Initial proposals for changes to Senedd constituencies are set to be published in September, the Boundary Commission for Wales has said as Royal Assent was given to the Senedd Cymru (Members and Elections) Bill.
The new legislation sees the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales adopt the responsibility to conduct periodic reviews of Senedd Cymru constituencies, as well as its current responsibilities pertaining to Local Government.
The Commission has been renamed the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru.
The first review to be undertaken by the Commission under the new legislation will be to create 16 Senedd constituencies by pairing the 32 parliamentary constituencies recently recommended by the Boundary Commission for Wales.
The new constituencies will take effect at the 2026 Senedd elections, with initial proposals set to be published in September.
The Commission said it was “pleased to see the bill being given Royal Assent, and is looking forward to continuing work with our partners on the new responsibilities given to the Commission.”
“We will carry on with the work we were already doing, including preparing for the next Electoral Review Programme of Wales’ local authorities, as well as the Community Reviews currently underway,” the commission added.