Wrexham and Clwyd South politicians have their say on new boundaries for General Election

Wrexham’s elected representatives in Parliament and the Senedd have shared their views of changes made to the two local constituencies ahead of the next General Election.

The Boundary Commission for Wales this week unveiled its final recommendations and map of UK parliamentary representation.

It will see a reduction from 40 parliamentary constituencies to 32, with each containing between 69,724 and 77,062 electors.

The recommendations will automatically come into play at the next General Election and will not impact the existing constituencies for Senedd and council elections.

Locally there are big changes for both the Wrexham and Clwyd South constituencies, with the latter being scrapped altogether.

Some residents currently living in the Clwyd South constituency will find themselves voting for a Wrexham MP at the next General Election.

Areas such as Overton, Bronington, Brymbo and Minera will be classed as Wrexham.

Clwyd South is scrapped as a constituency and will be replaced with Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr, which will see residents in areas such as Johnstown, Ruabon and Rhostyllen sharing an MP with parts of mid-Wales.

Following the release of the final recommendations we approached the Members of Parliament and Members of the Senedd representing Wrexham and Clwyd South for their views on the changes.

We also asked for their comments on accusations of ‘gerrymandering’ by the Conservative Party, which in 2020 was accused of an attempted “power grab” for requesting a redraw of the existing boundaries.

Sarah Atherton – Wrexham’s Member of Parliament

“These recommendations by the Boundary Commission for Wales will ensure that Welsh constituencies are all roughly a similar size, between 69,724 and 77,062 electors, and reflect the rising and falling populations of cities, towns, and rural communities across the country.

“Wales will now have 32 MPs following the review, a reduction from the current 40, whereas the Welsh Labour-Plaid controlled Senedd want to increase the number of members from 60 to 96.

“In response to criticism from opposition parties, the Boundary Commission for Wales is an independent, impartial, and non-partisan public body. I ts recommendations take careful account of all the representations it has received during the three consultation periods, at the end of which, Wrexham received one of the highest number of responses in the whole of Wales.

“As the local MP, I was very keen for the people of Wrexham to have their say and made sure we circulated the consultation widely to ensure the views of residents were incorporated in the final report.

“I am satisfied that the Parliamentary boundary changes for the Wrexham constituency make sense and reflect the identity of our city and wider community.

“Thank you to everyone in Wrexham who submitted evidence to the Boundary Commission and participated in the process.

“These new constituency boundaries will come into effect in June 2023.

“Until the next General Election, I remain the Member of Parliament for the existing Wrexham constituency.

“If you are a resident in the current Wrexham constituency and need my help with any issue, please don’t hesitate to contact me by email on [email protected] ”

Lesley Griffiths – Wrexham’s Member of the Senedd

Lesley Griffiths, Wrexham’s Member of the Senedd said: “Once the Tories in Westminster decided they were going to cut the number of constituencies across Wales so drastically, the Boundary Commission was faced with an extremely challenging task.

“It meant it was inevitable Wales would end up with much larger constituencies and communities would be broken up. Wales is being disproportionately affected by the proposals when compared with England and Scotland. Having fewer Welsh representatives in Westminster can’t be positive or beneficial for people in Wales and this lack of representation may well alienate voters in future.

“Under the new proposals, the County Borough of Wrexham is deemed too large to be a single constituency so certain electoral wards that clearly associate with Wrexham were always going to be deposited elsewhere.

“Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr is a monster constituency, pairing Wrexham communities such as Rhostyllen, Johnstown and Ruabon with Machynlleth and Newtown. It will be almost impossible for a Member of Parliament to cover such a large area effectively.

“In my experience, people often turn to their MP or MS as a last resort. They may have an issue they’ve tried their best to resolve but feel they are now running out of options. I fear, under the new proposals, elected representatives may not be able to provide the same level of support to constituents as they do now, and this is particularly worrying following years of Tory austerity and cuts that has left public services threadbare.”

Simon Baynes – Clwyd South’s Member of Parliament

“I can categorically deny the claims that the proposals are the result of ‘gerrymandering’ by the Welsh Conservatives.

“The Boundary Commission is officially an independent body established in legislation, and as such would have listened to the views of all political parties equally.

“Their website states that: “The Boundary Commission for Wales is an independent and impartial non-departmental public body”. This can be found on their website at the below link: https://bcomm-wales.gov.uk/reviews/04-21/frequently-asked-questions

“With regard to your comments about local residents in Ruabon and Rhostyllen, this is ultimately the decision of the Boundary Commission.

“However, I am confident that whoever represents the proposed constituency after the next General Election will have been to the area many times prior to their election and will know the area well.”

Ken Skates – Clwyd South Member of the Senedd

“Clearly, the Tories have come up with new constituencies which they think gives them the best chance of clinging on to as many seats as possible.

“Jacob Rees-Mogg actually admitted that introducing voter ID requirements was gerrymandering, and I’m sure a lot of people in places like Rhostyllen and Ruabon, even Chirk on the southern border of Clwyd South, will be wondering why they’re being put in the same constituency as Machynlleth 50-60 miles away.

“The new Montgomeryshire and Glyndwr constituency is huge. I represent the largest Labour constituency in Wales, and it can take 45 minutes in the car to get from one side to the other. You’re probably looking at double that from Rhos to Machynlleth.

“The right candidate will be able to familiarise themselves with the key local issues in every part of the constituency and make sure none are neglected, but it’s a huge challenge.”

Map images via the Boundary Commission for Wales