Post by Penddu on Apr 29, 2020 12:01:20 GMT
The current Ogmore (Ogwr) constituency was created in 1983 and is comprised mainly of that part of the County Borough of Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) north of the M4 motorway together with some adjoining areas of the County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf.
The former Ogmore Constituency originally included Bridgend town itself, but due to its rapid growth in the 1970s this was split off to form a separate constituency.
The north of the constituency is very rugged, with the Llynfi, Garw & Ogmore (Ogwr Fach) valleys cutting into the hillsides to form steep sided valleys which limit transport communications except to the South.
The Llynfi Valley to the west is centred on the town of Maesteg which was originally a coal mining community but with the last coal mine (St Johns) closing in 1985, there are few local employers and most people have to travel down the valley to Bridgend or cross into the Afan Valley to travel down to Port Talbot Steelworks.
The upper Ogmore Valley (Ogwr Fawr) to the east was also originally a coalmining community which closed its last coal mine (Wyndham Western) in 1983. There is a single road to the north – the Bwlch Mountain Road - that connects with the Rhondda, but it is a narrow twisting road that is dangerous at the best of times and is often impassable in winter due to snow and ice or landslips. So the only practical and reliable way out is south towards Bridgend.
Between the two lies the smaller Garw Valley which was also built around coal but was less well developed. Without the benefit of a route out at the top of the valley – this is literally a dead end valley.
The three valleys join up to form the lower Ogmore Valley (Ogwr) in a group of communities around Aberkenfig (Abercynffig), Bryncethin, Sarn, to the north of Bridgend. While the valleys to the north have static or falling populations, this area is more popular with easy commuting access to M4 or the many employers around Bridgend. It is also home to the retail mecca of the McArthur Glen designer outlet.
To the south-east along the M4 is the small town of Pencoed. This used to house a large Sony factory making videorecorders but which was downsized a few years ago as the technology became obsolete but Sony still retains a technology centre which manufactures the Raspberry Pi computer.
The constituency also includes the communities of Brynna and Llanharan in the neighbouring County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. These again are former coalfield communities, whose last colliery closed in 1962 and these are now just part of Cardiff’s commuter belt.
Politically this is a Welsh Labour fiefdom - there are pockets of support for Plaid Cymru and Conservatives but their voters are vastly outnumbered by the red wall.
The former Ogmore Constituency originally included Bridgend town itself, but due to its rapid growth in the 1970s this was split off to form a separate constituency.
The north of the constituency is very rugged, with the Llynfi, Garw & Ogmore (Ogwr Fach) valleys cutting into the hillsides to form steep sided valleys which limit transport communications except to the South.
The Llynfi Valley to the west is centred on the town of Maesteg which was originally a coal mining community but with the last coal mine (St Johns) closing in 1985, there are few local employers and most people have to travel down the valley to Bridgend or cross into the Afan Valley to travel down to Port Talbot Steelworks.
The upper Ogmore Valley (Ogwr Fawr) to the east was also originally a coalmining community which closed its last coal mine (Wyndham Western) in 1983. There is a single road to the north – the Bwlch Mountain Road - that connects with the Rhondda, but it is a narrow twisting road that is dangerous at the best of times and is often impassable in winter due to snow and ice or landslips. So the only practical and reliable way out is south towards Bridgend.
Between the two lies the smaller Garw Valley which was also built around coal but was less well developed. Without the benefit of a route out at the top of the valley – this is literally a dead end valley.
The three valleys join up to form the lower Ogmore Valley (Ogwr) in a group of communities around Aberkenfig (Abercynffig), Bryncethin, Sarn, to the north of Bridgend. While the valleys to the north have static or falling populations, this area is more popular with easy commuting access to M4 or the many employers around Bridgend. It is also home to the retail mecca of the McArthur Glen designer outlet.
To the south-east along the M4 is the small town of Pencoed. This used to house a large Sony factory making videorecorders but which was downsized a few years ago as the technology became obsolete but Sony still retains a technology centre which manufactures the Raspberry Pi computer.
The constituency also includes the communities of Brynna and Llanharan in the neighbouring County Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf. These again are former coalfield communities, whose last colliery closed in 1962 and these are now just part of Cardiff’s commuter belt.
Politically this is a Welsh Labour fiefdom - there are pockets of support for Plaid Cymru and Conservatives but their voters are vastly outnumbered by the red wall.
