Ceredigion councillors move to block sweeping boundary changes

Ceredigion County Council has moved to block a sweeping set of boundary changes that would redraw the map of almost every town and community council in the county.

At the September meeting, Councillor Rhodri Evans tabled a notice of motion, seconded by Councillor Gwyn Wigley Evans, calling on the Welsh Government to review and rescind the proposals of the Boundaries and Democracy Commission Wales.

The motion urges the Welsh Government “to reconsider and withdraw this proposal in a respectful manner and to explore alternatives that will preserve the integrity and unique identity of our community councils,” adding: “Any reform should strengthen local democracy; not distance it from the people it is intended to serve.”

During the previous Senedd term, the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru prepared recommendations to review the boundaries of town and community councils in Ceredigion.

The consultation attracted 236 comprehensive responses from councils, organisations and individuals, amounting to approximately 470 pages.

Of all those responses, only one supported the recommendations; all the others opposed them.

Nevertheless, the Commission decided to maintain its recommendations, proposing changes to the boundaries of 50 of the 51 town and community councils in Ceredigion, with some councils being merged entirely.

Councillor Gwyn Wigley Evans described the plan as “straight out of ‘Yes Minister’,” with officers “telling the government what to do,” warning that the changes could see clerks lose their jobs, councils lose assets and amalgamated wards balloon in size.

Ceredigion’s chief executive Eifion Evans said he was not taking sides but noted that members had previously accepted a “direction of travel” after formally approving documentation about the review process.

He added that the changes are now “in statute,” and any alteration arising from the notice of motion would only take effect after the elections following next year’s polls.

Councillor Elizabeth Evans, who sat on a cross‑party review of the proposals, said the assurances of flexibility had turned into a “clearly proscriptive desktop exercise”.

“It’s clear that our communities are not happy, we were given that assurance that they would be flexible; let’s just give it one go, let’s just write back [to the Minister] the changes proposed do not represent our communities,” she told the council.

Members of the council, apart from a single abstention, voted to back the notice of motion.

The motion will be forwarded to the Welsh Government and the Minister with responsibility for Local Government, seeking a formal review of the Boundary Commission’s plan.

Opponents argue that the proposed mergers threaten the distinct identity of rural communities that have long relied on locally elected councils for representation.

Supporters of the reforms contend that larger wards could deliver efficiencies and a stronger voice at county level, but the overwhelming local opposition has cast doubt on that narrative.

Local campaigners have warned that the loss of community council boundaries could erode public engagement, with fewer elected representatives covering wider areas.

They also point to the potential loss of historic assets, such as community halls and playing fields, which could be transferred to larger bodies with different priorities.

Welsh Government officials have yet to comment publicly on the motion, but the council’s demand for a “respectful” reconsideration signals a growing political challenge to the Commission’s recommendations.

If the Welsh Government chooses to uphold the current proposals, the changes would be implemented after the forthcoming elections, reshaping the governance landscape of Ceredigion for a generation.

For now, the county’s town and community councils remain in a state of limbo, awaiting a decisive response from Cardiff.