Senedd constituencies – already changed radically for May’s elections - will be reviewed again by the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru ahead of the election in 2030.

Senedd constituencies were last reviewed ahead of this year’s election, to form 16 constituencies which each elected six members to the expanded 96-seat Senedd.

The Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru were tasked with pairing Wales’ 32 parliamentary constituencies to create the 16 Senedd constituencies (a drop from the previous 40 constituencies) at that review.

However, the Act that created the new constituencies also tasked the Commission with holding a fresh review after the election under new, more flexible, rules.

Constituencies at this review will not be created by pairing parliamentary constituencies.

Instead, the Commission will use an electoral quota, meaning that every constituency must be within +/-10 per cent of the average number of electors across Wales.

The Commission will also look at local government boundaries, geographic considerations, and local ties as it develops its proposals.

The Act states that the Commission must seek to minimise the amount of change it recommends and consider the inconveniences that would be caused by making changes.

As with previous reviews, the Commission will not consider matters outside its remit, such as the impact on future election results or other administrative matters like postcode allocations or access to local services.

As well as examining possible changes to the 16 constituencies, the Commission must also name each one.

The Act states that constituencies must be given a single language name, unless the Commission considers doing so would be unacceptable.

At present, all 16 constituencies have a single language name.

The new review will feature more opportunities for people to share their views.

Initial proposals are due to be published in early 2027 followed by an eight-week consultation period.

The Commission will then publish the comments it receives and hold a secondary consultation period.

The Commission will also hold public hearings.

Following these consultations, the Commission will publish its revised proposals, with any changes put to a four-week consultation.

Finally, having considered all of the evidence received across its three consultations and public hearings, the Commission will publish its Final Determinations, which must be submitted to Welsh Ministers before 1 December 2028.

The commission has released a guide explaining the review process on its website.

Chief Executive of the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ said: “The Commission is looking forward to holding a full review for the Senedd’s constituencies, with a greater opportunity for people to share their views and impact the proposals.

“Whenever the Commission holds a review, the public’s feedback, especially on their local area, is vital to making sure our determinations are the strongest possible.

“The move from pairing parliamentary constituencies to using an electoral quota does mean that some changes will be necessary at this review, but it also gives us an opportunity to respond with greater flexibility to the public’s views, while ensuring that we minimise changes wherever we can.”