The City and County of Swansea (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 1075 (W. 254)

Local Government, Wales

The City and County of Swansea (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Made

22 September 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 March 2020 containing its recommendations for change and the details of its review of the electoral arrangements for the City and County of Swansea.

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 modifications.

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

1.—(1) The title of this Order is the City and County of Swansea (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021.

(2) For any purpose set out in regulation 4(1) of the Regulations, this Order comes into force on 1 October 2021.

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

Interpretation

2.  In this Order—

“electoral ward” (“ward etholiadol”) means any area for which members are elected to Swansea City and County Council;

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

any reference to a map means one of the 6 maps marked “Map of the City and County of Swansea (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021” deposited in accordance with regulation 5 of the Regulations, labelled “1” to “6”, 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.

Electoral arrangements for the City and County of Swansea

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

(2) The City and County of Swansea is divided into 32 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).

Abolition of the community of Cockett and creation of the communities of Cockett and Waunarlwydd

4.  The community of Cockett, as it exists immediately before the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2022, is abolished.

5.  There are constituted the following communities—

(a) the community of Cockett shown hatched on map 1;

(b) the community of Waunarlwydd shown hatched on map 2.

Abolition of the communities of Castle and St Thomas and creation of the communities of Castle, St Thomas, and Waterfront

6.  The communities of Castle and St Thomas, as they exist immediately before the ordinary day of election of councillors in 2022, are abolished.

7.  There are constituted the following communities—

(a) the community of Castle shown hatched on map 3;

(b) the community of St Thomas shown hatched on map 4;

(c) the community of Waterfront shown hatched on map 5.

The community of Mumbles: changes to community wards

8.  The part of the West Cross ward of the community of Mumbles shown hatched on map 6 is transferred to the Newton ward of the community of Mumbles.

Mark Drakeford

First Minister, one of the Welsh Ministers

22 September 2021

Article 3

SCHEDULE NAMES AND AREAS OF ELECTORAL WARDS AND NUMBER OF MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL

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
Bishopston	Llandeilo Ferwallt	The community of Bishopston	1
Bôn-y-maen	Bôn-y-maen	The community of Bonymaen	2
Castle	Y Castell	The community of Castle	4
Clydach	Clydach	The community of Clydach and the Craig-cefn-parc ward of the community of Mawr	3
Cockett	Y Cocyd	The community of Cockett	3
Cwmbwrla	Cwmbwrla	The community of Cwmbwrla	3
Dunvant and Killay	Dyfnant a Chilâ	The communities of Dunvant and Killay	3
Fairwood	Fairwood	The communities of Three Crosses and Upper Killay	1
Gorseinon and Penyrheol	Gorseinon a Phenyrheol	The community of Gorseinon and the community of Grovesend and Waungron	3
Gower	Gŵyr	The community of Llangennith and the communities of Llanmadoc and Cheriton, Llanrhidian Lower, Penrice, Port Eynon, Reynoldston, and Rhossili	1
Gowerton	Tregŵyr	The community of Gowerton	2
Landore	Glandŵr	The community of Landore	2
Llangyfelach	Llangyfelach	The community of Llangyfelach and the Felindre ward of the community of Mawr	1
Llansamlet	Llansamlet	The community of Llansamlet	4
Llwchwr	Llwchwr	The community of Llwchwr	3
Mayals	Mayals	The Mayals ward of the community of Mumbles	1
Morriston	Treforys	The community of Morriston	5
Mumbles	Y Mwmbwls	The Newton and Oystermouth wards of the community of Mumbles	3
Mynydd-bach	Mynydd-bach	The community of Mynyddbach	3
Pen-clawdd	Pen-clawdd	The community of Llanrhidian Higher	1
Penderry	Penderi	The community of Penderry	3
Penllergaer	Penlle’r-gaer	The community of Penllergaer	1
Pennard	Pennard	The communities of Pennard and Ilston	1
Pontarddulais	Pontarddulais	The community of Pontardulais and the Garnswllt ward of the community of Mawr	2
Pontlliw and Tircoed	Pont-lliw a Thir-coed	The community of Pontlliw and Tircoed	1
Sketty	Sgeti	The community of Sketty	5
St Thomas	St Thomas	The community of St Thomas	2
Townhill	Townhill	The community of Townhill	3
Uplands	Uplands	The community of Uplands	4
Waterfront	Y Glannau	The community of Waterfront	1
Waunarlwydd	Waunarlwydd	The community of Waunarlwydd	1
West Cross	West Cross	The West Cross ward of the community of Mumbles	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 March 2020 on its review of the electoral arrangements for the City and County of Swansea. The Commission’s Report proposed a reduction in the number of electoral wards from 36 to 32, but an increase in the number of councillors from 72 to 75.

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

Article 3 of this Order abolishes the existing electoral arrangements for the City and County of Swansea and introduces the Schedule which sets out the new electoral arrangements for the City and County of Swansea.

This Order also implements recommendations for changes to community boundaries and electoral arrangements for some communities within the City and County of Swansea.

Article 4 abolishes the existing community of Cockett, and article 5 creates the new communities of Cockett and Waunarlwydd.

Article 6 abolishes the existing communities of Castle and St Thomas and article 7 creates the new communities of Castle, St Thomas, and Waterfront.

Article 8 makes changes to the boundary between the community wards of West Cross and Newton within the community of Mumbles.

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 to 6 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 Swansea Council. Prints deposited with Swansea 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 the 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.