 In 1967 , after a change of government , the Secretary of State for Wales Cledwyn Hughes published a white paper which revived the idea of amalgamation , but instead of the boundary changes proposed in the previous report , treated each county as a whole . The report recommended a single new county of Gwynedd incorporating Denbighshire , Flintshire , Caernarfonshire , Merionethshire and Anglesey . The white paper stated that " the need for early action is particularly urgent in Wales " , and so the issue was not referred to a Royal Commission as in England . Opponents criticised the proposed new county for being too large , and in November 1968 a new Secretary of State announced that Gwynedd would be divided into two . 
