More than 250 town and community councillors will be lost in Ceredigion 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.

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

Only Llanwenog Community Council will stay as it is under the new proposals, with councillor reductions, minor boundary changes, and council mergers set to be introduced elsewhere across the county leading to the loss of 262 councillors.

In Aberaeron, proposals will see the town council reduced from 12 members down to seven, while the county’s biggest town council in Aberystwyth will have its councillor numbers reduced from 19 to 17.

Wards in Cardigan will remain the same with slight boundary changes, but proposals will see the number of councillors reduced from the current 14 to just eight.

Only one minor boundary change will take place in Lampeter, but its size is set to be more than halved, falling from 15 members to seven.

In Llandysul , the four wards will be retained with slight boundary changes, with the number of councillors reducing from 13 to seven.

In the New Quay area, Llanllwchaiarn Community Council will be scrapped under the proposals and folded in with the current New Quay Town Council as projections show Llanllwchaiarn will be too small within five years to meet minimum council elector size.

The combined new look New Quay Council will have eight members, down from a current combined 17.

Tregaron will see minor boundary changes with a reduction in councillors from 11 to seven.

In Aberporth, the council’s size will be reduced from 12 members to seven along with three small boundary changes.

Beulah community council will see eight boundary changes, two wards being merged, and a lowering of member numbers from the current 13 down to eight.

Blaenrheidol and Pontarfynach Community Councils will be merged under the new proposals.

Currently consisting of eight members each, the merged new council will halve to have four members from each community in the new combined council.

Borth Community Council will see a reduction in member numbers from 11 to seven along with minor boundary changes.

Community councils in Llangynfelyn and Ysgubor y Coed will be scrapped and placed into a larger Ceulanamaesmawr Community Council.

The merger of these three councils will see the joint largest loss of councillors in the county, with a current combined 27 members across the three community councils reducing to just seven.

Ciliau Aeron and Nantcwnlle Community Councils will be merged to form a joint council, with councillor numbers dropping from a combined 19 to just eight representing three wards.

Dyffryn Arth Community Council will see four minor boundary changes, but will remain a separate entity with a drop in member numbers from 10 to seven.

Llanbadarn Fawr Community Council and Faenor Community Council – which covers Waunfawr – will merge under the new proposals.

The new look joint council will have several boundary changes but wards will remain the same.

Member numbers will more than halve from 27 current councillors to 12.

Henfynyw and Llanarth Community Councils will also be merged under the plans, with a huge drop in councillor numbers from 20 down to seven.

Boundary changes in the combined council will see an extra nine electors brought in.

Llanfair Clydogau and Llangybi Community Councils will be scrapped and folded in to an enlarged Llanddewi Brefi Community Council under the plan, with each retaining their own wards but with a reduction in councillors from a combined 27 down to 12.

Llandyfriog will see minor boundary changes and a drop in members from 12 to seven.

Llandysiliogogo and Troedyraur councils will be merged with the loss of 14 councillors.

The new-look larger council will have eight members, down from a current 22.

Llanfarian and Llanrhystud Community Councils will also be merged into one new-look large council.

It will also lose 14 members, moving from a combined 22 to just eight councillors across three wards.

Llanwnnen will lose its community council, which will make up part of a larger Llanfihangel Ystrad Community Council with the new council having a total of seven members, down from the current combined 19.

Lledrod and Llangwyryfon Community Councils will also be scrapped and form part of an enlarged Llangeitho Community Council.

The combined council will see the joint largest 20 member reduction, from 29 down to nine.

Llangoedmor Community Council will see member numbers drop from 11 to seven.

Llangrannog and Penbryn Community Councils will merge under the proposals, with a new combined council having seven members, down from the current 21.

Llanilar and Trawsgoed Community Councils will also merge with a loss of 13 councillors.

The combined new council will have seven members, down from 20.

Llansantffraed Community Council will see member numbers drop from 10 to seven along with minor boundary changes.

Wards in Melindwr Community Council will be scrapped and combined into one, with councillor numbers dropping from 10 to seven.

Geneu’r Glyn Community Council will be scrapped and folded in to Tirymynach Community Council which includes Bow Street.

The larger new council will see a loss of more than half its members, falling from the current 21 to just 10.

Trefeurig Community Council will see two minor boundary changes and a reduction in council members from 11 to seven.

Three slight changes to boundaries will be made in the area of Y Ferwig Community Council where councillor numbers will fall to seven from the current 10.

Ysbyty Ystwyth and Ystrad Meurig will both lose their dedicated community councils with both being folded in to the larger Ystrad Fflur Community Council.

The new look council will mean the loss of 19 councillors, with seven members representing each of the three areas.

The Commission’s consultation is now open and closes on 13 May.

The Commission said the “initial proposals are based primarily on the Council Size policy adopted by Ceredigion County Council and the need to achieve effective and convenient local government.”

“Our report proposes significant reductions in both the number of communities and community council seats within the county,” the commission added.

The Commission said it will take account of all representations received during the consultation before publishing its Final Proposals.

Chief Executive of the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales, Shereen Williams MBE OStJ said: “Communities are the level of government closest to the people, and its vital that they continue to accurately represent people in every part of Ceredigion.

“The Commission has considered the changing housing landscape, natural boundaries, community ties, and the democratic health of town and community councils across Ceredigion in developing its proposals.

“However, we now need to hear from the people of Ceredigion so that we are in the best position possible to produce final recommendations which meet the needs of the residents of the county.”

Full details of the Review are available on the Commission’s website at www.ldbc.gov.wales.