It’s a sunny day on the coast of south Wales as hundreds of residents, shoppers, and day-trippers make the most of the weather in the seaside towns of Barry and Porthcawl.
The two areas have long been known as some of the most recognisable tourist destinations in this part of Wales during the warmer months, drawing in visitors from all over the country with their picturesque beaches and summer attractions.
However, step away from the seafront and conversations with locals take on a slightly different tone, with many raising concerns about the current cost of living, pressures seen on local services, and whether or not long-term regeneration plans are taking them in the right directions.
Both towns will fall within the new Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg seat for the 2026 Senedd elections on May 7, which will be made up of the two existing Westminster constituencies of Bridgend and the Vale of Glamorgan.
This will include parts of both council areas such as Barry, Bridgend, Porthcawl, Cowbridge, Llantwit Major and Pencoed.
It is a seat created as part of major reforms to the election process in Wales that were designed to modernise Welsh democracy with a new voting system, 36 more elected members, and all new constituencies.
Recent voting history in this part of the world saw wins for Welsh Labour in both the Bridgend and Vale of Glamorgan seats at the last two elections – most notably with Jane Hutt winning her seat in the Vale of Glamorgan for the sixth time in 2021.
The latest MRP poll from YouGov however suggests that Reform and Plaid Cymru could be the largest parties here in the coming weeks, potentially winning two seats each while Labour and the Conservatives win one apiece.
For residents on the ground, some say whatever changes are made to the electoral system or politicians the issues that need to be tackled will be the same – while others questioned if in the current political climate the existence of the Senedd is worthwhile at all.
In Barry, shop owner Sharon Morgan said she would want to see more support for small businesses from the Welsh Government over the next four years along with the regeneration of the town’s high streets.
When it came to the planned changes to the Senedd voting system, she said she would prefer to see the money spent in other areas.
She said: “All that’s happening is more money from what we have in our pot is being used to pay those wages, and we don’t have enough money in the first place, so why are we spending more on something that’s not really going to benefit us?
“I’d rather that money be put in to things which will affect every person here for their day to day lives.”
Ian Courtney said while there were a number of issues affecting people in places like Barry, particularly with the cost of living, he didn’t feel like the changes to the voting system or constituency seats would help solve them.
He said: “I think there’s a lot of people who don’t really engage with politics at the moment and that has a lot to do with the cost of living crisis and the struggles they are facing.”
Charlotte Strange-Bliss said she wanted a government that would help keep the shops in Barry alive, noting concerns with the amount of housing development in the area and pressures seen on local services.
She said: “Barry is very over-populated for what we can offer here. The schools, the doctors, the dentists, the shops and everything.
“There’s just building, building houses wherever they can, building flats, and Barry just can’t hold it.”
Further along the coast in Porthcawl, where a major regeneration project is currently being planned for the seafront area of the town, people also outlined their main priorities and concerns.
Mel Evans who was visiting the area for the day said he quite liked the idea of adding more members to the Welsh government though would like to see more transparency with how decisions are made.
Porthcawl local Arthur Burgess said: “I vote for what I think would be best for the area. Wales has been run by Labour for the last 27 years and I don’t like what’s happened. I don’t like what they’ve done.”
When speaking more generally about the Senedd he added that he would like to see it “totally abandoned” and joined back with the English Government, saying: “I think it’s a total waste of time and money.
“There are far too many candidates there and to put another lot on top of that is just spending money.”
Karen Phillips added: “I just think they do not need the 36 [MS’s] when our health service is shocking, absolutely shocking. To be truthful I’d like to get shot altogether. It’s just a waste of money.”
Elsewhere on the high street, Jon Jones said his priorities for the coming election would be around the NHS and immigration.
He also described what seemed to be a lack of trust in politicians at the moment, saying: “They don’t represent the people any more. All they’re interested in is serving themselves.”
Voting for the 2026 Senedd elections will now be held on Thursday, May 7. Polling stations will open at 7am and close at 10pm. The votes will then be counted during the day on Friday, May 8.
A total of six Senedd members will be elected from the newly formed Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg seat.
The devolved election in Wales will decide on who represents voters at the Welsh Parliament known as the Senedd. Decisions made here include key areas such as health, education, and the environment over the next four years.
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