No boundary changes for NPT – for now

Carl Sargeant, Welsh Minister for Social Justice and Local Government, announced today that Local Authority ward boundaries in Neath Port Talbot, and elsewhere in Wales, would not change before the 2012 Local Government Elections.

Gwenda Thomas, AM for Neath, said: “The Minister has made a wise choice in this matter and this is excellent news for Neath Port Talbot.”

“As the Minister recognises, many of the proposed changes risked breaking the link between citizens and their elected representatives. This connection is vital to the functioning of democracy and should be the prime consideration in any attempt to redraw the electoral map.”

The changes proposed for Neath Port Talbot included the merger of Bryncoch South and Dyffryn into a single ward with over 7,000 electors and four Councillors.

In a statement to the Welsh Assembly the Minister outlined his reasons for halting the proposed boundary changes. These included concerns about the quality of the proposals and delays in the review process.

The Minister said: “I do not wish to create a situation where some local authorities will conduct elections in 2012 under new arrangements and others under existing arrangements because of the imbalance inherent in such a situation.”

“I am making this announcement now to provide certainty to local government and others concerned with the electoral process.”