http://www.legislation.gov.uk/asc/2021/1/section/126/2021-01-21Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021An Act of Senedd Cymru to make provision about local government; local government finance; local government elections; electoral registration and electoral administration; and for connected purposes.texttext/xmlenStatute Law Database2025-10-042021-01-21 PART 7 CHAPTER 11261Merger regulations must specify whether the voting system that applies to the first ordinary election of councillors to the principal council for the new principal area is to be—athe simple majority system provided for by rules made, or having effect as if made, under section 36A of the 1983 Act, orbthe single transferable vote system provided for by rules made under section 36A of the 1983 Act.2The voting system specified in the merger regulations must be—athe voting system agreed by the merging councils, orbin the absence of agreement—ithe voting system used in both, or where there are three or more merging councils, all or the majority of, the merging councils immediately before the application date, oriiif neither of the merging councils used, or (where there are three or more merging councils) the majority of the merging councils did not use, the same voting system immediately before the application date, the voting system determined by the Welsh Ministers after consulting the merging councils.3In subsection (2)(b), “application date” means the date on which the merger application is made.4If a merger application is made before section 7 comes into force—asubsections (1) and (2) of this section do not apply in relation to the merger regulations relating to the application, andbthose regulations must provide that if section 7 is in force on the day of the first ordinary election of councillors to the principal council for the new principal area, the simple majority system applies to that election.