Senedd constituencies and electoral regions
Senedd constituencies and electoral regions (Welsh: Etholaethau a Rhanbarthau etholiadol Senedd Cymru) are electoral districts in use to date and which have been used in some form since the first Welsh Assembly election in 1999. New boundaries were introduced for the 2007 elections. The total numbers of constituencies and regions (40 constituencies and five regions) remained the same.[1]
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The constituencies were created with the boundaries of the Welsh constituencies of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster), as they were in 1999. The new boundaries were also used for the 2010 United Kingdom general election. Therefore, between the 2007 Assembly election and the 2010 United Kingdom general election, the two sets of constituencies, Assembly and Westminster, had differing boundaries.
Three constituency names, Conwy, Caernarfon, and Meirionydd Nant Conwy, have become historic, and the new boundaries define three constituencies with new names: Arfon, Dwyfor Meirionnydd, and Aberconwy. Generally, the new boundaries define each constituency taking account local government ward boundaries, and define constituencies close to equal in terms of the sizes of their electorates.
Unlike Westminster constituencies, Senedd constituencies are grouped into electoral regions, and an additional member system is used to elect four additional Members of the Senedd (Welsh: Aelodau'r Senedd or AS) from each region, in addition to the MSs elected by the constituencies. The Electoral Regions boundaries were based upon the pre-1999 European Parliament constituencies. At each general election of the Senedd, each elector has two votes, one constituency vote and one regional party-list vote. Each constituency elects one Member by the first past the post (single-member district plurality, SMDP) system, and the additional Senedd seats are filled from regional closed party lists, under the D'Hondt method, with constituency results being taken into account, to produce a degree of proportional representation for each region. Altogether, 60 Members are elected from the 40 constituencies and five electoral regions, creating a Senedd of 40 constituency MSs and 20 additional MSs. Every constituent is represented by one constituency Member and four regional Members.
From 2007
| Constituency | Welsh | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Aberavon | Aberafan | South Wales West |
| Aberconwy | North Wales | |
| Alyn and Deeside | Alun a Glannau Dyfrdwy | North Wales |
| Arfon | North Wales | |
| Blaenau Gwent | South Wales East | |
| Brecon and Radnorshire | Brycheiniog a Sir Faesyfed | Mid and West Wales |
| Bridgend | Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr | South Wales West |
| Caerphilly | Caerffili | South Wales East |
| Cardiff Central | Canol Caerdydd | South Wales Central |
| Cardiff North | Gogledd Caerdydd | South Wales Central |
| Cardiff South and Penarth | De Caerdydd a Phenarth | South Wales Central |
| Cardiff West | Gorllewin Caerdydd | South Wales Central |
| Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | Dwyrain Caerfyrddin a Dinefwr | Mid and West Wales |
| Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Gorllewin Caerfyrddin a De Sir Benfro | Mid and West Wales |
| Ceredigion | Mid and West Wales | |
| Clwyd South | De Clwyd | North Wales |
| Clwyd West | Gorllewin Clwyd | North Wales |
| Cynon Valley | Cwm Cynon | South Wales Central |
| Delyn | North Wales | |
| Dwyfor Meirionnydd | Mid and West Wales | |
| Gower | Gŵyr | South Wales West |
| Islwyn | South Wales East | |
| Llanelli | Mid and West Wales | |
| Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | Merthyr Tudful a Rhymni | South Wales East |
| Monmouth | Sir Fynwy | South Wales East |
| Montgomeryshire | Sir Drefaldwyn | Mid and West Wales |
| Neath | Castell-nedd | South Wales West |
| Newport East | Dwyrain Casnewydd | South Wales East |
| Newport West | Gorllewin Casnewydd | South Wales East |
| Ogmore | Ogwr | South Wales West |
| Pontypridd | South Wales Central | |
| Preseli Pembrokeshire | Preseli Sir Benfro | Mid and West Wales |
| Rhondda | South Wales Central | |
| Swansea East | Dwyrain Abertawe | South Wales West |
| Swansea West | Gorllewin Abertawe | South Wales West |
| Torfaen | South Wales East | |
| Vale of Clwyd | Dyffryn Clwyd | North Wales |
| Vale of Glamorgan | Bro Morgannwg | South Wales Central |
| Wrexham | Wrecsam | North Wales |
| Ynys Môn | North Wales |
1999 to 2007
| Constituency | Region |
|---|---|
| Aberavon | South Wales West |
| Alyn and Deeside | North Wales |
| Blaenau Gwent | South Wales East |
| Brecon and Radnorshire | Mid and West Wales |
| Bridgend | South Wales West |
| Caernarfon | North Wales |
| Caerphilly | South Wales East |
| Cardiff Central | South Wales Central |
| Cardiff North | South Wales Central |
| Cardiff South and Penarth | South Wales Central |
| Cardiff West | South Wales Central |
| Carmarthen East and Dinefwr | Mid and West Wales |
| Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ceredigion | Mid and West Wales |
| Clwyd South | North Wales |
| Clwyd West | North Wales |
| Conwy | North Wales |
| Cynon Valley | South Wales Central |
| Delyn | North Wales |
| Gower | South Wales West |
| Islwyn | South Wales East |
| Llanelli | Mid and West Wales |
| Meirionnydd Nant Conwy | Mid and West Wales |
| Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney | South Wales East |
| Monmouth | South Wales East |
| Montgomeryshire | Mid and West Wales |
| Neath | South Wales West |
| Newport East | South Wales East |
| Newport West | South Wales East |
| Ogmore | South Wales West |
| Pontypridd | South Wales Central |
| Preseli Pembrokeshire | Mid and West Wales |
| Rhondda | South Wales Central |
| Swansea East | South Wales West |
| Swansea West | South Wales West |
| Torfaen | South Wales East |
| Vale of Clwyd | North Wales |
| Vale of Glamorgan | South Wales Central |
| Wrexham | North Wales |
| Ynys Môn | North Wales |
References
See also
- Boundary Commission for Wales
External links
- List of Members at the Senedd Cymru website