Pontypridd (UK Parliament constituency)

Pontypridd is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2019 by Alex Davies-Jones of the Labour Party.

The constituency is to retain its name, but with its boundaries altered, as part of the 2023 Periodic Review of Westminster constituencies and under the June 2023 final recommendations of the Boundary Commission for Wales for the 2024 United Kingdom general election.

Boundaries
Pontypridd constituency can be split into two parts, a northern part containing the town itself, and a southern part focussed on Llantrisant. In Pontypridd township itself the wards are: Town, Treforest, Rhondda (consisting of Hopkinstown, Maesycoed, Pantygraigwen, Trehafod, & Pwllgwaun), Graig, Trallwng, Rhydyfelin Central & Ilan, & Hawthorn. The Western half consists of the following wards: Taffs Well, Beddau, Church Village, Tonteg, Llantwit Fardre, Llantrisant, Pontyclun, Talbot Green, Tonyrefail East and Tonyrefail West.

Alternatively, one can think of the constituency as being divided between a 'suburban' district in the south and communities that grew in the industrial revolution to the north; the Southern area, particularly between Church Village and Llantrisant, contains much new residential and light industrial development, and benefits from good transport links due to its proximity to the M4. This section has a growing population and is an important 'dormitory' for Cardiff. The Northern parts, particularly Tonyrefail and the northern end of Pontypridd town consists of large sections of 19th century housing and suffered high unemployment in the 1980s as the old industries closed. However, in recent years, economic recovery has been firm, especially considered with neighbouring constituencies to the north.

The Pontypridd constituency was created in its original form from parts of the old South Glamorganshire & East Glamorganshire constituencies as part of the Representation of the People Act 1918 (sometimes referred to as 'The Fourth Reform Act') which granted virtually all men over 21 the right to vote, extended voting rights to women over 30 years of age, & increased the number of the now abolished University constituencies. Part of this Act also effected a 'General Redistribution of Seats' on an 'equitable basis'. It originally included the old Borough of Cowbridge, the Cowbridge Rural District (which included Ystradowen, St Athan, Llantwit Major & Llandow) & the Urban District of Pontypridd plus the Rural District of Llantrisant & Llantwit Fardre. The constituency remained unchanged from this form until the Third Periodic Parliamentary Boundary Review's proposals were implemented in 1983. This removed Cowbridge Borough and the southern part of the former Cowbridge Rural District, placing them in the Vale of Glamorgan constituency, and additionally moving the communities of Llanharry, Llanharan, and Brynna (i.e. the northern part of the former Cowbridge RDC) into the Ogmore constituency. However, the communities of Creigiau and Pentyrch were added to the seat at this time.

Prior to 2010 the Pontypridd Constituency also included the Cilfynydd, Glyncoch, Creigiau and Pentyrch Wards. The Fifth Periodic Parliamentary Boundary Review for Wales placed the Cilfynydd and Glyncoch wards in the Cynon Valley (UK Parliament constituency) and the Creigiau and Pentyrch wards in the Cardiff West (UK Parliament constituency). These changes were put in place for the 2010 United Kingdom general election.

Members of Parliament
Like many seats in South Wales, Pontypridd has been held by the Labour party for over 100 years. In all the years since the Labour Party first took the seat in the 1922 by-election, its smallest majority has been the 2,785 (7.6%) by which it held the seat over the Liberal Democrats in 2010. Generally its majorities have been considerably higher.

Elections in the 2010s
Of the 96 rejected ballots:
 * 70 were either unmarked or it was uncertain who the vote was for.
 * 26 voted for more than one candidate.