PROPOSALS to reduce the number of Ceredigion County Councillors from 42 to 38 will be put to the Welsh Government.
The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales has published its draft proposals for the county with the final decision on whether they are put in place down to Ministers in Cardiff.
The number of electoral wards in Ceredigion will be reduced to 34 from 40 with some wards combined or extended.
The proposals follow a review of the electoral arrangements in the county and aim to reduce electoral variances with a recommended county average of 1,384 electors per member.
Four two-member electoral wards are recommended by the Commission – Aberporth and Y Ferwig, Aberystwyth Morfa a Glais, Aberystwyth Penparcau, and Beulah and Llangoedmor – while 19 wards remain unchanged.
Changes in Aberystwyth will reduce the number of councillors to five from six.
This includes combining the Bronglais, Central and North wards, renaming them Morfa a Glais, with two elected members and Rheidol retaining one representative.
The Llanbadarn Fawr area will be represented by one councillor.
In Lampeter there are no proposed changes to boundaries but the number of councillors will be reduced from two to one.
In Cardigan the County Council were among those objecting to the creation of a two-member ward and the suggestion of two single-member wards being retained – by retaining the existing Cardigan Mwldan electoral ward and by
combining the town wards of Rhyd-y-Fuwch and Teifi to form a new single-member electoral ward – was taken on board in the Commission’s plans.
It recommends combining Capel Dewi and Trefol wards in Llandysul into one ward, with one councillors, and making Troedyraur and Pontshaen and Tregroes into one ward, again with one councillor.
In New Quay the proposal is to combine with Llanllwchaiarn and the communities of Llandysiliogogo and Llangrannog will join to make another single member ward.
Ceredigion County Council had proposed a full scheme of arrangements with 39 members when it discussed the proposals at a full council meeting in April 2018.
Concerns were raised about creating multi-member wards in rural areas, with the council saying it would be “undesirable.”
Two areas where this has been recommended by the Commission is Aberporth and Y Ferwig, which would be combined and represented by two councillors, and Beulah and Llangoedmor.
Combining the town of Aberaeron with Llanddewi Aberarth to form one ward and Llansantffraed with the Llandbadarn Trefeglwys ward with Dyffryn Arth as another, with one councillor each, is also recommended.
In Tregaron, the community of Ystrad Fflur will be added and as a consequence Lledrod, Ystrad Meurig and Ysbyty Ystwyth will be combined.
Following a “large number of representations” of opposition – letters from 26 members of the public and 260 signed letters from Llangeitho Community Council – the arrangements for Llanfarian, Llangeitho, Llangybi and Melindwr will remain the same.
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