The County Borough of Blaenau Gwent (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 1161 (W. 286)

Local Government, Wales

The County Borough of Blaenau Gwent (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Made

18 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 April 2019 containing its recommendations for change and the details of its review of the electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent.

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 and commencement E+W

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

(2) For any purpose set out in regulation 4(1) of the Regulations, 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(3).

Commencement Information

I1 Art. 1 in force at 20.10.2021 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)

Interpretation E+W

2.  In this Order—

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

“the Regulations” (“y Rheoliadau”) means the Local Government Area Changes Regulations 1976(4);

any reference to a map means one of the 2 maps marked “Map of the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021” deposited in accordance with regulation 5 of the Regulations, labelled “1” and “2”, and a reference to a numbered map is a reference to the map that bears that number;

where a boundary is shown on a map as running along a road, railway line, footway, watercourse or similar geographical feature, it is to be treated as running along the centre line of the feature;

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

I3 Art. 2 in force at 20.10.2021 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)

Electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent E+W

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

(2) The County Borough of Blaenau Gwent is divided into 14 electoral wards each bearing the English language name listed in column 1 and the Welsh language name listed 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

I5 Art. 3 in force at 20.10.2021 for specified purposes, see art. 1(2)

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

Abolition of the community of Beaufort, and creation of the communities of Beaufort and Garnlydan E+W

4.—(1) The community of Beaufort, as it exists immediately before the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2022, is abolished.

(2) There are constituted the following communities—

(a) the community of Beaufort shown hatched on Map 1;

(b) the community of Garnlydan shown hatched on Map 2.

Commencement Information

I7 Art. 4 in force at 20.10.2021 for specified purposes, see art. 1(2)

I8 Art. 4 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

18 October 2021

Article 3

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

Commencement Information

I9 Sch. in force at 20.10.2021 for specified purposes, see art. 1(2)

I10 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
Abertillery and Six Bells	Abertyleri a Six Bells	The Abertillery and Six Bells wards of the community of Abertillery	3
Beaufort	Cendl	The communities of Beaufort and Badminton	3
Blaina	Blaenau	The Blaina ward of the community of Nantyglo and Blaina	2
Brynmawr	Bryn-mawr	The community of Brynmawr	3
Cwm	Cwm	The community of Cwm	2
Cwmtillery	Cwmtyleri	The Cwmtillery ward of the community of Abertillery	2
Ebbw Vale North	Gogledd Glynebwy	The community of Ebbw Vale North	2
Ebbw Vale South	De Glynebwy	The community of Ebbw Vale South	2
Georgetown	Georgetown	The Georgetown ward of the community of Tredegar	2
Llanhilleth	Llanhiledd	The community of Llanhilleth	2
Nantyglo	Nant-y-glo	The Nantyglo ward of the community of Nantyglo and Blaina	2
Rassau and Garnlydan	Rasa a Garnlydan	The communities of Rassau and Garnlydan	2
Sirhowy	Sirhywi	The Sirhowy ward of the community of Tredegar	3
Tredegar	Tredegar	The Central and West ward of the community of Tredegar	3

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 April 2019 on its review of the electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent. The Commission’s Report proposed a reduction in the number of electoral wards from 16 to 14 and in the number of councillors from 42 to 33.

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

Article 3 of this Order abolishes the existing electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent and introduces the Schedule, which sets out the new electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Blaenau Gwent.

Article 4 abolishes the existing community of Beaufort, and creates the new communities of Beaufort and Garnlydan.

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.

Prints of the maps labelled “1” and “2” to which this Order relates are deposited in the office of the Welsh Government at Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3NQ (Local Government Democracy Division), and with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council. Prints deposited with Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council are open to inspection by anyone affected by the provisions of 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)

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.

(4)

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.

(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.