Ceredigion is set to be paired with Pembrokeshire in new look constituencies for the 2026 Senedd elections, with Dwyfor Meirionnydd joining Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr into a single new seat.
The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has published its revised proposals for Wales’ new Senedd constituencies which will see the creation of 16 constituencies to replace the current 40 constituencies and 5 regions.
Initial proposals were the subject of a four week consultation, with the revised proposals now released.
The plans will see the current Ceredigion Preseli and Mid and South Pembrokeshire UK Westminster constituencies merge to form the Ceredigion Penfro Senedd seat.
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The Dwyfor Meirionnydd UK Parliamentary constituency will pair with Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr to form the Gwynedd Maldwyn Senedd seat.
Consultations on the initial proposals saw representations made calling for Dwyfor Meirionnydd to be paired with Ceredigion Preseli , but the Commission said that link was “undesirable.”
The Ceredigion Penfro seat would “combine the whole of the Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire principal council areas into one constituency, which has good road links between the two areas and is therefore a cohesive constituency,” the Commission said.
The Commission said that while “it is not ideal to propose such a large constituency [for Gwynedd Maldywn], it is the best option in terms of proposing a contiguous combination of two UK Parliamentary constituencies in the area.”
“The Commission is of the view that there are reasonable road links between the areas of the proposed constituency such as between Machynlleth and Dolgellau,” the Commission said.
The new constituencies will take effect automatically at the 2026 Senedd election, and six MSs will be elected from each one, using the D’Hondt method currently used for the Senedd’s regional lists.
The Commission has had to create 16 constituencies by pairing Wales’ 32 UK parliamentary constituencies, ensuring that each constituency neighbours the one with which it is paired.
The Commission considers that constituencies should only be thought of as “contiguous” or neighbouring if it is possible to travel throughout it without having to leave the constituency.
The Commission also considered local ties, such as shared history, the Welsh language, and socio-economic considerations in an attempt to propose constituencies which feel as natural as possible to people across Wales.
The Commission does not however consider the impact of its proposals on future election results.
Having published its Revised Proposals, the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has also opened a final four-week consultation.
Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ said: “These Revised Proposals represent a significant step on the journey to creating Wales’s new constituencies.
“The Commission would like to thank the thousands of people who responded to the Initial Consultation, and invites everyone with a view on these proposals to let the Commission know their thoughts.”
The proposals and link to the consultation are available on the Commission website.
The Revised Consultation Period closes on 13 January.
The Commission will publish its Final Decisions Report at the end of March 2025.