forSaint). The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed no changeto the Commission’s proposed name.

• The Electoral Ward of St. Asaph West to be renamed Gorllewin Llanelwy in the Welshlanguage and, St Asaph West in the English language, based on the 1998 Order, and the2017 elections. The Commission’s proposal also applies the current convention to omit afull stop at the end of a contraction which includes the final letter of the word (i.e. ‘St’ forSaint). The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed no changeto the Commission’s proposed name.

4. During the initial consultation period the Commission received one representation, from theDenbighshire County Council which suggested the Commission considered renamingelectoral wards of Rhyl East, Rhyl South, Rhyl South West and Rhyl West, in favour of usinggeographical rather than ‘compass’ based names.

5. The Commission has consulted the Welsh Language Commissioner with regards to thenames of the retained electoral wards, and the Welsh Language Commissioner hasrecommended the following changes:

• Efenechtyd to have the single name of Efenechdyd. The Welsh Language Commissionernotes that Efenechdyd is the standard Welsh language form recommended by thereference book, A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names (University of Wales Press, 1967). TheCommissioner’s Place-names Standardisation Panel's Guidelines state that if the differencebetween the Welsh form and the 'English' form consists of only one or two letters, the useof a single form is recommended, with preference being given to the Welsh form.However, the Commission has decided to retain the single name of Efenechtyd for thiselectoral ward based on the last Order for this ward, namely the 1998 Order and the 2017elections.

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• Prestatyn Meliden to be named Prestatyn Alltmelyd in the Welsh language. The Welsh Language Commissioner notes that Allt Melyd is the standard Welsh form recommended by the reference book, A Gazetteer of Welsh Place-Names. However, the Commissioner's Place-names Standardisation Panel favours the name solet as one word, Alltmelyd. The name of a settlement is usually written as one word in order to distinguish between settlements and topographical features. However, the Commission has decided to retain the Welsh language name of Prestatyn Gallt Melyd for this electoral ward based on the 2017 elections.

• Prestatyn South West to be named De-orllewin Prestatyn in the Welsh language. The Welsh Language Commissioner believes that compass points that combine two elements are usually written in Welsh as one word with a hyphen. However, the Commission has decided to retain the Welsh language name of De Orllewin Prestatyn for this electoral ward based on the 2017 elections.

• Rhyl East to be named Dwyrain y Rhyl in the Welsh language. The Welsh Language Commissioner believes that there is no need to capitalise the Welsh definite article ‘y’ here. However, the Commission has decided to retain the Welsh language name of Dwyrain Y Rhyl for this electoral ward based on the 2017 elections.

• Rhyl South to be named De’r Rhyl in the Welsh language. The Welsh Language Commissioner believes that there is no need to capitalise the Welsh definite article ‘y’ here. However, the Commission has decided to retain the Welsh language name of De Y Rhyl for this electoral ward based on the 2017 elections.

• Rhyl South West to be named De-orllewin y Rhyl in the Welsh language. The Welsh Language Commissioner believes that compass points that combine two elements are usually written in Welsh as one word with a hyphen and there is no need to capitalise the Welsh definite article ‘y’ here. However, the Commission has decided to retain the Welsh language name of De Orllewin Y Rhyl for this electoral ward based on the 2017 elections.

• Rhyl West to be named Gorllewin y Rhyl in the Welsh language. The Welsh Language Commissioner believes that there is no need to capitalise the Welsh definite article ‘y’ here. However, the Commission has decided to retain the Welsh language name of Gorllewin Y Rhyl for this electoral ward based on the 2017 elections.

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

Proposed Electoral Wards

7. The Commission considered changes to the remaining electoral wards. Details of the current electoral arrangements can be found at Appendix 2. The Commission’s proposed arrangements can be found in Appendix 3.

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Rhyl South East

8. The existing Rhyl South East electoral ward is composed of the Trellewelyn and Ty Newyddwards of the Town of Rhyl. It has 6,216 electors (6,467 projected electorate) represented bythree councillors which is 30% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward hasan estimated population of 5,818 eligible electors.

9. The Commission received two representations concerning this electoral ward fromDenbighshire County Council and Rhyl Town Council. They both suggested that the existingelectoral ward be split into two electoral wards based on the existing town wards ofTrellewelyn and Ty Newydd each represented by two councillors. They suggested that thenames for the new electoral wards should be Rhyl Trellewelyn and Rhyl Ty Newydd.

10. The Commission notes the level of under-representation in the existing electoral ward ofRhyl South East and has considered the recommendations made by Denbighshire CountyCouncil and Rhyl Town Council for this area.

11. The Commission proposes that the Trellewelyn ward of the Town of Rhyl forms an electoralward of 2,827 electors (3,078 projected electorate) which, if represented by two councillors,would result in a level of representation that is 11% below the proposed county average.

12. Following advice from the Welsh Language Commissioner the Commission has given theproposed electoral ward the Welsh language name of Trellewelyn Y Rhyl, and the Englishlanguage name of Rhyl Trellewelyn. The Commission would welcome any suggestions foralternative names.

13. The Commission, as a consequence, proposes that the Ty Newydd ward of the Town of Rhylto form an electoral ward of 3,389 electors (3,389 projected electorate) which, ifrepresented by two councillors, would result in a level of representation that is 7% abovethe proposed county average.

14. Following advice from the Welsh Language Commissioner the Commission has given theproposed electoral ward the Welsh language name of Tŷ Newydd Y Rhyl, and the Englishlanguage name of Rhyl Tŷ Newydd. The Commission would welcome any suggestions foralternative names.

15. The Commission agrees with the proposals made by Denbighshire County Council and RhylTown Council for this area and the subsequent improvement in electoral parity.

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Denbigh Central and Denbigh Upper/Henllan

16. The existing Denbigh Central electoral ward is comprised of the Central ward of the Town ofDenbigh. It has 1,610 electors (1,610 projected electorate) represented by one councillorwhich is 1% above the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 1,688 eligible electors.

17. The existing Denbigh Upper/Henllan electoral ward is composed of the Upper ward of theTown of Denbigh and the Community of Henllan. It has 2,407 electors (2,547 projectedelectorate) represented by one councillor which is 24% below the proposed county average.The electoral ward has an estimated population of 2,496 eligible electors.

18. The Commission received one representation concerning these wards from DenbighshireCounty Council. The Council suggested retaining the existing electoral wards due to themergers increasing the number of members representing an electoral ward; theincorporation of Denbigh Central with Denbigh Upper/Henllan would result in the loss of asingle member ward and would detrimentally affect the representation of rural Henllan. TheCouncil also stated that re-organising the warding arrangements in the area should waituntil information on the impact of prospective developments was available.

19. Due to the level of variance from the county average of the existing Denbigh Upper/Henllanelectoral ward, the Commission considered an alternative arrangement for this area.

20. The Commission proposes to combine the Central and Upper wards of the Town of Denbighwith the Community of Henllan to form an electoral ward of 4,017 electors (4,157 projectedelectorate) which, if represented by three councillors, would result in a level ofrepresentation that is 16% below the proposed county average.

21. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name of CanolDinbych a Dinbych Uchaf gyda Henllan, and the English language name of Denbigh Centraland Upper with Henllan. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name andproposed no change to the Commission’s proposed name. The Commission would welcomeany suggestions for alternative names.

22. The Commission considered the representation from Denbighshire County Council but wasnot provided with sufficient evidence of any prospective developments in this area. Whenconsidering the projected figures there was an insufficient increase in electorate to justifyretaining the existing arrangement.

23. The Community of Henllan has ties to the Town of Denbigh forming a ward in the existingarrangements. The Commission considers that the Town Wards of Central and UpperDenbigh together with the Community of Henllan will be able to provide for an effectiveelectoral ward due to the presence of community, communication and social ties whichalready exist.

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Llanarmon-yn-Ial/Llandegla and Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd/Llangynhafal

24. The existing Llanarmon-yn-Ial/Llandegla electoral ward is composed of the Communities ofLlanarmon-yn-Ial, Llandegla and Llanferres. It has 2,070 electors (2,149 projected electorate)represented by one councillor which is 30% above the proposed county average. Theelectoral ward has an estimated population of 2,021 eligible electors.

25. The existing Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd/Llangynhafal electoral ward is composed of theCommunities of Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd and Llangynhafal. It has 1,213 electors (1,292projected electorate) represented by one councillor which is 24% below the proposedcounty average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 1,229 eligible electors.

26. The Commission received four representations concerning these wards from DenbighshireCounty Council and the Community Councils of Llanarmon-yn-Ial, Llandegla and Llanferres.

27. Denbighshire County Council suggested Llanarmon yn Ial/Llandegla electoral ward shouldremain unchanged owing to the close geographical and historical links. They highlighted thatthis was the wishes expressed by the three community councils. They also suggested thatLlanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd/Llangynhafal electoral ward remain unchanged owing to the effectsincorporating possible communities, would have on those communities and the projectedincrease in the electorate in Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd/Llangynhafal over the next 5 years.

28. The Community Councils of Llanarmon-yn-Ial, Llandegla and Llanferres suggested in a jointresponse to retain the existing ward of Llanarmon yn Ial/Llandegla electoral wards due tothe strong historical, social and cultural ties of the three communities including the sharedschool catchment area. They also highlighted the natural boundary between LlanbedrDyffryn Clwyd and Llanferres.

29. Due to the levels of variance in the existing Llanarmon-yn-Ial/Llandegla and Llanbedr DyffrynClwyd/Llangynhafal electoral wards, the Commission considered alternative arrangementsfor this area.

30. The Commission proposes to combine the Communities of Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd,Llanferres and Llangynhafal to form an electoral ward of 1,871 electors (1,969 projectedelectorate) which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of representationthat is 18% above the proposed county average.

31. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name ofLlanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd, Llanferres a Llangynhafal, and the English language name ofLlanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd, Llanferres and Llangynhafal. The Welsh Language Commissionerconsidered the name and proposed no change to the Commission’s proposed name. TheCommission would welcome any suggestions for alternative names.

32. The Commission proposes, as a consequence, to combine the Communities of Llanarmon-yn-Ial, and Llandegla to form an electoral ward of 1,412 electors (1,472 projected electorate)which, if represented by one councillor, would result in a level of representation that is 11%below the proposed county average.

33. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name ofLlanarmon-yn-Iâl a Llandegla, and the English language name of Llanarmon-yn-Iâl andLlandegla. The Welsh Language Commissioner considered the name and proposed nochange to the Commission’s proposed name. The Commission would welcome anysuggestions for alternative names.

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34. The Commission believes that the proposed electoral wards improve the electoral parity inthese areas, whilst limiting disruption to the existing arrangements in the surrounding areas.The Commission is aware that the direct communication link between the Community ofLlanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd and Llanferres is a minor road and that the member for this areawould traverse the ward using the A494.

35. The Commission considered alternative proposals which would maintain the ties in theexisting wards and improve electoral parity. However, these proposals result in significantnegative consequential effects to the existing arrangements from Tremeirchion in the northto Llanrhaeadr-Yng-Nghinmeirch in the east and Llanfair Dyffryn Clwyd/Gwyddelwern to thesouth. Furthermore, due to the rural nature of the area, when considering alternativearrangements leads to less ideal communication links being proposed.

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Corwen and Llandrillo

36. The existing Corwen electoral ward is comprised of the Town of Corwen. It has 1,872electors (1,922 projected electorate) represented by one councillor which is 18% above theproposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimated population of 1,886 eligibleelectors.

37. The existing Llandrillo electoral ward is composed of the Communities of Cynwyd andLlandrillo. It has 965 electors (1,024 projected electorate) represented by one councillorwhich is 39% below the proposed county average. The electoral ward has an estimatedpopulation of 996 eligible electors.

38. The Commission received two representations concerning these ward from DenbighshireCounty Council and County Councillor Mabon ap Gwynfor (Llandrillo).

39. Denbighshire County Council suggested retaining the existing electoral wards becauseLlandrillo is a rural area and Corwen is framed around an urban town and that anamalgamated electoral ward would be a very large, making it difficult to be effectivelyrepresented by two-members. They also highlighted that retaining the existing electoralwards is the wishes of the communities reported by the County Councillors for theseelectoral wards

40. County Councillor Mabon ap Gwynfor suggested retaining the existing electoral wardsbecause of the lack of geographical, social links between Llandrillo and Corwen; If Llandrilloand Corwen were combined, the increase in size would create one of the largest electoralwards in the county. He also stated that the representative of a single-member ward is moreaccountable to its constituents and is more democratic as opposed to a multi-member ward.

41. Due to the level of variance from the county average of the existing Llandrillo electoralward, the Commission considered an alternative arrangement for this area.

42. The Commission proposes to combine the Communities of Cynwyd and Llandrillo and theTown of Corwen to form an electoral ward of 2,837 electors (2,946 projected electorate)which, if represented by two councillors, would result in a level of representation that is11% below the proposed county average.

43. The Commission has given the proposed electoral ward the Welsh language name ofCorwen a Llandrillo, and the English language name of Corwen and Llandrillo. The WelshLanguage Commissioner considered the name and proposed no change to the Commission’sproposed name. The Commission would welcome any suggestions for alternative names.

44. The Commission acknowledges that the proposed ward creates a multi-member ward in arural area. Due to the geography of the area there were no alternative arrangements thatprovided an improvement in electoral parity. The Commission believes this proposal isappropriate due to the good communication links and the significant improvement inelectoral parity.

Page 21


Page 22


Chapter 5. SUMMARY OF PROPOSED ARRANGEMENTS 1. The existing electoral arrangements (as shown at Appendix 2) provide for the following

levels of electoral representation within the County of Denbighshire:

• Electoral variance ranges from 41% below the current county average (Llandrillo) to28% above the current county average (Llanarmon-yn-Ial/Llandegla and Rhyl SouthEast) of 1,623 electors per councillor.

• Five electoral wards (17%) have levels of representation more than 25% above orbelow the current county average of 1,623 electors per councillor.

• Eleven electoral wards (37%) have levels of representation between 10% and 25%above or below the current county average of 1,623 electors per councillor.

• Fourteen electoral wards (47%) have levels of representation less than 10% above orbelow the current county average of 1,623 electors per councillor.

2. In comparison with the existing electoral arrangements shown above, the proposedelectoral arrangements (as shown in Appendix 3) illustrate the following improvements tothe electoral representation across the County:

• Electoral variance ranges from 17% below the proposed county average (St AsaphWest) to 23% above the proposed county average (Dyserth) of 1,589 electors percouncillor.

• None of the electoral wards have levels of representation more than 25% above orbelow the proposed county average of 1,589 electors per councillor.

• Fifteen electoral wards (52%) have levels of representation between 10% and 25%above or below the proposed county average of 1,589 electors per councillor.

• Fourteen electoral wards (48%) have levels of representation less than 10% above orbelow the proposed county average of 1,589 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 community ties wherever possible. The Commission recognises that thecreation of electoral wards, which depart from the pattern which now exists, may impactupon existing ties between communities and straddle multiple community councils. TheCommission has made every effort to ensure that the revised electoral wards areappropriate combinations of existing community and community wards.

4. The Commission has looked at each area and is satisfied that it would be difficult 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 wouldwelcome any 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 rather than particular settlements, villages, or towns. The

Page 23


Commission recognises that there may be names that are more appropriate and it would welcome alternative suggestions. The Commission would request that these suggested names should not merely consist of listed communities and 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 of Denbighshire. It shall welcome any representations inrespect of these proposals. The Commission will consider carefully all representations madeto it with respect of them before formulating our final proposals and submitting them to theWelsh Government.

Chapter 6. RESPONSES TO THIS REPORT

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

The Chief Executive Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales Hastings House Fitzalan Court Cardiff CF24 0BL

Or by email to:

[email protected]

not later than 13 December 2018.

Page 24


Page 25

Chapter 7. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

1. The Commission wish to express our gratitude to the principal council, all the communitycouncils and other interested bodies and persons who made representations to us for theirassistance during the course of developing these draft proposals. The Commission commendthe draft proposals contained within this report.

OWEN WATKIN OBE DL (Chair)

CERI STRADLING (Deputy Chair)

DAVID POWELL (Member)

JULIE MAY (Member)

THEODORE JOLOZA (Member)

STEVE HALSALL (Chief Executive)

September 2018

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 for National Statistics’ 2015 Ward population estimates 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 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.

Page 1

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.

Page 2

DEN

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/Hen

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The

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10Ll

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The

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269

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307

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403

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282

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APPENDIX 2

Page 1

DEN

BIG

HSH

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CO

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OU

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CO

UN

CIL

MEM

BER

SHIP

No.

NA

ME

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SC

RIP

TIO

NN

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2017

2017

R

ATI

O

% v

aria

nce

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Cou

nty

aver

age

ELE

CTO

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TE

2022

2022

R

ATI

O

% v

aria

nce

from

Cou

nty

aver

age

Pop

ulat

ion

Elig

ible

to

Vot

e

30Tr

emei

rchi

onTh

e C

omm

unity

of B

odfa

ri 30

7 (3

33),

Cw

m 2

82 (2

82),

Trem

eirc

hion

590

(590

) and

Wae

n 19

0 (1

90)

11,

369

1,36

9-1

5.7%

1,39

51,

395

-17%

1,31

5

4776

,292

1,62

379

,098

1,68

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,198

2017

2022

Gre

ater

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+ o

r - 5

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f Cou

nty

aver

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Bet

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25%

and

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nty

aver

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517

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Bet

wee

n +

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10%

and

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r - 2

5% o

f Cou

nty

aver

age

1137

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43%

Bet

wee

n 0%

and

+ o

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f Cou

nty

aver

age

1447

%13

43%

Pop

ulat

ion

figur

es s

uppl

ied

by th

e O

ffice

for N

atio

nal S

tatis

tics

TOTA

L:R

atio

is th

e nu

mbe

r of e

lect

ors

per c

ounc

illor

Ele

ctor

al fi

gure

s su

pplie

d by

Den

bigh

shire

Cou

nty

Cou

ncil

APPENDIX 2

Page 2

DEN

BIG

HSH

IRE

CO

UN

TY C

OU

NC

ILPR

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CO

UN

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MEM

BER

SHIP

No.

NAM

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ATE

2017

2017

R

ATIO

% v

aria

nce

from

Cou

nty

aver

age

ELEC

TOR

ATE

2022

2022

R

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% v

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nce

from

Cou

nty

aver

age

1B

odel

wyd

dan

The

Com

mun

ity o

f Bod

elw

ydda

n1

1,63

51,

635

3%1,

828

1,82

811

%

2C

orw

en a

nd L

land

rillo

The

Com

mun

ities

of C

ynw

yd 4

68 (4

94) a

nd L

land

rillo

497

(530

) and

the

Tow

n of

Cor

wen

1,8

72 (1

,922

)2

2,83

71,

419

-11%

2,94

61,

473

-11%

3D

enbi

gh C

entr

al a

nd U

pper

with

H

enlla

nTh

e C

omm

unity

of H

enlla

n 68

9 (7

52) a

nd th

e C

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l 1,6

10 (1

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) and

U

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1,7

18 (1

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) War

ds o

f the

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n of

Den

bigh

3

4,01

71,

339

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4,15

71,

386

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4D

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Low

er W

ard

of th

e To

wn

of D

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915

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unity

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71,

957

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2,14

92,

149

30%

6Ef

enec

htyd

The

Com

mun

ities

of B

etw

s G

wer

fil G

och

283

(283

), C

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196

(1

96),

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wen

375

(412

) and

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nech

tyd

515

(637

).1

1,36

91,

369

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1,52

81,

528

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7Ll

anar

mon

-yn-

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nd L

land

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The

Com

mun

ities

of L

lana

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mon

-yn-

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00 (9

60) a

nd L

land

egla

512

(5

12)

11,

412

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2-1

1%1,

472

1,47

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1%

8Ll

anbe

dr D

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and

Lla

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lTh

e C

omm

uniti

es o

f Lla

nbed

r Dyf

fryn

Clw

yd 6

69 (7

27),

Llan

ferr

es 6

58

(677

) and

Lla

ngyn

hafa

l 544

(565

) 1

1,87

11,

871

18%

1,96

91,

969

19%

9Ll

andy

rnog

The

Com

mun

ity o

f Abe

rwhe

eler

269

(269

), Ll

andy

rnog

869

(944

) and

Ll

anyn

ys 6

23 (6

23)

11,

761

1,76

111

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836

1,83

611

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10Ll

anfa

ir D

yffr

yn C

lwyd

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G

wyd

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The

Com

mun

ity o

f Bry

negl

wys

307

(333

), G

wyd

delw

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403

(432

), Ll

anel

idan

282

(282

) and

Lla

nfai

r Dyf

fryn

Clw

yd 8

48 (9

78)

11,

840

1,84

016

%2,

056

2,05

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%

11Ll

ango

llen

The

Tow

n of

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APPENDIX 3

Page 1

DEN

BIG

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MEM

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ATE

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% v

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nce

from

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nty

aver

age

ELEC

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2022

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ATIO

% v

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nce

from

Cou

nty

aver

age

29Tr

emei

rchi

onTh

e C

omm

unity

of B

odfa

ri 30

7 (3

33),

Cw

m 2

82 (2

82),

Trem

eirc

hion

590

(5

90) a

nd W

aen

190

(190

)1

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91,

369

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395

-15%

4876

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8

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Gre

ater

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f Cou

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age

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Betw

een

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of C

ount

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erag

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Betw

een

+ or

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of C

ount

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%

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%

TOTA

L:

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the

num

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ctor

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r cou

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l fig

ures

sup

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bigh

shire

Cou

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Popu

latio

n fig

ures

sup

plie

d by

the

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ce fo

r Nat

iona

l Sta

tistic

s

APPENDIX 3

Page 2

APPENDIX 4

Page 1

RULES AND PROCEDURES

Scope and Object of the Review

1. Section 29 (1) of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (the Act) lays uponthe Commission the duty, at least once in every review period of ten years, to review theelectoral arrangements for every principal area in Wales, for the purpose of consideringwhether or not to make proposals to the Welsh Government for a change in those electoralarrangements. In conducting a review the Commission must seek to ensure effective andconvenient local government (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 of Denbighshire 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 it appropriate; and

(b) in consequence of such changes:

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

(ii) Such community council changes and changes to the electoral arrangements for such 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.

APPENDIX 4

Page 2

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 members of the council to be elected is, as near as may be, the same in every electoral ward of the principal area;

(b) have regard to:

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

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

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 of persons that are eligible to be local government electors (as indicated by relevant official statistics); and

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

Local government changes

7. Since the last local government order in 1998 there has been a number of changes to localgovernment boundaries in Denbighshire.

The Denbighshire County Council (Bodelwyddan and Ruthin) Town CouncilsCommunity Ward Review Order 1999.

The Denbighshire County Council (Llanrhaeadr Yng Nghinmeirch) Community CouncilWard Review Order 2003.

The Denbighshire County Council (Denbigh) Community Council Ward Review Order2003.

The Denbighshire (Rhuddlan, Rhyl, Dyserth and Prestatyn) Order 2003

The Community of Rhyl Order 2006.

The Denbighshire (Prestatyn Community) Order 2016.

APPENDIX 4

Page 3

Procedure

8. Chapter 4 of the Act lays down procedural guidelines which are to be followed in carryingout a review. In compliance with this part of the Act, the Commission wrote on 21 July 2017to Denbighshire County Council, all the Community Councils in the area, the Members ofParliament for the local constituencies, the Assembly Members for the area, and otherinterested parties to inform them of our intention to conduct the review and to requesttheir preliminary views. The Commission invited the County Council to submit a suggestedscheme or schemes for new electoral arrangements and also requested DenbighshireCounty Council display a number of public notices in their area. The Commission also madeavailable copies of the Electoral Reviews: Policy and Practice document. In addition, theCommission made a presentation to both County and Community councillors explaining thereview process.

9. The boundaries of the proposed electoral wards are shown by continuous yellow lines onthe map placed on deposit with this Report at the Offices of Denbighshire County 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 inNovember 2016. This document details the Commission’s approach to resolving thechallenge of balancing electoral parity and community ties; it sets out the issues to beconsidered and gives some understanding of the broad approach which is taken towardseach of the statutory considerations to be made when addressing a review’s particularcircumstances. However, because those circumstances are unlikely to provide for the idealelectoral pattern, in most reviews compromises are made in applying the policies in order tostrike the right balance between each of the matters the Commission must consider.

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

Crown Copyright

12. The maps included in this report, and published on the Commission’s website, wereproduced by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales under licence fromOrdnance Survey. These maps are subject to © Crown Copyright. Unauthorisedreproduction will infringe Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.Any newspaper editor wishing to use the maps as part of an article about the draftproposals should first contact the copyright office at Ordnance Survey.

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

APPENDIX 5 SUMMARY OF REPRESENTATIONS RECEIVED FOR THE COMMISSIONS

INITIAL CONSULTATION ON THE REVIEW OF ELECTORAL ARRANGEMENTS IN THE COUNTY OF DENBIGHSHIRE

1. Denbighshire County Council emailed on 23 January 2018 outlining the Council’srecommendations and summary of discussions of a Member Working Group to theCommission. Below is the response and recommendations sent to the Commission.

Page 1

APPENDIX 5

Page 2

APPENDIX 5

Page 3

APPENDIX 5

Page 4

APPENDIX 5

2. Llanarmon yn Iâl Community Council emailed on 1 December 2017 a joint response fromLlanarmon yn Iâl, Llandegla and Llanferres Community Councils. They unanimously agreethat they want to retain the existing electoral ward of Llanarmon-yn-Iâl/ Llangegla as it is,unchanged. They highlighted the historical ties of the area and the natural boundarycreated by the mountain range between Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd and Llanferres; the sharedschool catchment area; the social and cultural links e.g. Cor Dewi Sant. They suggested theelectoral ward name be changed to Alyn Valley Ward as all three communities are linked bythe River Alyn.

3. Llandegla Community Council emailed on 28 November 2017 a joint response fromLlanarmon yn Iâl, Llandegla and Llanferres Community Councils. They unanimously agreethat they want to retain the existing electoral ward of Llanarmon-yn-Iâl/ Llangegla as it is,unchanged. They highlighted the historical ties of the area and the natural boundarycreated by the mountain range between Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd and Llanferres; the sharedschool catchment area; the social and cultural links e.g. Cor Dewi Sant. They suggested theelectoral ward name be changed to Alyn Valley Ward as all three communities are linked bythe River Alyn.

4. Llanferres Community Council wrote on 12 December 2017 a joint response from Llanarmon yn Iâl, Llandegla and Llanferres Community Councils. They unanimously agree that they want to retain the existing electoral ward of Llanarmon-yn-Iâl/ Llangegla as it is, unchanged. They highlighted the historical ties of the area and the natural boundary created by the mountain range between Llanbedr Dyffryn Clwyd and Llanferres; the shared school catchment area; the social and cultural links e.g. Cor Dewi Sant. They suggested the electoral ward name be changed to Alyn Valley Ward as all three communities are linked by the River Alyn.

5. Rhyl Town Council wrote on 23 November 2017 to propose that the electoral ward of RhylSouth East be split into two electoral wards based on the existing town wards ofTrellewelyn and Tynewydd. They also proposed that each electoral ward should berepresented by two councillors. They suggested that the names for the new electoral wards

Page 5

APPENDIX 5 should be Rhyl Trellewelyn and Rhyl Tynewydd to avoid confusion with the town ward names.

6. Councillor M ap Gwynfor (Llandrillo) emailed on 23 January 2018 to argue the case for“retaining the status quo”. He highlighted the lack of geographical, social links betweenLlandrillo and Corwen and his belief that the residents of the communities of Cynwyd andLlandrillo will be better represented by a single-member ward. He suggested that theelectoral ward be renamed Mynllod as it is the a small mountain in the area

Page 6

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.

Page 1

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.

Page 2

APPENDIX 6

local democracy and boundary commission for … draft report_en.pdfin september 2013, the local...

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