The County Borough of Torfaen (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 1139 (W. 276)

Local Government, Wales

The County Borough of Torfaen (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Made

11 October 2021

Coming into force in accordance with article 1(2) and (3)

The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales(1) has, in accordance with section 36(5) of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013(2) (“the 2013 Act”), submitted to the Welsh Ministers a report dated November 2018 containing its recommendations for change and the details of its review of the electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Torfaen.

The Welsh Ministers have, after consideration of the matters referred to and set out in section 37(2)(a) and (c) of the 2013 Act, decided to give effect to those recommendations with modification.

In accordance with section 37(3) of the 2013 Act, more than 6 weeks have elapsed since those recommendations were submitted to the Welsh Ministers.

The Welsh Ministers make the following Order in exercise of their powers conferred by section 37(1) of the 2013 Act.

Title, commencement and interpretation E+W

1.—(1) The title of this Order is the County Borough of Torfaen (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021.

(2) For any purpose set out in regulation 4(1) of the Local Government Area Changes Regulations 1976(3), this Order comes into force on the second day after the day on which it is made.

(3) For all other purposes, this Order comes into force on the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2022(4).

(4) In this Order—

“electoral ward” (“ward etholiadol”) means any area for which members are elected to Torfaen County Borough Council;

words and expressions used in this Order have the same meaning as they have in Part 3 of the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013, except so far as a contrary intention appears.

Commencement Information

I1 Art. 1 in force at 13.10.2021 for specified purposes, see art. 1(2)

I2 Art. 1 in force at 5.5.2022 in force in so far as not already in force, see art. 1(3)

Electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Torfaen E+W

2.—(1) The electoral wards of the County Borough of Torfaen, as they exist immediately before the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2022, are abolished.

(2) The County Borough of Torfaen is divided into 18 electoral wards each bearing the English language name listed in column 1 and the Welsh language name listen in column 2 of the Table in the Schedule to this Order.

(3) Each electoral ward comprises the areas specified in relation to that electoral ward in column 3 of the Table in the Schedule to this Order.

(4) The number of members of the council to be elected for each electoral ward is the number specified in column 4 of the Table in the Schedule to this Order.

(5) The provisions in this Order take precedence over any conflicting provision in any previous statutory instrument made under section 58(2) of the Local Government Act 1972(5).

Commencement Information

I3 Art. 2 in force at 13.10.2021 for specified purposes, see art. 1(2)

I4 Art. 2 in force at 5.5.2022 in force in so far as not already in force, see art. 1(3)

Rebecca Evans

Minister for Finance and Local Government, one of the Welsh Ministers

11 October 2021

Article 2

SCHEDULE E+W NAMES AND AREAS OF ELECTORAL WARDS AND NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

Commencement Information

I5 Sch. in force at 13.10.2021 for specified purposes, see art. 1(2)

I6 Sch. in force at 5.5.2022 in force in so far as not already in force, see art. 1(3)

Table

Column (1)	Column (2)	Column (3)	Column (4)
English language name of electoral ward	Welsh language name of electoral ward	Area of electoral ward	Number of members of the council
Abersychan	Abersychan	The community of Abersychan	3
Blaenavon	Blaenafon	The community of Blaenavon	3
Coed Eva	Coed Efa	The Coed Eva ward of the community of Fairwater	1
Croesyceiliog	Croesyceiliog	The community of Croesyceiliog	2
Fairwater	Fairwater	The Fairwater and Ty Canol wards of the community of Fairwater	2
Greenmeadow	Greenmeadow	The Greenmeadow ward of the community of Fairwater	1
Llanfrechfa and Ponthir	Llanfrechfa a Phont-hir	The community of Ponthir and the Llanyrafon East ward of the community of Llanyrafon	1
Llantarnam	Llantarnam	The community of Llantarnam and the Southville ward of the community of Cwmbran Central	3
Llanyrafon	Llanyrafon	The Llanyrafon West ward of the community of Llanyrafon	1
New Inn	New Inn	The community of New Inn	3
Panteg	Pant-teg	The community of Panteg	3
Pontnewydd	Pontnewydd	The community of Pontnewydd and the Northville ward of the community of Cwmbran Central	3
Pontnewynydd and Snatchwood	Pontnewynydd a Snatchwood	The Pontnewynydd and Snatchwood wards of the community of Pen Tranch	2
Pontypool Fawr	Pont-y-pŵl Fawr	The community of Pontymoile and the Wainfelin ward of the community of Pen Tranch	3
St. Dials	St. Dials	The St. Dials ward of the community of Cwmbran Central	2
Trevethin and Penygarn	Trefddyn a Phen-y-garn	The community of Trevethin	2
Two Locks	Two Locks	The community of Henllys and the Two Locks ward of the community of Cwmbran Central	3
Upper Cwmbran	Cwmbrân Uchaf	The community of Upper Cwmbran	2

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Order)

This Order implements the recommendations of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales (“the Commission”), which reported in November 2018 on its review of the electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Torfaen. The Commission’s Report proposed a reduction in the number of electoral wards from 24 to 18, and a reduction in the number of councillors from 44 to 40.

This Order implements the Commission’s recommendations, with modification.

Article 2 of this Order abolishes the existing electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Torfaen and introduces the Schedule, which sets out the new electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Torfaen.

The Welsh Ministers’ Code of Practice on the carrying out of Regulatory Impact Assessments was considered in relation to this Order. As a result, it was not considered necessary to carry out a regulatory impact assessment as to the likely costs and benefits of complying with this Order.

(1)

The Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales was established by section 53 of, and Schedule 8 to, the Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) (“the 1972 Act”). Section 53 and Schedule 8 were repealed by section 73(2) of, and Schedule 2 to, the Local Government (Democracy) (Wales) Act 2013 (anaw 4) (“the 2013 Act”). The 2013 Act re-names the Local Government Boundary Commission for Wales as the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales (see section 2).

(2)

2013 anaw 4.

(3)

S.I. 1976/246. Section 74(3) of the 2013 Act provides that these Regulations continue to have effect in relation to orders made under Part 3 of the 2013 Act, as if those orders were made under Part 4 of the 1972 Act.

(4)

The Local Authorities (Change to the Years of Ordinary Elections) (Wales) Order 2019 (S.I. 2019/1269 (W. 220)) amends section 26(1) of the 1972 Act to provide that the year in which the ordinary elections of councillors of local authorities shall take place is 2022 instead of 2021.

(5)

1972 c. 70; section 58 of the 1972 Act was repealed by section 73(2) of, and Schedule 2 to, the 2013 Act, subject to savings provisions specified in section 74 of the 2013 Act.