Aberystwyth town councillors will write to the Welsh Government urging them to reconsider sweeping changes to town and community councils in Ceredigion.

Despite Aberystwyth Town Council seeing relatively little change as part of a radical shake up that will see member numbers more than halved in some new look councils, with other smaller community councils merged or scrapped and absorbed into bigger neighbours – town councillors raised concerns on the potential impact on smaller community councils and the Welsh language.

All but one of Ceredigion’s 51 community council areas will change, many dramatically, and suffer the loss of several councillors after proposals by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales for the new community arrangements in the county were approved by the Welsh Government last year.

After accepting the recommendations with slight tweaks following a consultation, Welsh Ministers made the official order in June to bring in the changes in time for the local council elections to be held in May next year.

Only Llanwenog Community Council will stay as it is after the next election, with councillor reductions, minor boundary changes, and council mergers to be introduced elsewhere across the county leading to the loss of 180 councillors.

Aberystwyth Town Council’s General Management Committee meeting on 13 July heard the council had received correspondence from Llandysiliogogo Community Council regarding the changes.

Llandysiliogogo and Troedyraur councils will be merged with the loss of seven councillors under the plan.

Aberystwyth councillors “noted that a number of councils across the county had opposed the recommendations during the review process.”

Minutes from the meeting said that councillors “expressed concern regarding the implications of the changes for the Welsh language”, “particularly that many council which were being dissolved worked only through the medium of Welsh, and would likely have to work in English once they were combined with other councils.”

Concern was also noted that smaller councils may face “unaffordable translation and compliance costs.”

Members also raised concerns that the changes could reduce opportunities for the use of Welsh in local government across the county.

Council minutes said that councillors “emphasised the importance of protecting the role of community councils and preserving opportunities for the use of the Welsh language in local democracy, noting that the Order would see the loss of many councillors, who were active and prominent voices for their communities.”

Councillors expressed support for standing alongside other councils across Ceredigion in opposing the changes and noted that Aberystwyth Town Council would also lose representation under the new arrangements.

Aberystwyth will lose one councillor, dropping from 19 to 18.

Despite the plans being signed off and an order to introduce them made, councillors said that “concerns remained regarding the impact of the changes and the justification for their implementation.”

Councillors unanimously recommended that the council should write to the Minister for Local Government and the Minister for the Welsh Language “expressing concerns regarding the impact of the plan particularly in relation to the Welsh language and local democratic representation”, and “encouraging the ministers to reconsider the order.”