Pontypridd ( ) is a
constituency
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provi ...
represented in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...
of the
UK Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, and may also legislate for the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of ...
since
2019
This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year.
Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
by
Alex Davies-Jones of the
Labour Party.
The constituency retained its name, but with substantial boundary changes, as part of the
2023 review of Westminster constituencies
The 2023 review of Westminster constituencies was the most recent cycle of the process to redraw the constituency map for the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The new constituency boundaries were approved by the Privy Council on 15 Nov ...
and under the
June 2023 final recommendations of the
Boundary Commission for Wales
In the United Kingdom, the boundary commissions are non-departmental public bodies responsible for determining the boundaries of parliamentary constituencies for elections to the House of Commons. There are four boundary commissions: one each f ...
for the
2024 general election
This is a list of elections that were held in 2024. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world.
* 2024 United Nations Security Council election
* 2024 national electoral calendar
* 2024 local electo ...
.
Boundaries
1918–1983
The Pontypridd constituency was created in its original form from parts of the old
South Glamorganshire &
East Glamorganshire constituencies as part of the
Representation of the People Act 1918
The Representation of the People Act 1918 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 64) was an act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act. The act extended the franchise in pa ...
(sometimes referred to as 'The Fourth Reform Act') which granted virtually all men over 21 the right to vote, extended voting rights to women over 30 years of age, & increased the number of the now abolished
University constituencies
A university constituency is a constituency, used in elections to a legislature, that represents the members of one or more universities rather than residents of a geographical area. These may or may not involve plural voting, in which voters ar ...
. Part of this Act also effected a 'General Redistribution of Seats' on an 'equitable basis'. It originally included the old Borough of
Cowbridge
Cowbridge () is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff.
The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council.
A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for elections to ...
, the Cowbridge Rural District (which included
Ystradowen
Ystradowen is a small village twelve miles west of Cardiff, located in Penllyn, Vale of Glamorgan, Penllyn Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales; its nearest town is Cowbridge which is about three miles to the sou ...
,
St Athan
St Athan () is a village and community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. The village and its parish church are dedicated to Saint Tathan. The church dates to the 13th–14th century, though an earlier church was dated t ...
,
Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major () is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Barry and ...
&
Llandow
Llandow () is a village and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 726. The village is located south west of Cardiff. The community includ ...
)
& the Urban District of Pontypridd plus the Rural District of Llantrisant & Llantwit Fardre. The constituency remained unchanged from this form until the boundary changes implemented in 1983.
1983–2010
Under the
Third Periodic Parliamentary Boundary Review's proposals, Cowbridge Borough and the southern part of the former Cowbridge Rural District were removed and placed in the
Vale of Glamorgan constituency, and additionally the communities of
Llanharry,
Llanharan
Llanharan () is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community Llanharan takes in the neighbouring settlements of Bryncae, Brynna, Llanilid, Peterston-super-Montem and Ynysmaerdy. Llanharan thrived ...
, and
Brynna
Brynna () is a small village situated between Pencoed and Llanharan. It is located at the point where the borders of two Welsh county boroughs, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend, meet.
Due to Brynna's proximity to the M4 motorway as well as bot ...
(i.e. the northern part of the former Cowbridge RDC) were moved into the
Ogmore constituency. However, the communities of
Creigiau
Creigiau is a dormitory settlement in the north-west of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The village currently has about 1,500 houses and a population of approximately 5,000 people. Prior to 2022 The Cardiff electoral ward covering the village w ...
and
Pentyrch
Pentyrch (sometimes ; ) is a village and community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, Pentyrch, which covers the village and immediate ...
were added to the seat at this time.
2010–2024
The Fifth Periodic Parliamentary Boundary Review for Wales placed the
Cilfynydd
Cilfynydd is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, a mile from the South Wales Valleys town of Pontypridd, and 13 miles north of the capital city, Cardiff. Cilfynydd is also an electoral ward for the county council and Po ...
and
Glyncoch
Glyncoch is a village to the north of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward.
History
The name Glyncoch is Welsh language for 'Red glen' (''glyn'' "glen, small valley" + ''coch'' "red"). How the name or ...
wards in the
Cynon Valley (UK Parliament constituency)
Cynon Valley () was a Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, constituency in Wales, of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, UK Parliament from 1983 to 2024. Its ...
, and the Creigiau and Pentyrch wards in the
Cardiff West (UK Parliament constituency)
Cardiff West () is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Alex Barros-Curtis of the Labour Party.
The constituency retained its name and gained a ward as part of the 2023 review of Westminst ...
. These changes were put in place for the
2010 general election. The revised Pontypridd constituency could be split into two parts, a northern part containing the town itself, and a southern part focused on Llantrisant. In
Pontypridd
Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre.
Geography
Pontypridd comprises the ...
township itself the wards are: Town,
Treforest
Treforest () is a village in the south-east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is situated in the Treforest electoral ward, along with the village of Glyntaff (or Glyn-Taf). It is part of the Pontypridd Town ...
, Rhondda (consisting of
Hopkinstown
Hopkinstown () is a small village to the west of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, alongside the River Rhondda. Hopkinstown is a former coalmining and industrial community, now a district in the town of Pontypridd wit ...
,
Maesycoed
is a settlement to the south and west of Pontypridd town centre in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Maesycoed is a district in the town of Pontypridd within the Rhondda electoral ward and is bounded by Graig to the south, Pwll ...
,
Pantygraigwen,
Trehafod, and
Pwllgwaun
Pwllgwaun (or Pwll-Gwaun) is a village and small suburb of Pontypridd within the 'Rhondda' electoral ward, bordered by Hopkinstown and Graigwen hill to the north and east, the hillsides of Maesycoed above, and is located along the banks of the ...
),
Graig,
Trallwng,
Rhydyfelin
Rhydyfelin () is a large village (originally known as Rhydfelen) and part of the community of Pontypridd Town, about to its south east of Pontypridd, in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. It is on the eastern bank of the River Taff, close ...
Central/Ilan, and
Hawthorn. The southern half consisted of the following wards:
Taff's Well
Taff's Well () is a semi-rural village, Community (Wales), community and electoral ward located at the south-eastern tip of Rhondda Cynon Taf, north-west of the city centre of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. Known locally as the 'Gates to the So ...
,
Beddau
; ) is a large former mining village (and electoral ward) situated within the South Wales Valleys Davies (2008), page 507. around from Llantrisant and from the larger town of Pontypridd in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales.
...
,
Church Village
Church Village () is a large village in the historic parish and community of Llantwit Fardre, located within the Taff Ely district of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf in Wales. The village is centrally located being around from the lo ...
,
Tonteg
Tonteg is a village in Rhondda Cynon Taf in South Wales. It is from Pontypridd, north west of Cardiff and north east of Llantrisant. The village is within the community of Llantwit Fardre. Tonteg is to the north west of the Garth Mountain, on ...
,
Llantwit Fardre
Llantwit Fardre () is a large village and community (and electoral ward) situated on the A473, Pontypridd to Bridgend, road near the Welsh towns of Pontypridd and Llantrisant. Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the old parish and the community ...
,
Llantrisant
Llantrisant (; "Parish of the Three Saints") is a town and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The three saints of the t ...
,
Pontyclun
Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a town and Community (Wales), community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales.
Pontyclun translates from the Welsh language as 'bridge ver Ver or VER may refer to:
* Voluntary Export Restraints, in international trade
* VER, the IATA airport code for Veracruz International Airport
* Volk's Electric Railway, Brighton, England
* VerPublishing, of the German group VDM Publishing, re ...
the Afon Clun, River Clun', the Clun being a tributa ...
,
Talbot Green
Talbot Green ( "lea of the barns") is a town (and electoral ward) just north of the M4 motorway, in the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales in the United Kingdom. The town is part of Llantrisant Community Council.
Geography
Talbot Gree ...
,
Tonyrefail
Tonyrefail () is a village and community in the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated at the head of the River Ely; northwest of Llantrisant, about from Trebanog and about from Williamstown. During the second half of the ...
East and Tonyrefail West.
2024–present
Under the 2023 boundary review, the constituency was defined as being composed of the following wards of the
County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, as they existed on 1 December 2020:
* Abercynon; Beddau; Brynna; Church Village; Cilfynydd; Glyncoch; Graig; Hawthorn; Llanharan; Llanharry; Llantrisant Town; Llantwit Fardre; Mountain Ash East; Mountain Ash West; Penrhiwceiber; Pontypridd Town; Rhondda; Rhydfelen Central/Ilan; Talbot Green; Ton-teg; Trallwng; Treforest; Tyn-y-nant; Ynysybwl.
The constituency was extended northwards, taking a substantial part of the abolished
Cynon Valley
Cynon Valley () is a former coal mining valley in Wales. It lies between Rhondda and the Merthyr Valley and takes its name from the River Cynon. Aberdare is located in the north of the valley and Mountain Ash in the south. From 1974 to 19 ...
constituency comprising the wards of
Abercynon
Abercynon () is a village and community (Wales), community (and electoral ward) in the Cynon Valley within the unitary authority of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. The community comprises the village and the districts of Carnetown and Grovers Field to ...
,
Cilfynydd
Cilfynydd is a village in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, a mile from the South Wales Valleys town of Pontypridd, and 13 miles north of the capital city, Cardiff. Cilfynydd is also an electoral ward for the county council and Po ...
,
Glyncoch
Glyncoch is a village to the north of Pontypridd in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward.
History
The name Glyncoch is Welsh language for 'Red glen' (''glyn'' "glen, small valley" + ''coch'' "red"). How the name or ...
,
Mountain Ash Mountain ash may refer to:
* ''Eucalyptus regnans'', the tallest of all flowering plants, native to Australia
* Mountain-ashes or rowans, varieties of trees and shrubs in the genus ''Sorbus''
See also
* Mountain Ash, Rhondda Cynon Taf, a town ...
East, Mountain Ash West,
Penrhiwceiber
Penrhiwceiber is a village and community (and electoral ward) in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales, that lies south of the town Aberpennar and north of the village of Tyntetown, and is one of many villages that lies within the Cyn ...
, and
Ynysybwl
Ynysybwl ( ) is a village in Cwm Clydach in Wales. It is situated in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, roughly north-north-west of Cardiff, north of Pontypridd and south of Merthyr Tydfil, and forms part of the community (Wales), commun ...
. In addition,
Llanharry,
Llanharan
Llanharan () is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community Llanharan takes in the neighbouring settlements of Bryncae, Brynna, Llanilid, Peterston-super-Montem and Ynysmaerdy. Llanharan thrived ...
, and
Brynna
Brynna () is a small village situated between Pencoed and Llanharan. It is located at the point where the borders of two Welsh county boroughs, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend, meet.
Due to Brynna's proximity to the M4 motorway as well as bot ...
were returned from
Ogmore, which was now also abolished. To partly compensate, Taff's Well was transferred to
Cardiff North; Pontyclun to
Cardiff West; and Tonyrefail to the new constituency of
Rhondda and Ogmore.
Following local government boundary reviews which came into effect in May 2022, the constituency now comprises the following Rhondda Cynon Taf wards from the 2024 general election:
* Abercynon; Beddau and Tyn-y-nant; Brynna and Llanharan; Church Village; Cilfynydd; Glyn-coch; Graig and Pontypridd West; Hawthorn and Lower Rhydfelen; Llanharry; Llantrisant Town and Talbot Green; Llantwit Fardre; Mountain Ash; Penrhiw-ceiber; Pontyclun West (part); Pontypridd Town; Rhydfelen Central; Ton-teg; Trallwng; Treforest; Upper Rhydfelen and Glyn-taf; Ynysybwl.
Constituency Profile
One can think of the constituency as being divided between a 'suburban' district in the south and communities that grew in the industrial revolution to the north; the southern area, particularly between Church Village and Llantrisant, contains much new residential and light industrial development, and benefits from good transport links due to its proximity to the M4. This section has a growing population and is an important 'dormitory' for Cardiff. The northern parts, particularly Tonyrefail and the northern end of Pontypridd town consists of large sections of 19th century housing and suffered high unemployment in the 1980s as the old industries closed. However, in recent years, economic recovery has been firm, especially considered with neighbouring constituencies to the north.
Members of Parliament
Like many seats in South Wales, Pontypridd has been held by the
Labour party for over 100 years. In all the years since the Labour Party first took the seat in the
1922 by-election, its smallest majority has been the 2,785 (7.6%) by which it held the seat over the
Liberal Democrats in 2010. Generally its majorities have been considerably higher.
Elections
Elections in the 1910s
Elections in the 1920s
Elections in the 1930s
Elections in the 1940s
Elections in the 1950s
Elections in the 1960s
Elections in the 1970s
Elections in the 1980s
Elections in the 1990s
Elections in the 2000s
Elections in the 2010s
Of the 96 rejected ballots:
*70 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
[
*26 voted for more than one candidate.][
''*Powell originally nominated as Liberal Democrat candidate, but resigned from party in November 2019, prior to election.'']
Elections in the 2020s
See also
* Pontypridd (Senedd constituency)
Pontypridd is a constituency of the Senedd. It elects one Member of the Senedd by the first past the post method of election. It is also one of eight constituencies in the South Wales Central electoral region that elects four additional memb ...
* List of parliamentary constituencies in Mid Glamorgan
* List of parliamentary constituencies in Wales
Wales is divided into thirty-two constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which elect Members of Parliament to the House of Commons.
At the 2024 United Kingdom general election in Wales, 27 Labour MPs, 4 Plaid Cymru MPs and ...
The National Library of Wales:Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Thomas Isaac Mardy Jones)
The National Library for Wales: Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Arthur Pearson)
The National Library for Wales: Dictionary of Welsh Biography (Brynmor John)
Ordnance Survey Election Maps Site
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120329075941/http://visionofbritain.org.uk/iipmooviewer/iipmooviewer.html?fileName=bc_reports_1900s%2Fclipped_Great_Britain_Sheet2=Uncredited=Ordnance+Survey=Miscellaneous+Boundary+Maps=2+-+Great+Britain Boundary Commission Ordnance Survey Map original used at 1955 review for the entire UK showing all constituencies highly detailed]
Footnotes
* In 1983 the Third Periodical Boundary Review report made major changes to the constituency, removing the areas of the former Cowbridge Borough and the former Cowbridge Rural District from the seat & placing them in the new Vale of Glamorgan
The Vale of Glamorgan ( ), locally referred to as ''The Vale'', is a Principal areas of Wales, county borough in the South East Wales, south-east of Wales. It borders Bridgend County Borough to the west, Cardiff to the east, Rhondda Cynon Taf t ...
seat with the exception of the Llanharry, Llanharan and Brynna communities which were transferred to the Ogmore seat. However, the Pentyrch & Creigiau communities were added to the new seat from the old Barry Barry may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Barry (name), including lists of people with the given name, nickname or surname, as well as fictional characters with the given name
* Dancing Barry, stage name of Barry Richards (born c. 195 ...
seat, to give a new seat with nearly 15,000 fewer electors.
* This was and still is the largest number of electors for the Pontypridd constituency in any of its forms.
* Arthur Pearson's initial selection following a closely contested process at a selection conference at Pontyclun occurred only after several rounds of voting, and he was finally chosen against the prominent local miners' agent W. H. May on 15 January 1938.
* Enacted in the Representation of the People Act 1918
The Representation of the People Act 1918 ( 7 & 8 Geo. 5. c. 64) was an act of Parliament passed to reform the electoral system in Great Britain and Ireland. It is sometimes known as the Fourth Reform Act. The act extended the franchise in pa ...
& created from the old East Glamorganshire (which included Pontypridd & the Tonteg/Church Village/Llantwit Fardre areas) & South Glamorganshire (which included the Llantrisant, Tonyrefail, Pontyclun, Llanharry & Cowbridge areas) parliamentary constituencies
An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...
, the Pontypridd constituency from 1918 to the 1983 UK General Election remained unchanged & consisted of the Pontypridd
Pontypridd ( , ), Colloquialism, colloquially referred to as ''Ponty'', is a town and a Community (Wales), community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, South Wales, approximately 10 miles north west of Cardiff city centre.
Geography
Pontypridd comprises the ...
urban district council area, the Llantrisant
Llantrisant (; "Parish of the Three Saints") is a town and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It lies within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, on the River Ely and the Afon Clun. The three saints of the t ...
and Llantwit Fardre
Llantwit Fardre () is a large village and community (and electoral ward) situated on the A473, Pontypridd to Bridgend, road near the Welsh towns of Pontypridd and Llantrisant. Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the old parish and the community ...
Rural District Council area, the Cowbridge
Cowbridge () is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff.
The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council.
A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for elections to ...
municipal borough, and the Cowbridge Rural District Council area (which included the Llantwit Major
Llantwit Major () is a town and community (Wales), community in Wales on the Bristol Channel coast. It is one of four towns in the Vale of Glamorgan, with the third largest population (13,366 in 2001) after Barry, Vale of Glamorgan, Barry and ...
, St Athan
St Athan () is a village and community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in South Wales. The village and its parish church are dedicated to Saint Tathan. The church dates to the 13th–14th century, though an earlier church was dated t ...
, Ystradowen
Ystradowen is a small village twelve miles west of Cardiff, located in Penllyn, Vale of Glamorgan, Penllyn Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan in south Wales; its nearest town is Cowbridge which is about three miles to the sou ...
, Llandow
Llandow () is a village and Community (Wales), community in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales. The community population taken at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 726. The village is located south west of Cardiff. The community includ ...
, Llanharry, Llanharan
Llanharan () is a village and community in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. As a community Llanharan takes in the neighbouring settlements of Bryncae, Brynna, Llanilid, Peterston-super-Montem and Ynysmaerdy. Llanharan thrived ...
and Brynna
Brynna () is a small village situated between Pencoed and Llanharan. It is located at the point where the borders of two Welsh county boroughs, Rhondda Cynon Taf and Bridgend, meet.
Due to Brynna's proximity to the M4 motorway as well as bot ...
communities).[
]
Notes
References
External links
Politics Resources
(Election results from 1922 onwards)
(Election results from 1955 onwards)
2017 Election
House of Commons Library 2017 Election report
A Vision Of Britain Through Time
(Constituency elector numbers)
(boundaries April 1997 – April 2010) at ''MapIt UK''
(boundaries April 2010 – May 2024) at ''MapIt UK''
(boundaries from June 2024) at ''MapIt UK''
{{Coord, 51.601, -3.350, display=title, region:GB_scale:50000
Parliamentary constituencies in South Wales
Politics of Rhondda Cynon Taf
Constituencies of the Parliament of the United Kingdom established in 1918
Pontypridd
1918 establishments in Wales
Mid Glamorgan