| Arfon | |
|---|---|
| Former county constituency for the House of Commons | |
&sq=&lang=&file=File:Arfon2007Constituency.svg) Boundary of Arfon in Wales for the 2010 general election | |
| Preserved county | Gwynedd |
| Electorate | 39,349 (December 2018)[1] |
| 2010–2024 | |
| Seats | One |
| Created from | Caernarfon and Conwy[2] |
| Replaced by | Bangor Aberconwy, Dwyfor Meirionnydd |
| 1885–1918 | |
| Created from | Caernarvonshire |
| Replaced by | Caernarvonshire |
| Senedd | Arfon, North Wales |
Arfon was a constituency in Wales represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament at Westminster.[n 1] Although it is relatively large by geographical area, the constituency is a predominantly urban rather than rural seat, with the majority of the population living in the two towns of Bethesda and Caernarfon, as well as in the city of Bangor, on which the constituency is based. "Arfon" is a historical name for the area, meaning "facing Anglesey"; it is also the name of the former district council. This seat was created by the Welsh Boundary Commission in time for the 2010 general election; it replaced the old seat of Caernarfon. Bangor was in the old seat of Conwy. The same boundaries were used for the Arfon Welsh Assembly constituency in the 2007 Welsh Assembly election.
It is the smallest constituency on the mainland of Great Britain by electorate, and larger only than the two Scottish island constituencies, Na h-Eileanan an Iar and Orkney and Shetland. The total population as of the 2011 census was 60,573.
The Arfon division of Caernarvonshire was a former UK Parliament constituency, which existed from 1885 until 1918. Before 1885 and after 1918 the area was part of the Caernarvonshire constituency. The Liberal MP William Rathbone represented the Arfon seat until 1895, followed by fellow Liberal William Jones. Upon the death of Mr Jones, Griffith C. Rees, for the Liberal Party, was elected unopposed at the subsequent by-election.[3]
On 11 November 2022, the then current MP Hywel Williams announced his intention to stand down at the 2024 general election after more than 20 years as MP.[4]
The constituency was abolished as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales. Its wards were split between Bangor Aberconwy and Dwyfor Meirionnydd.[5]
- ^ "Electoral rolls by Welsh Assembly constituency areas and electoral regions". 2019 Electorate Figures. StatsWales. 1 December 2018. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
- ^ "Arfon' UK Parliament, 6 May 2010 -". ElectionWeb Project. Cognitive Computing Limited. Archived from the original on 12 April 2016. Retrieved 31 March 2016.
- ^ Information in the paragraph is taken in part from F.W.S Craig's British Parliamentary Election Results 1885-1918 (Macmillan, 1974).
- ^ "Plaid Cymru MP Hywel Williams to stand down at next general election". The Bangor Aye. 11 November 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2022.
- ^ 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies - The 2023 Review of Parliamentary Constituencies in Wales (PDF). Boundary Commission for Wales. 28 June 2023.
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