New Welsh constituency names could be changed - again

New constituency names in Wales - used for the first time in this May's Senedd election - are going to be reviewed and possibly changed.

It means the 16 constituencies could see changes to Welsh-only names that proved unpopular, with any amendments set to be in place by the 2030 election.

Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru chief executive Shereen Williams said the review would ensure constituencies reflected the communities they serve, including cultural heritage and Welsh language use.

The 2025 review paired UK parliamentary constituencies - for MPs - and former Welsh Senedd areas to create 16 new constituencies for May's Senedd expansion, with six Members of the Senedd representing each.

This saw the number of MSs increase from 60 to 96, with 40 constituencies and five regions changed to 16 areas.

Williams told BBC Radio Wales' Sunday Supplement that the new Welsh-only consistency names could also be revised following public consultation as they did not prove popular with everyone.

She added that legislation required the use of single names where possible, but said: "If we are unable to find a name that reflects the identity of the area, or that's completely unrecognisable, it has nothing to do with the area, then we would then consider bilingual names.

"These set of boundaries that were used for the recent set of elections were always meant to be temporary. We're not we're not starting from a blank slate.

"Some people thought we would be wiping off all the boundaries and rebuilding them.

"No, we are going to start from the boundaries that were used in the recent Senedd elections and go from there."

She said the plan was to ensure equal population spread per constituency based on figures from the latest census - about 150,000 people in each, within a margin of 10%, so between 135,000-165,000.

Officials also want to align communities that share cultural similarities, before going out to a public consultation, expected in 2027.

The review is expected to be completed in time for the next elections in 2030.

A follow-up review is also planned in 2038, which could see further changes.