Gwynedd consultation backs STV with nearly three quarters in favour

There was some fantastic news out of Gwynedd last week, as Cyngor Gwynedd released the results of its consultation on whether to change the voting system used at local elections. The results weren’t even close, demonstrating clear support in Gwynedd to adopt the Single Transferable Vote (STV) version of proportional representation at local elections.

Almost 900 residents responded to the consultation. That’s almost 6 times the response rate of any other consultation held this year. In total, a staggering 72.2% of respondents said that they were in favour of electing their councillors using the Single Transferable Vote.

The consultation was held over the summer after councillors voted to consult residents on whether the change should be made, as per the Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021.

Residents of Gwynedd are fed up with First Past the Post

Furthermore, this was not limited to a small demographic. STV was the preferred system in every age group.

This undoubtedly shows that voters in Gwynedd are fed up with First Past the Post and want change. This may not be surprising.

In 2022, 41% of council seats were uncontested in Gwynedd, which means the councillors took their seats without a vote being cast. 30,000 people lost out on their right to vote as their local democracy withers away under First Past the Post. That was more uncontested seats than the entirety of Scotland has had in all elections combined since 2007, when it switched to STV.

Residents of Gwynedd can see the benefits of STV and they want it. They want their voices to be heard. They want the diverse views of their community reflected, and they want their politicians to work together to solve problems.

It is plainly clear that voters in Gwynedd want the Single Transferable Vote. Now, it is up to councillors to support them at a special Council meeting on Thursday 24th October.

With two thirds of councillors needing to back this change for it to pass, there is an uphill struggle ahead of us. Yet over two-thirds of consultation respondents favoured the Single Transferable Vote, so we are urging councillors to follow their lead and vote for this change in similar numbers.

[Update] The vote at Gwynedd Council, required a 2/3rds vote and was lost by a single vote.