'Save Our Montgomeryshire' plan revealed

Save Our Montgomeryshire campaigners have revealed its own plan to submit to the Boundary Commission in a desperate bid to save the ancient constituency from being ripped apart.

The group is calling for Montgomeryshire - which dates back to the 1500s - to be retained as a constituency with no changes at all and to be merged with the whole of Radnorshire, plus the popular "book town" of Hay-on-Wye, near Brecon.

Jonathan Wilkinson, a past county chairman of NFU Cymru Montgomeryshire, revealed that the new plan - that is to be officially launched shortly - would take the constituency to the required 72,000 per head of population and is a viable alternative to effectively scrapping the shire, as proposed by the Boundary Commission.

He said: "The Wales Boundary Commission's 'interim' report for the review of Parliamentary constituencies in Wales - which will split Montgomeryshire into three separate parts - will be confusing for farmers and will break up some Welsh-speaking heartlands.

"Under the commission's official plans, Montgomeryshire will be split into three, with the northern half of the constituency, including Welshpool, being merged with Clwyd South to form a new South Clwyd and North Montgomeryshire constituency.

"This means that strongly Welsh-speaking heartlands in the north-west of the shire will be dispersed into South Clwyd.

"I don't think the Boundary Commission considered the impact on the Welsh Language.

"Its plans will also confuse farmers, landowners and youngsters because all major farming organisations - such as the NFU, FUW and YFC - are based on the old shire model, which will all be diluted if it is broken up."

Under the Boundary Commission's controversial plans, the south of Montgomeryshire, including Newtown, will become part of the Brecon and Radnor seat, which will be renamed Brecon, Radnor and Montgomery.

Meanwhile, Blaen Hafren and Llanidloes go into Ceredigion and North Pembrokeshire.

Mr Wilkinson said: "Chairman of Montgomeryshire Conservatives Association Ian Harrison is the driving force behind SOM but other political parties are involved.

"We are to have our official launch on November 11 when more details will be revealed and keynote speakers will argue our case.

"We want to have the same success as our Montgomeryshire Against Pylons campaign which held the largest-ever protest at The Senedd in Cardiff, where 2000 people attended. We are a proud county and people feel strongly about this and we are waiting to hear from Radnorshire."