List of parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd

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].

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

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From 2010

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Constituency Boundaries
1. Arfon CC (Westminster)
 
Parliamentary constituencies in Gwynedd 2010
2. Dwyfor Meirionnydd CC (Westminster)
3. Ynys Môn CC (Westminster)

  Plaid Cymru   Conservative   Labour

Constituency Electorate Majority Member of Parliament Nearest opposition Map reference above
Arfon 42,215 2,781   Hywel Williams   Steffie Williams Roberts ‡ 1
Dwyfor Meirionnydd 44,362 4,740   Liz Saville-Roberts   Tomos Davies † 2
Ynys Môn 51,925 1,968   Virginia Crosbie   Mary Roberts ‡ 3

1997 to 2010

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Constituency Boundaries
1. Caernarfon CC (Westminster)
 
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

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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 did not 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

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From 2007

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Constituency Senedd region Constituency boundaries
1. Arfon CC (Senedd) North Wales
 
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

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Constituency Assembly region Constituency boundaries
1. Caernarfon CC (Assembly) North Wales
 
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

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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

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  Conservative   Liberal   Peelite   Whig

Constituency 1832 33 33 1835 36 1837 1841 46 1847 1852 1857
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

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  Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1859 1865 66 1868 70 1874 1880 80 82
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

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  Conservative   Liberal

Constituency 1885 1886 90 1892 1895 99 00 06 06 Jan 10 Dec 10 15
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

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

Constituency 1918 1922 23 1923 24 1929 1931 1935 45 1945
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

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  Conservative   Labour   Liberal   Plaid Cymru

Constituency 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 Feb 1974 Oct 1974 1979
Anglesey Lloyd George Hughes Best
Caernarfon G. Roberts Wigley
Merionethshire E. Roberts T. Jones Edwards Thomas
Conway1 W. Jones Thomas Davies W. Roberts

1983 to 2010

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  Conservative   Labour   Plaid Cymru

Constituency 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005
Ynys Môn Best Wyn Jones Owen
Caernarfon Wigley H. Williams
Meirionnydd Nant Conwy Thomas Llwyd
Conway1 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

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  Conservative   Labour   Plaid Cymru

Constituency 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024
Ynys Môn Owen Crosbie Medi
Arfon1 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

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Notes and references

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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