The first election for the newly incorporated borough of Llanelly was held on 3 November 1913. All the seats were contested with the majority of the members of the former Urban District Council being elected. Apart from the nine candidates nominated by the Labour Association - three in each ward - the election was said to have been fought on non-political and non-sectarian lines, with the majority of the aspirants standing as Independents.[1]
At the inaugural statutory meeting of the new council on Monday, 10 November, presided over by the new mayor, Sir Stafford Howard,[2] six aldermen were elected (two from each ward) resulting in by-elections for the remaining six seats on the council. D. James Davies, John Simlett and Herbert Rees were elected aldermen for six years, and Joseph Roberts, Bramwell Jones and Nathan Griffiths for three years.
The by-elections were held on 25 November, with five of the seats being won by Independent candidates.[3]
In the first post-war election, Labour candidates won four of the six seats, three of which were gains from Independent candidates.[4] The Llanelly Mercury expressed the hope that the infusion of new blood would lead to an improvement in the govrnamce of the town.[5]
Independent candidates won five of the six seats, including William Davies, who regained the seat he lost in 1919..[6] The Labour Association was criticised for running a slate of candidates and creating costs to the ratepayers.[7]
The Labour Party launched a campaign to improve their position on the authority and this led to a more politiciced campoagn than in previous years. Aldermen also stood down but the death of D. James Davies, former owner of the South Wales Press, left one vacancy.[9] However, only two of the six Labour candidates were elected.[10]
All three wards wre contested and local press coverage focused on the more radical elements within the Labour campaign with Enoch Collins being described as an avowed Communist.[12] Th outcome was a net loss of one Labour seat.[13] While Labour held both setas in Ward Three the more moderate Tom Charles was ousted in Ward Two. Press attention locally focused on the defeat of Neft and Collins in Ward One while it was claimed that Charles would have held his seat had he stood as an Independent.
All three wards were keenly contested and the Labour Party launched a campaign to improve their position on the authority and this led to a more politiciced campaign than in previous years. Aldermen also stood down, including the retiring mayor, J.L. Jones.[14] Much to the surprise of the local press, Labour won four of the six seats with two retiring aldermen and W.T. Morris, a sitting county councillor, among those defeated. J.L. Jones, first elected in 1910, finished at the foot of the poll. There was criticism of Indepdnents for fielding too many candidates and allowing Labour candidates to be elected on a split vote.[15] The practice of expecting retiring aldermen to seek election in competition with retiring councillors was also questioned.
At the statutory meeting on 9 November, David Jennings (Ind), T. Hay Samuel (Ind) and Morgan Morgan (Lab) were elected aldermen, causing by-elections in each ward. [16] The Independents won two of these but the ex-mayor was again defeated in Ward Three.[17]
Coverage prior to the election suggested that the Labour Association washopeful of winning at least three seats. However, Labour lost the one seat that they held as the Independnets won all six seats. Roland Thomas, who briefly lost his seat the previous year, was among those re-elected.[18]
All three wards were contested. In Ward One, the two retiring Independent members faced a number of opponents including former Labour councillor Elias Davies and two Independents, Tom Hughes and William Vivian, who had links to the labour movement. In Ward Two,, the two retiring members who had both served since 1919 were opposed by Labour candidates who included the Divisional party's local organizer, Douglas Hughes. Finally, in Ward Three, Labour was defending oth seats but a string Independent challenge was mounted. A self-appointed 'Ratepayers Association' formally supported five non-Labour candidates..[19] Independents held five seats while in Ward 3, Owen Jones, a Labour councillor for nine years, lost his seat to another Labour candidate.[20]
In addition to the six councillors, three aldermen stood down. However, Joseph Roberts and E. Willis Jones, both of whom had been members of the authority since Llanelli obtained borough status in 1913, chose to stand down..[21] At the election, Elias Davies regained the seat he lost two years previously (having unsuccessfully contested Ward One in 1928) while in Ward Three, Labour councillor Stanley Davies lost at the expense of retiring aldermen, W. Powell Rees. Former Labour councillor Owen Jones, now running as an Independent, was unsuccessful.[22]
At the statutory meeting, Martin R. Richards, Jack Evans and William Davies (all Independents) were appointed aldermen. Coverage of the by-elections highlighted the failure of Independents to rally around a single candidate.[23] Labour won two of the wards and came within a small margin of winning all three.[24]
Independent candidates won all seats in an election dominated by a dispute over the purchase of the tramway company by the borough council, a proposal supported by Labour councillors.[25]
The election wa fought in the immediate aftermath of the 1931 General Election when Dr J.H. Williams had once again been returned as Labour member for the Llanelli constituency following a straight fight with a 'National' candidate, Frank J. Rees (a member of the borough council). Twenty candidates contested the three wards, including a full slate of Communist candidates for the first time (although the party had failed to raise a deposit to contest the recent General Election).[26] A heavy poll saw five Independents returned, including a gain from Labour in Ward Two. In Ward One, the sitting Independents polled stronlgly and held off thechallenge of Labour, including Percy Evans, who had been returned to Carmarthenshire County Council at a by-election earlier in the year following a split in the Labour vote.[27]
The annual eleection was characterised by multiple candidates in all three wards. The Labour vote was threatened by challenge not only of Communist candidates but also ILP candidates who included some former prominent Labour figures such as Percy Evans, a county councillor, and D. James Davies, a former borough councillor. In Ward 2, three Independent candidates stood, which raised fears of a split vote before the election.[28] In addition to the six councillors, three aldermen came to the end of their term and sought re-election.
In Ward One, retiring alderman David Jennings and sitting member J.H. Williams were returned, with retiring labour member John Hughes losing his seat. His defeat was attributed, in part, to the intervention of an ILP candidate. There had been an expectation that the sitting Labour members in Ward Two would be threatened by the ILP, but they withstood this challenge as well as that of the Independents candidates. These included T. Hay Samuel, the outgoing mayor, a member of the council since its formation in 1913, and retiring alderman; and also W.T.Morris, a sitting County councillor seeking to regain the seat on the borough council that he lost some years previously. The Independents were more successful in Ward Three, where both Labour candidates, including retiring alderman Morgan Morgan, were defeated.[29]
At the statutory meeting, Frank J. Rees (Ind), Tom Charles (Lab) and Theo Jenkins (Ins) wee elected aldermen.[30] As was the case three years previously, concern was expressed about a split Independent vote in Ward Two as both candidates who unsuccessfully fought three weeks earlier again stood for the single seat.[31] W.T. Morris withdrew before the poll but Hay Samuel and the official Labour candidate were defeated by the ILP. Labour won the other two seats as ex-councillors defeated at the fist election were successful at their second attempt.[32]
The election resulted in Labour gaining one seat from the Indepedendents.[33] This was in Ward Two, where Douglas Hughes, a county councillor since 1931, took a seat despite the Labour vote being split by the intervention of the ILP. In Ward One, Mervyn Paton, clerk to Kidwelly Borough Council, took a seat at the expense of Roland Thomas, a long-serving member who was also a leading figure in the Welsh Rugby Union. There was an increase in the Communist vote in all three wards.
Eight seats were contested, as opposed to the usual six, following the resignation of Jack Evans and the death of Frank J. Rees. J.H. Williams and Elias Davies had been elevated to the aldermanic bench to fill the two vacancies resulting in three seats being cacant in Wards One and Two. The outstanding feature was the surprise election of Ernest Leyshon, the Communist candidate, in Ward Three, although his success at the Harbour Trust election in September had indicated a further increase in support for the Communists. Elsewhere, Roland Thomas was elected to fill the vacancy in Ward One following his defeat the previous year.[34]
In addition to the six councillors, three aldermen retired leaving a potential nine retiring members competing for six seats. However, following previous concersn about a split Independent votes, Roland P. Thomas (Ward One) and William Davies (Ward Three) decided not to seek re-election and wait for the forthcoming by-elections.
In both Wards One and Two, the Independnet candidates prevailed, with Alderman Elias Davies, only elevayed to the aldermanic bench the previous year, losing his seat. Retiring ILP member Percy Evans was also defeated. Ward Three, however, saw a huge surprise when W. Powell Rees, a borough councillor for twenty years and a serving county councillor, being comfortably defeated by the Communist candidate Brinley James.[35]
At the statutory meeting, Dan Roberts (Ind), W.E. Davies (Ind) and H.W. Bowen (Lab) were elected aldermen.[36] A further vacancy in Ward Three was created by the death the previous month of the Labour councillor, D. Grant Evans.[37]
Much attention focused on Ward Three, where the Communists sought further success but they fell short by 32 votes behind ex-Alderman William Davies and Labour candidate John Griffiths. In Wards One and Two, old members regained seats as the Communists did not contest.[38] Roland Thomas, first elected to the former Urban District Council in 1911, was again returned.
All three wards were closely contested and the defeated candidates including three sitting county councillors, namely Martin L. Edwards, who lost his seat in Ward Two; and J. Llewellyn Evans and David Richards who both failed to gain seats. W. Powell Rees regained a seat in Ward Three after being defeated by a Communist candidates in 1935.[40] The Llanelly Star decried the slpit in the Independent vote which cotributed to the defeat of long-serving member William Davies.[41]
Two by-elections were held during the first half of 1938 following the deaths of long-serving councillors William Vivian and Roland P. Thomas.
Ward One by-election 1938
A by-election was held on 17 February 1938 following the death of William Vivian. William Davies, former mayor and a member for 21 years who had been defeated in Ward Three the previous November, won the seat by a narrow margin despite a split Independent vote.[42]
A by-election was held on 5 May 1938 following the death of Roland P. Thomas. David Richards, having lost narrowly at the previous by-election, was elected with a comfortable majority.[43]
Three aldermen and six councilors stood down. The mayor, Elias Davies, indicated that he would retire but ultimately chose to oppose the official Labour candidates.[44] He was unsuccessful in Ward Two. In Ward One. David Jennings and Martin Richards, members since pre-1914 days were comfortably returned ahead of the Labour candidate, County Alderman Joseph Howell. In Ward Three, Communist Brin James was defeated.[45]
At the statutory meeting, David Jennings, W.H. Charles and Robert Richards were elected aldermen. This was the second occasion that Jennings had been appointed for a six years term. [46] At the ensuong by-elections, Brin James regained his seat in Ward Three as a Communist, although he had broken with the local party. In Ward One, the Labour candidate Joseph Howell was again unsuccessful while D.J. Charles was returned unopposed in Ward Two.
The second election for the Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1892. It was preceded by the inaugural 1889 election and followed by the 1895 election.
The second election to the Glamorgan County Council was held on 8 March 1892. The 1889 election was the first contest and the next was the 1895 election. Glamorgan County Council had been established by the 1888 Local Government Act, and the first election held in January 1889. Glamorgan was by far the largest county in Wales in terms of population. The county of Glamorgan was at this time becoming heavily industrialised, although some areas such as the Vale of Glamorgan remained essentially rural. The rise of nonconformist liberalism, especially since the 1860s, throughout Wales, had challenged the prevailing influence of the landed gentry. However, even in 1889, the traditional forces remained influential and no working men were elected to the council. This changed in 1892 with the unopposed return of David Morgan in Aberdare and the success of Isaac Evans in Resolven.
The third election to Glamorgan County Council was held on 4 March 1895. It was preceded by the 1892 election and followed by the 1898 election.
The second election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1892. It was preceded by the 1889 election and followed by the 1895 election.
The fourth election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1898. It was preceded by the 1895 election and followed by the 1901 election.
The sixth election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1904. It was preceded by the 1901 election and followed by the 1907 election.
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1946. The 1940 and 1943 elections were postponed due to the Second World War, therefore the election was preceded by the 1937 election and followed, by the 1949 election.
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1928. It was preceded by the 1925 election and followed by the 1931 election.
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1931. It was preceded by the 1928 election and followed by the 1934 election.
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1934. It was preceded by the 1931 election and followed by the 1937 election.
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in March 1937. It was preceded by the 1934 election. Due to the Second World War no elections were held in 1940 and 1943 therefore the 1937 election was followed by the 1946 election.
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in April 1952. It was preceded by the 1949 election and followed, by the 1955 election.
An election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held in April 1955. It was preceded by the 1952 election and followed, by the 1958 election.
The 1920 Cardiff City Council election was held on Monday 1 November 1920 to elect councillors to Cardiff City Council in Cardiff, Glamorgan, Wales. It took place on the same day as many other local elections in Wales and England.
The 1922 Glamorgan County Council election to Glamorgan County Council, south Wales, took place in March 1922. It was preceded by the 1919 election and followed by the 1925 election.
The thirteenth election to Glamorgan County Council, south Wales, took place in March 1928. It was preceded by the 1925 election and followed by the 1931 election.
The sixteenth election to Glamorgan County Council, south Wales, took place in March 1937. It was preceded by the 1934 election and followed, due to the Second World War by the 1946 election.
The seventeenth election to Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1946. It was preceded by the 1937 election with the scheduled 1940 and 1943 being postponed due to the Second World War, and followed by the 1949 election.
Carmarthen Borough Council was a local authority created by the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act and replaced the ancient borough that had existed since medieval times. The Council consisted of 24 members, eighteen of whom were elected councillors and the remaining six were aldermen. The councillors were elected on a triennial cycle, with a third of councillors retiring each year. Aldermen were elected for a six-year term from within the council membership.
Carmarthen Borough Council was a Welsh municipal body created by the 1835 Municipal Corporations Act which, at that time, replaced the ancient borough that had existed since medieval times. The Council consisted of 24 members, eighteen of whom were elected councillors and the remaining six were aldermen. Councillors were elected on a triennial cycle, with a third of councillors retiring each year. Aldermen were elected for a six-year term, normally from within the council membership although retiring aldermen were often re-elected without facing a contest.
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