In July 2023, the Boundary Commission for Wales published the final geographical ‘boundaries’ for Wales, which will determine Wales’ UK Parliamentary constituencies going into the next UK General Election – whenever that may be.
What is the Boundary Review?
The Boundary Commission for Wales is an independent and impartial non-departmental public body which is responsible for conducting reviews of Parliamentary constituency boundaries in Wales and making recommendations to Parliament for changes. The Boundary Commission for Wales has been working on these changes since 2021, and is part of the wider UK Boundary Commission review which was tasked with updating the current spread of 650 parliamentary constituencies across the UK to reflect the changes in population distribution since 2010. This is to ensure that all UK constituencies contain roughly the same population sizes, within the ‘statutory electoral range’: all constituencies must have no less than 69,724 voters and no more than 77,062 voters.
What does this mean for Wales?
The final changes to the electoral boundaries published by the Boundary Commission for Wales has reduced the number of UK Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales from 40 to 32 MPs. You can read more about the work of the Boundary Commission here.
All current MPs will remain in post until the next election, at which point the new boundaries will take effect.
What does this mean for Pontypridd?
Pontypridd’s boundaries will take the following form at the next election:
Pontypridd will still be a UK Parliamentary Constituency, and if I am lucky enough to be re-elected after the next election I will remain MP for this constituency. However, the geographical boundaries of exactly which communities constitute the constituency of Pontypridd will change.
The boundary changes means if re-elected I will no longer be the Member of Parliament for Pontyclun, Taffs Well or Tonyrefail. I am sad to be saying goodbye to these communities, having represented them since 2019, but I know that our fantastic Labour candidates in those communities – Chris Bryant in Tonyrefail, Kevin Brennan in Pontyclun and Anna McMorrin in Taffs Well – will continue to do incredible jobs as your local Welsh Labour MPs if elected.
As well as losing 3 areas, the Pontypridd constituency will be saying hello to a number of new communities. The wards of Abercynon, Cilfynydd, Glyncoch, Mountain Ash East, Mountain Ash West, Penrhiwceiber and Ynysybwl will become part of the Pontypridd constituency, having previously been in the Cynon Valley. In addition, Brynna, Llanharan and Llanharry, having previously been under Ogmore, will also form part of the new constituency.
For all those communities who will be joining the Pontypridd constituency, I am very much looking forward to being your Welsh Labour candidate at the next UK General Election, and getting out and about in your local area and meeting with residents to hear your concerns.
In the meantime, I will remain the Member of Parliament for Pontypridd under the 2019 boundaries, so please do continue to get in touch with any concerns or issues you may have and as ever I will do my best to help.
I’m a local resident. Do I need to do anything?
No – the changes do not affect your postcode, council tax, school catchment area, health service provision, local authority or community/town council.