Majority of New Senedd Constituencies to Bear Welsh-Only Names

Under recent proposals, the majority of the newly planned large constituencies for the Senedd are designated to be known exclusively by their Welsh-language names. Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru has stated that merely four out of the 16 constituencies slated for the upcoming 2026 election will feature bilingual names. The commission has updated its arrangements for the organization of these expanded Welsh Parliament constituencies, initiating a second consultation to gather public feedback. These larger constituencies are necessary due to the Senedd’s adoption of a new voting system, which will result in the election of 36 additional politicians compared to the current number. Among the proposals unveiled last September is a constituency spanning from the Llŷn Peninsula in the west to Wales’ border with England. In addition to new names, proposed arrangements for constituencies in Cardiff have been altered, and the commission is scheduled to finalize its decision on the electoral map next March. Andrew RT Davies, the former leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd, characterized the decision to predominantly use Welsh names as “quite wrong”. Conversely, Cymdeithas yr Iaith, the Welsh language society, expressed approval of the changes, stating: “Welsh is the unique national language of Wales, and we should be proud of it.” Presently, the majority of constituencies for both Westminster and the Senedd are bilingual, with only a few, specifically Ynys Môn and Caerfyrddin, being exclusively referred to by their Welsh names. However, legislation governing the new Senedd mandates that each constituency in Wales will possess a single monolingual name, unless the commission determines such an approach to be unacceptable. Should a single name be adopted, it must exclusively be in Welsh. The commission has pledged to employ a Welsh-language only name “where possible”. The total number of constituencies will decrease, as the commission is utilizing the 32 Westminster constituencies as a foundation to establish 16 super-constituencies, each of which will elect six Members of the Senedd (MSs). A new closed list voting system will be implemented to elect these members, roughly proportional to the public’s vote. The pairing of existing Westminster constituencies necessitates that seats in sparsely populated regions will be geographically extensive. The commission’s report indicated that a Welsh-language name would be deemed acceptable for use in English if it was likely to be recognizable to individuals who do not speak Welsh. However, if a name incorporates a geographic descriptor like north, south, west, or east, the commission would not approve the Welsh rendition. Consequently, four constituencies, primarily located in Swansea and Cardiff, have been assigned bilingual names. The remaining constituencies will be Welsh-only. Certain names, including Ceredigion Penfro and Sir Gâr, were deemed acceptable due to their existing use by local councils. Furthermore, these names have been abbreviated from their initial proposed forms. These proposals pertain to the 2026 election. The commission intends to re-examine them prior to the subsequent election in 2030. For north Wales, the constituency initially suggested as Bangor, Aberconwy and Ynys Môn will now be designated Bangor Conwy Môn. The name Clwyd will be retained, whereas Alyn, Deeside and Wrexham will be replaced with Fflint Wrecsam. A substantial constituency, originally titled Dwyfor Meirionnydd,