Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
Merthyr Tydfil Council Cyngor Merthyr Tudful | |
|---|---|
 | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1905 (Municipal borough) 1908 (County borough) 1974 (Borough) 1 April 1996 (County Borough) |
| Leadership | |
Ellis Cooper since 17 June 2021[3] | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 30 councillors |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 5 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Civic Centre, Castle Street, Merthyr Tydfil, CF47 8AN | |
| Website | |
| www | |
Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (Welsh: Cyngor bwrdeistref Sirol Merthyr Tudful) is the governing body for Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, one of the Principal Areas of Wales.
History[edit]
The parish of Merthyr Tydfil was governed by a local board from 1850 until 1894, when it was replaced by an urban district council. The urban district was incorporated as a borough in 1905, creating the first Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council. In 1908 it became a county borough, making it independent from Glamorgan County Council. It retained county borough status until 1974, when there were significant changes to local government under the Local Government Act 1972. From 1974 until 1996, Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council was a lower-tier district council, with Mid Glamorgan County Council providing county-level services in the area. Since the abolition of Mid Glamorgan County Council in 1996, Merthyr Tydfil has again been a county borough.[4][5]
Political control[edit]
The council has been under no overall control since the 2022 election, with the independents and Labour each having 15 councillors. The independents managed to form the council's administration on the mayor's casting vote.[6]
The first election to the council following the Local Government Act 1972 was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its revised powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council since 1974 has been held by the following parties:[7]
Lower-tier borough
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1974–1976 | |
| Plaid Cymru | 1976–1979 | |
| Labour | 1979–1996 | |
County borough
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1996–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–2004 | |
| Labour | 2004–2008 | |
| Independent | 2008–2012 | |
| Labour | 2012–2017 | |
| No overall control | 2017–present | |
Leadership[edit]
The leaders of the council since 2005 have been:[8]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvey Jones[9] | Labour | pre-2005 | 4 May 2008 | |
| Jeff Edwards[10] | Independent | 21 May 2008 | 6 May 2012 | |
| Brendan Toomey[11] | Labour | 16 May 2012 | 7 May 2017 | |
| Kevin O'Neill[12][13] | Independent | 14 Jun 2017 | 23 Dec 2020 | |
| Lisa Mytton | Independent | 20 Jan 2021 | 25 May 2022 | |
| Geraint Thomas | Independent | 25 May 2022 | ||
Composition[edit]
Following the 2022 election, the composition of the council was:
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 15 | |
| Labour | 15 | |
| Total | 30 | |
The next election is due in 2027.
Elections[edit]
Since 2012, elections have been held every five years:[7]
| Year | Seats | Labour | Independent / Others | Liberal Democrats | Plaid Cymru | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 33 | 29 | 4 | 0 | 0 | Labour majority controlled |
| 1999 | 33 | 16 | 13 | 0 | 4 | |
| 2004 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 0 | 0 | Labour majority controlled |
| 2008 | 33 | 8 | 19 | 6 | 0 | Independent majority controlled |
| 2012 | 33 | 23 | 10 | 0 | 0 | Labour majority controlled |
| 2017 | 33 | 15 | 18 | 0 | 0 | Independent majority controlled[12] |
| 2022 | 30 | 15 | 15 | 0 | 0 | New ward boundaries.[14] No overall control; independent-led. |
Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.
Premises[edit]
Until 1989 the council was based at Merthyr Tydfil Town Hall, which had been built between 1896 and 1898 for the old urban district council. In 1989 a new civic centre was built on Castle Street, which opened as the council's headquarters at the start of January 1990.[15]
Electoral divisions[edit]
.svg){kind=spacer}
The county borough is divided into 11 electoral wards returning 30 councillors. Most of these wards are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name.[16]
Bedlinog & Trelewis Community Council is the only community council in Merthyr Tydfil.
The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas.
| Ward | Communities (Parishes) | Other geographic areas |
| Bedlinog c | Bedlinog | Cwmfelin, Trelewis |
| Cyfarthfa c | Cyfarthfa | Clwydyfagwyr, Gelli-deg, Heolgerrig, Winch Fawr, Ynysfach |
| Dowlais |
| Pantyscallog, Rhydybedd, Tair Twynau, Dowlais Top, Caeharris, Caeracca, |
| Gurnos c | Gurnos | |
| Merthyr Vale c | Merthyr Vale | Aberfan, Mount Pleasant, |
| Park c | Park | |
| Penydarren c | Penydarren | Galon Uchaf |
| Plymouth | Troed-y-rhiw | Abercanaid, Pentrebach |
| Town c | Town | Twynyrodyn, Penyard |
| Treharris c | Treharris | Quakers Yard, Pentwyn, Fiddler's Elbow, Edwardsville |
| Vaynor c | Vaynor | Cefn Coed, Pontsticill, Trefechan |
c = Ward coterminous with community of the same name
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Council minutes, 17 May 2023". Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ "Council minutes, 25 May 2022" (PDF). Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "Appointment of new chief executive for Merthyr Tydfil CBC - Ellis Cooper". Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. 17 June 2021. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ "Merthyr Tydfil Urban District / Municipal Borough / County Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "Local Government (Wales) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 19, retrieved 17 October 2022
- ^ Lewis, Anthony (26 May 2022). "Independents to lead Merthyr Tydfil's split council amid warnings of instability from Labour". Wales Online. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ a b "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 6 October 2022.
- ^ "Council minutes". Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ Evans, Rhodri (2 May 2008). "Night of woe for Labour in Merthyr". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "Merthyr Tydfil: Independent council leader loses seat". ITV News. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2022.
- ^ "Ousted Merthyr leader Brendan Toomey says people are 'fed up with politics'". Wales Online. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ a b "Independents win control of Merthyr Tydfil council and oust Labour after delayed ward vote". Wales Online. 9 June 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ "Merthyr Council leader Kevin O'Neill suspended for seven months". BBC News. 4 January 2021. Retrieved 22 December 2021.
- ^ "The County Borough of Merthyr Tydfil (Electoral Arrangements) Orde 2021", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2021/1111, retrieved 18 October 2022
- ^ "Merthyr Tydfil Borough Council: An important announcement". Merthyr Express. 28 December 1989. p. 8. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
- ^ "Election maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
External links[edit]
| Communities |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Towns and villages | ||
| Rivers | ||
| Topics | ||
 Council elections in the preserved county of Mid Glamorgan | |
|---|---|
| Bridgend | |
| Merthyr Tydfil | |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | |
| Mid Glamorgan County Council | |
| Cynon Valley | |
| Ogwr | |
| Rhondda | |
| Rhymney Valley | |
| Taff-Ely | |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
