New Carmarthenshire council ward boundaries proposed
The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has published its draft proposals for changes to council ward boundaries in Carmarthenshire.
The electoral review of Carmarthenshire will examine the boundaries of council wards across the county borough with a view to ensuring that each council ward has a roughly equal ratio of electors to councillors.
The last review of Carmarthenshire council wards was completed in 2019, and a community review, looking at the boundaries and electoral arrangements of communities in the county, was submitted in 2024 and came into force 21 May 2025.
Having completed their previous review of Carmarthenshire council wards 6 years ago, the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru will look to bring all wards to within 20% of the council average rate of electors to councillors.
At present, 5 of the existing wards fall outside of that range.
The review also takes account of other factors, such as the rurality of wards, local ties, and the relative deprivation of wards as it develops its proposals.
The Commission has proposed a council of 74 members, a decrease from the current 75 members, with a proposed county average of 2,021 electors per member.
No changes are proposed for 39 of the 51 wards.
The largest under-representation (in terms of electoral variance) within the proposals is Yr Hendy Tŷ-croes (20% above the proposed county average). At present the greatest under-representation is in Hendy (31% above the county average).
The largest over-representation (in terms of electoral variance) within the proposals is Y Garnant (19% below the proposed county average). At present the greatest over-representation is in Llanfihangel Aberbythych (23% below the county average).
The Commission is proposing 23 multi-member wards in the county consisting of: 19 two-member electoral wards; and, four three-member electoral wards.
The Commission is inviting responses to its proposals until 12 November 2025, and residents can send their comments by email to consultations@dbcc.gov.wales, in the post to DBCC, 4th Floor, Welsh Government Building, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ, or via the online consultation portal at www.reviewswales.wales.
Following this consultation, the Commission will reflect on the responses received and develop its Final Decisions for a new map of council wards, before submitting that map to Welsh Government.
Commenting on the opening of the consultation, chief executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ said:
“The Commission looks forward to continuing to work with people in Carmarthenshire, and its partners in local government, as it seeks to ensure that people across the county are represented equally, that people’s votes carry the same strength, and that councillors are able to share a more equal workload.
“The previous electoral review for Carmarthenshire was the first in several years, meaning that the Commission had to recommend significant changes to wards across the county.
“With reviews now happening more regularly, we’re glad to be in a position where the vast majority of wards are already within the target ratio of electors to councillors.
“This is reflected in the large number of wards which are not proposed to change at this review.
“The Commission is proposing some changes however, so we strongly recommend that those with views on the shape of their ward respond to our consultations to make their voices heard.”