Eight Pembrokeshire community councils are due to see changes to their wards with the loss of 11 councillors over six of them.

At the October meeting of Pembrokeshire County Council, members were asked to back changes to Lamphey, Llanrhian, St Dogmaels, Wolfscastle, Nolton and Roch, Martletwy, Stackpole and Castlemartin, and Pencaer community councils.

Back in 2023, the county council approved a Community Council Size Policy following consideration of recommendations developed by the Community Electoral Review Working Group.

The policy established a consistent framework for determining the appropriate size of community councils across Pembrokeshire and was subsequently used by the Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru (DBCC) when considering community electoral arrangements across the county. Broadly, that includes community councils with fewer than 500 electors having a maximum of six councillors, larger councils having a councillor-to-elector ratio of between 1:80 and 1:160, with the aim of achieving a ratio as close as possible to 1:120.

That led to a later review of councils with differing proposed changes to eight community councils, a consultation taking place which finished this September.

For Lamphey, it was proposed to reduce community council membership from nine to six, creating a more ideal councillor-to-elector ratio; Llanrhian reducing from nine to seven for similar reasons; St Dogmaels also reducing from 12 to nine.

Wolfscastle, made up of the Wolfscastle and Trefgarn wards would also see a reduction from seven to six.

Nolton and Roch also sees a reduction from eight to seven, with all existing wards abolished, members elected on an unwarded basis; Stackpole and Castlemartin seeing a similar change and a reduction from seven to six.

Martletwy will see no numerical changes, but existing community wards abolished, as will Pencaer.

Councillors, with two abstentions, backed a recommendation to approve the changes, subject to the publication of a final report on them; the arrangements coming into effect for the next ordinary elections of community councils.