Does size matter? What ‘Reduce and Equalise’ means for Wales

Published: Wednesday, June 9th 2010

Electoral Reform Society Wales will conduct a seminar and launch of a publication on the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition’s proposals to reduce the number of Westminster constituencies and to make them of equal population size, and its effect on the National Assembly of Wales.

The seminar, to be held from 10.15am-12.30pm at the Press Briefing Room at the Senedd, will include as speakers the former First Minister Rhodri Morgan AM, who is also sponsoring the event, and the authors of the paper Lewis Baston and Owain ap Gareth.

As the law stands, a reduction in the number of Welsh constituencies and MPs in Westminster would lead to the reduction in the number Assembly Members in Cardiff Bay. This is particularly so if this would also involve resolving Wales’s current over-representation at Westminster, which would bring the number of constituencies down to 30. This would mean an Assembly of 45 members. Such a reduction would threaten the ability of the Assembly to govern effectively.

The paper analyses this possible crisis, and offers options in response.

Any change in the number of Westminster constituencies would require new legislation establishing how the Assembly is elected in future.

Such legislation would mean either:

• linking Assembly and Westminster constituencies in a different way (using a different voting system);
• linking the Assembly constituencies to Local Authority constituencies;
• decoupling the constituencies of three level of governance from each other entirely.

Cutting the number of Westminster constituencies could also involve re-examining the National Assembly’s electoral system. The paper looks at the possible options for change, and assesses their strengths and weaknesses.

These options include:  

• Altering the current Multi Member Proportional system (also known as the Additional Member System) so that 50% of the Assembly are elected through the regional list. This would mean 30 constituency AMs and 30 list AMs.
• Altering the current MMP system as above, but with a national list.
• 60 Assembly Members elected through 2-member Assembly constituencies using the Single Transferable Vote system, using single Westminster constituencies.
• 60 Assembly Members elected through 4-member using the STV system, using pairings of Westminster constituencies.
• 68 Assembly Members, based on current Local Authorities, elected by varied multi-member constituencies using the STV system.

The Society hopes the seminar and publication will be a contribution to an informed discussion of these issues.

Owain ap Gareth, Campaign Officer for Electoral Reform Society Wales, said:

‘The Westminster government’s policy will not be welcomed with open arms by everyone. Be that as it may, we can look at it as a nuisance, and sweep it under the carpet before following the path of smallest change and least resistance, or we can use it as a real opportunity to look at how we want our democracy in Wales to look at all levels.

‘It is an opportunity to look at how the local, devolved and UK government relate to one another in the future, and to ask what we want from our democratic system and devolution in Wales when we think of how we elect our politicians’

Dr Owain Llŷr ap Gareth, Campaign Officer, Electoral Reform Society Wales

E-mail: owain.apgareth@electoral-reform.org.uk

CYHOEDDIAD WEDI’I WAHARDD HYD NES 00.01 O’R GLOCH DYDD MERCHER MEHEFIN 9 2010

Pa ots pa faint? Beth mae ‘Torri a Chysoni’ yn golygu i Gymru

• cysylltu etholaethau’r Cynulliad â San Steffan mewn ffordd wahanol (gan ddefnyddio system bleidleisio gwahanol);
• cysylltu etholaethau’r Cynulliad gydag etholaethau Awdurdodau Lleol
• datgysylltu’n llwyr etholaethau’r tri lefel o lywodraethiant.

• newid y system Gyfrannol Aml-Aelod (a elwir hefyd yn System Aelod Ychwanegol) fel bod 50% o’r Cynulliad yn cael eu hethol drwy’r rhestr ranbarthol. Byddai hyn yn golygu 30 AC etholaethol gan ddefnyddio etholaeth San Steffan a 30 AC rhestr.
• Newid y system bresennol fel yr uchod, ond gan ddefnyddio rhestr genedlaethol.
• 60 Aelod Cynulliad wedi’u hethol drwy etholaethau 2-aelod, gan ddefnyddio’r system Bleidlais Sengl Drosglwyddadwy (STV), a defnyddio etholaethau sengl San Steffan.
• 60 Aelod Cynulliad wedi’u hethol drwy etholaethau 4-aelod, yn defnyddio system STV, gan ddefnyddio parau o etholaethau San Steffan.
• 68 Aelod Cynulliad, wedi eu sylfaenu ar etholaethau Llywodraeth Leol, wedi’u hethol drwy etholaeth aml-aelod amrwyiol, gan ddefnyddio’r system STV.

Dywedodd Owain ap Gareth, Swyddog Ymgyrch i Gymdeithas Newid Etholiadol Cymru:

‘Ni fydd polisi llywodraeth San Steffan yn cael ei groesawu’n llawn gan bawb yma. Beth bynnag am hynny, gallwn ni edrych ar hyn fel niwsans, a’i sgubo o dan y carped cyn dewis y newid lleiaf a’r llwybr hawsaf, neu gallwn ni edrych arno fel cyfle i edrych eto ar beth rydan ni eisiau o’n democratiaeth yng Nghymru ar bob lefel.

‘Mae’n gyfle euraidd i edrych ar sut yr ydym ni eisiau i lywodraeth lleol, ddatganoledig a Phrydeinig gysylltu a’u gilydd yn y dyfodol, a gofyn beth yr ydym ei eisiau o’n system ddemocrataidd a datganoli yng Nghymru wrth benderfynu sut i ethol ein gwleidyddion.’

Dr Owain ap Gareth, Swyddog Ymgyrch, Cymdeithas Newid Etholiadol Cymru

Tel: 02920 786522                             Mob: 07980 401 826

E-bost: owain.apgareth@electoral-reform.org.uk