. . . the proposals of the Boundary Commission affecting Neath create some peculiarly-shaped constituencies. There seems to have been a slavish adherence to the part of their brief which requires voter numbers to be equalised across the nation at the expense of broken community ties. For some reason, though, Bridgend has been picked out as a town which has to maintain its integrity and one wonders why.
Our main objection to the previous set of proposals remains. Rhos, Alltwen and Pontardawe have no natural affiliation to the county of Brecon to which they are reassigned. To that has been added a new one: that the wards that make up Skewen which under the previous proposals would at least have been reunited with other components of Neath, have been cast back into an Aberafan and Porthcawl constituency.
My party benefits from the professional expertise of Pete Roberts. It is depressing that the Commission has cast aside his thoroughly worked-out alternative dispositions which would have provided a better balance between numeric equality and community cohesion.
However, in view of the political earthquakes in Westminster over the last few days, that may all be academic as we prepare for a snap general election on the existing boundaries.
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