The County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Welsh Statutory Instruments

2021 No. 1111 (W. 266)

Local Government, Wales

The County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021

Made

4 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 October 2019 containing its recommendations for change and the details of its review of the electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil.

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, commencement and interpretation

1.—(1) The title of this Order is the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil (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 Merthyr Tydfil 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.

Electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil

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

(2) The County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil is divided into 11 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).

Rebecca Evans

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

4 October 2021

Article 2

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
Bedlinog and Trelewis	Bedlinog a Threlewis	The community of Bedlinog	2
Cyfarthfa	Cyfarthfa	The community of Cyfarthfa	3
Dowlais and Pant	Dowlais a Phant	The communities of Dowlais and Pant	3
Gurnos	Gurnos	The community of Gurnos	3
Merthyr Vale	Ynysowen	The community of Merthyr Vale	2
Park	Y Parc	The community of Park	2
Penydarren	Penydarren	The community of Penydarren	3
Plymouth	Plymouth	The community of Troed-y-rhiw	3
Town	Y Dref	The community of Town	4
Treharris	Treharris	The community of Treharris	3
Vaynor	Faenor	The community of Vaynor	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 October 2019 on its review of the electoral arrangements for the County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil. The Commission’s report proposed no changes to the number of electoral wards but a reduction in the number of councillors from 33 to 30.

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

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

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.