Wrexham could join Alyn and Deeside constituency in 2026 Senedd election

Wrexham could be paired with Alyn and Deeside to create one large Senedd constituency under new plans revealed today.

It comes as part of a major revamp planned for future Welsh Parliament elections, which will see the existing 40 constituencies and five regions replaced with just 16.

The next Senedd election is scheduled to take place in May 2026.

Currently voters head to the polls every five years to vote for their local and regional Members of the Senedd.

In Wrexham for example we are currently represented by Lesley Griffiths MS and Ken MS in the adjoining Clwyd South constituency.

We are also represented by four regional Members of the Senedd – Sam Rowlands MS, Carolyn Thomas MS, Llyr Gruffydd MS and Mark Isherwood MS.

The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has today (3 September 2024) published Initial Proposals for Wales’ new Senedd constituencies.

These new constituencies will take effect automatically at the 2026 Senedd election, and six Members of the Senedd will be elected from each one, using the D’Hondt method currently used for the Senedd’s regional lists.

The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru 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.

Locally this would see major changes – including the creation of Alyn, Deeside and Wrexham.

This would see residents locally elect a Member of the Senedd that would cover large parts of Flintshire.

Many other parts of Wrexham would join the new Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr constituency – which would see residents in the south of Wrexham share their Members of the Senedd with those who live as far away as Pwllheli, Nefyn and mid Wales.

Proposals

The 16 constituencies proposed by the Commission are:

• Bangor Aberconwy Ynys Môn
• Clwyd
• Alyn, Deeside and Wrexham
• Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr
• Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire
• Carmarthenshire
• Swansea West and Gower
• Brecon, Radnor, Neath and Swansea East
• Aberafan Maesteg, Rhondda and Ogmore
• Merthyr Tydfil, Aberdare and Pontypridd
• Blaenau Gwent, Rhymney and Caerphilly
• Monmouthshire and Torfaen
• Newport and Islwyn
• Cardiff East and North
• Cardiff West, South and Penarth
• Vale of Glamorgan and Bridgend

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.

According to information released today 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 initial proposals, the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has also opened a 4-week consultation to seek the views of people across Wales.

The Commission is keen to understand whether there is public support for these proposals or whether people feel that their parliamentary constituency should instead be paired with a different constituency.

The Commission also looks forward to hearing the public’s views on the proposed constituency names.

DBCC’s aim was to give the constituencies names which reflected the areas they cover, and where there was no name in common use for the area, to use the names of the parliamentary constituencies.

The Commission has however stated that local people are best placed to advise on the names for their area and the Commission remains very open to amending the proposed names as well as the proposed pairs.

Commenting on the publication of the initial proposals, Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ said: “At the 2026 Senedd election, our national parliament will be elected using an entirely new system, with entirely new constituencies.

“The Commission is confident that our initial proposals represent a very good first step in creating Wales’ 16 new Senedd constituencies, but we know from experience that these processes are always strengthened when we hear from the public.

“So we strongly encourage everyone to share their views with us, whether they support or oppose the proposals, so that we can go on to further strengthen the map ahead of the next election.”

Response

The Welsh Conservative have described today’s draft constituencies as the “wrong priority” for Wales.

Darren Millar MS, Welsh Conservative Shadow Minister for the Constitution said: “Welsh Conservatives have consistently opposed Labour and Plaid’s Senedd expansion proposals, it’s the wrong priority and more boundary changes will cause yet further upheaval and confusion for those who have already had to contend with boundary changes in council and Westminster elections.

“We need a Welsh Government that is focussed on getting to grips with problems in our NHS, education system and economy, not one that is obsessed with more politicians and constitutional change.”

However the proposals have been welcomed by Reform UK, which have argued that the move to proportional representation provides a “great chance” for the party.

Reform UK Chairman, Zia Yusuf: “Today’s announcement is an exciting one for Reform UK, it allows us to start planning for the 2026 Senedd elections.

“Every week we see momentum building in Wales, with new highs in the polls, membership surging to new records and continued growth in donations.

“Under Nigel Farage’s leadership, we have started the roll out of a campaign winning machine and are building a local branch infrastructure across the whole of Wales.

The initial consultation period closes on 30 September, and the Commission will publish its Revised Proposals report in December 2024.

Another 4-week consultation period running into January 2025 will follow. The Commission expects to publish its Final Decisions in March 2025.