Councillors in Tenby are being asked to consider boundary reviews for the seaside town, as part of Pembrokeshire County Council’s process.

At the recent meeting of the Town Council, the Town Clerk told members that he had attended a meeting at County Hall for the launch of the Pembrokeshire Town and Community Electoral Boundary review.

PCC are charged with reviewing the arrangements for the effectiveness of town and community councils periodically.

PCC has commissioned the Boundary Commission to undertake the review which will consider the democratic health of the councils and whether the existing arrangements are sustainable between this review and the next in 10 years.

This will include the lack of candidates to fill seats at elections, an overreliance on co- option as well as the possibility that in the long run a community council might not be quorate.

PCC have set the parameters and have determined that there will be clearly defined urban and rural councils. Councils with an electorate of more than 2000 will be classed as urban and will have a minimum of 13 and a maximum of 18 councillors.

Rural councils will have a minimum of six and a maximum of 12 councillors. The minimum size of a rural council was set at 500 electors.

However, those councillors below that figure will not be forced to merge with a neighbouring council but asked to consider the benefits of voluntary merger and possible start discussions with neighbouring councils.

This review would not likely affect Tenby in relation to the number of councillors (13 councillors). However, there may be small things, for example, are there houses in one community that identify more with another that could be brought in if the boundary changed slightly?

All initial proposals had to with the Boundary Commission by December 17.

Their recommendations will then be sent out for consultation before going to Welsh Government. Any changes would be implemented at the 2027 town and community council elections.

“If we have any strong feelings about any possible changes, we need to start thinking about it now,” the Town Clerk Andrew Davies told members.

Cllr. Laurence Blackhall recalled that during the last review the Town Council had suggested that Park House and its surrounding properties should be considered for bringing in to Tenby as the land opposite them, from Waterwynch to Monkstone, was within Tenby’s electoral boundary.

“Their answer was to reduce our boundary to Waterwynch,” he commented.