List of parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd

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Three constituencies cover the preserved county of Gwynedd for the House of Commons of the UK Parliament (Westminster), and are used also for elections to the Senedd. The current boundaries have been effective since the 2007 National Assembly for Wales election and the 2010 United Kingdom general election. [1] [n 1] .

Contents

The preserved county of Gwynedd shares its name with the southern bulk, the principal area, Gwynedd, Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn), forms a second principal area, i.e. has its own local government council.

For Senedd elections, the constituencies each elect one assembly member and are grouped into additional-member electoral regions, in this instance the region is North Wales.

Westminster boundaries

From 2010

ConstituencyBoundaries
1. Arfon CC (Westminster)
Parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd 2010 GwyneddParliamentaryConstituencies2007.svg
Parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd 2010
2. Dwyfor Meirionnydd CC (Westminster)
3. Ynys Môn CC (Westminster)

   Plaid Cymru   Conservative   Labour

ConstituencyElectorateMajority Member of Parliament Nearest opposition Map reference above
Arfon42,2152,781  Hywel Williams Steffie Williams Roberts ‡1
Dwyfor Meirionnydd44,3624,740  Liz Saville Roberts Tomos Davies †2
Ynys Môn51,9251,968  Virginia Crosbie Mary Roberts ‡3

1997 to 2010

ConstituencyBoundaries
1. Caernarfon CC (Westminster)
Parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd pre-2010 GwyneddParliamentaryConstituenciesPre2007.png
Parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd pre-2010
2. Conwy CC (Westminster) (part)
3. Meirionnydd Nant Conwy CC (Westminster) (part)
4. Ynys Môn CC (Westminster)

Proposed boundary changes

The Boundary Commission for Wales submitted their final proposals in respect of the Sixth Periodic Review of Westminster Constituencies (the 2018 review) in September 2018. Although the proposals were immediately laid before Parliament they were not brought forward by the Government for approval. Accordingly, they didnot come into effect for the 2019 election which took place on 12 December 2019, and which was contested using the constituency boundaries in place since 2010.

Under the terms of the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, the Sixth Review was based on reducing the total number of MPs from 650 to 600 and a strict electoral parity requirement that the electorate of all constituencies should be within a range of 5% either side of the electoral quota.

On 24 March 2020, the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office, Chloe Smith, issued a written statement to Parliament setting out the Government's thinking with regard to parliamentary boundaries. They propose to bring forward primary legislation to remove the statutory obligation to implement the 2018 Boundary Review recommendations, as well as set the framework for future boundary reviews in time for the next review which is due to begin in early 2021 and report no later than October 2023. It is proposed that the number of constituencies now remains at the current level of 650, rather than being reduced to 600, while retaining the requirement that the electorate should be no more than +/- 5% from the electoral quota. [2]

Senedd boundaries

From 2007

ConstituencySenedd regionConstituency boundaries
1. Arfon CC (Senedd) North Wales
Senedd constituencies in Gwynedd 2007 GwyneddParliamentaryConstituencies2007.svg
Senedd constituencies in Gwynedd 2007
2. Dwyfor Meirionnydd CC (Senedd) Mid and West Wales
3. Ynys Môn CC (Senedd) North Wales

The North Wales region also includes seven Clwyd constituencies. The Mid and West Wales region also includes five Dyfed constituencies and two Powys constituencies.

1999 to 2007

ConstituencyAssembly regionConstituency boundaries
1. Caernarfon CC (Assembly) North Wales
Assembly constituencies in Gwynedd pre-2007 GwyneddParliamentaryConstituenciesPre2007.png
Assembly constituencies in Gwynedd pre-2007
2. Conwy CC (Assembly) (part)
3. Meirionnydd Nant Conwy CC (Assembly) (part) Mid and West Wales
4. Ynys Môn CC (Assembly) North Wales

Historical representation by party

Before 1974/1983 this table covers the historic counties of Anglesey, Carnarvonshire and Merionethshire. A cell marked → (with a different colour background to the preceding cell) indicates that the previous MP continued to sit under a new party name.

1832 to 1885

   Conservative    Liberal    Peelite    Whig

Constituency183233331835361837184146184718521857
Anglesey Williams-Bulkeley Stanley Williams-Bulkeley
Beaumaris F. Paget G. Paget Stanley
Caernarvon C. Paget Nanney C. Paget L. Jones-Parry Hughes
Caernarvonshire Smith Ormsby-Gore E. Douglas-Pennant
Merionethshire Vaughan Richards W. W. Wynne

1859 to 1885

   Conservative    Liberal

Constituency1859186566186870187418808082
Anglesey Williams-Bulkeley Davies
Beaumaris Stanley Lloyd
Caernarvon C. Wynne Hughes T. Jones-Parry
Caernarvonshire E. Douglas-Pennant G. Douglas-Pennant T. Jones-Parry G. Douglas-Pennant C. Williams Rathbone
Merionethshire W. W. Wynne W. R. Wynne D. Williams Holland

1885 to 1918

   Conservative    Liberal

Constituency18851886901892189599000606Jan 10Dec 1015
Anglesey R. Davies Lewis Ellis-Griffith
Arfon Rathbone W. Jones Rees
Carnarvon Jones-Parry Swetenham D. Lloyd George
Merionethshire Robertson Ellis Edwards Williams Haydn Jones
Eifion J. Roberts E. Davies

1918 to 1950

   Coalition Liberal (1918–22) / National Liberal (1922–23)   Conservative    Independent Labour    Independent Liberals    Labour    Liberal

Constituency1918192223192324192919311935451945
Anglesey O. Thomas R. Thomas M. Lloyd George
Carnarvon S. Davies Price-White
Carnarvonshire Breese R. Jones Owen G. Roberts
Merionethshire Haydn Jones E. Roberts

1950 to 1983

   Conservative    Labour    Liberal    Plaid Cymru

Constituency1950195119551959196419661970Feb 1974Oct 19741979
Anglesey Lloyd George Hughes Best
Caernarfon G. Roberts Wigley
Merionethshire E. Roberts T. Jones Edwards Thomas
Conway 1 W. Jones Thomas Davies W. Roberts

1983 to 2010

   Conservative    Labour    Plaid Cymru

Constituency198319871992199720012005
Ynys Môn Best Wyn Jones Owen
Caernarfon Wigley H. Williams
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy Thomas Llwyd
Conway 1 W. Roberts B. Williams

1In 2003 the area of the former Aberconwy district, largely identical to the Conway constituency, was moved from the preserved county of Gwynedd to the preserved county of Clwyd. This constituency is graphed with the Gwynedd constituencies until the reorganisation of constituency boundaries in 2010.

2010 to present

   Conservative    Labour    Plaid Cymru

Constituency20102015201720192024
Ynys Môn Owen Crosbie Medi
Arfon 1 H. Williams N/A
Dwyfor Meirionnydd Llwyd Saville Roberts

1parts transferred in 2024 to the constituency of Bangor Aberconwy which lies mostly in Clwyd

See also

Notes and references

References
  1. The Parliamentary Constituencies and Assembly Electoral Regions (Wales) Order 2006, OPSI website
  2. "Update: Strengthening Democracy:Written statement - HCWS183". UK Parliament. Retrieved 21 April 2020.
Notes
  1. county constituencies (CCs) for the purposes of type of returning officer and level of expenses; the trivial distinction is sometimes made in the most detailed analyses of UK politics between borough and county constituencies