Bangor City Council Cyngor Dinas Bangor | |
|---|---|
| Type | |
| Type | |
| Leadership | |
Mayor | Gwynant Roberts (2022/23), Plaid Cymru |
Deputy Mayor | Elin Walker Jones (2022/23),Plaid Cymru |
| Seats | 20 |
| Meeting place | |
| Penrhyn Hall, Ffordd Gwynedd, Bangor | |
| Website | |
| bangorcitycouncil | |
Bangor City Council or officially the City of Bangor Council is an elected community council serving Bangor in Gwynedd, Wales.
Bangor's council was created in 1883 by royal charter. In 1974 it became City of Bangor Council, after Bangor had been granted city status, though many of its previous powers were passed to Arfon Borough Council (1974–1996) [1] and the new Gwynedd Council, based in Caernarfon. [2]
The city council's roles include consultation on all planning applications within the city boundaries, as well as applications for alcohol licenses. [3] Its current responsibilities extend to maintaining footpaths and bus shelters, as well as managing a number of woodland areas and open public spaces. [3]
The city council is most notably responsible for the maintenance of Wales' second longest pier, the Garth Pier. After Arfon Borough Council had decided to demolish it in 1974, Bangor City Council bought the 1,550 feet (470 m) pier for a nominal one pence. [4] However, in 2012 the council only had £1 million of the estimated £2 million needed to repair it. [5] The council-financed £1 million restoration began in 2017, phased over three to four years. [6]
In addition the city council owns a number of important buildings, including the Town Clock, the City Council Offices and Penhryn Hall (containing the Council Chamber) in Ffordd Gwynedd. [3] It owns Nantporth Football Stadium, which it leases to Bangor City Football Club. It also owns Hafan Drop-in Centre which is managed by Age Concern Cymru as a city centre drop in for the elderly and disabled. [3]
In June 2012 a curfew keeping young people out of Bangor city centre made the UK national news. [7] Bangor City Council had to call an emergency meeting to raise their concerns, because Gwynedd Council and the local police had imposed the curfew without consulting city councillors. [8]
In May 2021 Bangor became the first Welsh city council and the sixteenth in the UK to pass a resolution supporting the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. [9]
Twenty councillors are elected from the eight electoral wards in the city, namely: Deiniol (2), Dewi (3), Garth (2), Glyder (3), Hendre (2), Hirael (2), Marchog (3) and Menai (3). In 2017 half of the seats were won by Plaid Cymru. [10] The eight wards also elect ten county councillors to Gwynedd Council.[ citation needed ]
The council elects a city mayor and deputy mayor annually. [2] [11] The Mayor making for 2020 was delayed by a year due to COVID-19 and both the Deputy Mayor and Mayor were to remain in their posts for another year until 2021.
In May 2021 22-year old Owen Hurcum was elected mayor, the youngest ever mayor in Wales and also possibly the first non-binary person in the world to hold such a position. [12]
| As of 20 June 2022 [13] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Affiliation | Members | |
| Plaid Cymru | 12 | |
| Independent | 7 | |
| Vacant | 1 | |
Caernarfon is a royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales. It has a population of 9,852. It lies along the A487 road, on the eastern shore of the Menai Strait, opposite the island of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is 8.6 miles (13.8 km) to the north-east, while Snowdonia (Eryri) fringes Caernarfon to the east and south-east.
Bangor is a cathedral city and community in Gwynedd, North Wales. It is the oldest city in Wales. Historically part of Caernarfonshire, it had a population of 18,322 in 2019. Landmarks include Bangor Cathedral, Bangor University and Garth Pier. The Britannia and Menai Suspension bridges connect the city to the Isle of Anglesey.
The Borough of Arfon was local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of five districts in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales.
Y Felinheli, formerly known in English as Port Dinorwic, is a village and community beside the Menai Strait between Bangor and Caernarfon in Gwynedd, northwest Wales.
Arfon is a constituency in Wales represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament at Westminster. Although it is relatively large by geographical area, the constituency is a predominantly urban rather than rural seat, with the majority of the population living in the two towns of Bethesda and Caernarfon, as well as in the city of Bangor, on which the constituency is based. "Arfon" is a historical name for the area, meaning "facing Anglesey"; it is also the name of the former district council. This seat was created by the Welsh Boundary Commission in time for the 2010 general election; it replaced the old seat of Caernarfon. Bangor was in the old seat of Conwy. The same boundaries were used for the Arfon Welsh Assembly constituency in the 2007 Welsh Assembly election.
Gwynedd Council, which styles itself by its Welsh name Cyngor Gwynedd, is the governing body for the county of Gwynedd, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council administrates internally using the Welsh language.
Llais Gwynedd is a small regionalist political party based in Gwynedd in North Wales. The party formed following the Plaid Cymru executive's proposal to more than halve the number of primary schools in Gwynedd by closing rural schools. Many of the party's members are former members of Plaid. The campaign was founded as Llais y Bobl, or "People's Voice", but the name was changed because of another party by that name in Blaenau Gwent.
Garth Pier is a Grade II listed structure in Bangor, Wales. At 1,500 feet (460 m) in length, it is the second-longest pier in Wales, and the ninth longest in the British Isles.
Siân Gwenllian is a Welsh Plaid Cymru politician who has represented the constituency of Arfon in the Senedd since 2016. She currently holds the seat with a majority of 8,642 votes.
Gwynedd Council in North Wales is elected, as a whole, every 4 years. In 2014 the National Assembly for Wales deferred all local elections in Wales to 2017. The council is composed of 74 councillors.
Arllechwedd is the name of an electoral ward in Gwynedd, Wales. It lies east of the city of Bangor and is the most northeasterly ward in Gwynedd, bordering Conwy County Borough. Arllechwedd ward includes the villages of Llandegai, Llanllechid, Tal-y-bont and Abergwyngregyn. It elects a councillor to Gwynedd Council.
Hendre is one of eight electoral wards in the city of Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. The ward covers part of the city south of the city centre, including West End and Glan Adda. It elects two councillors to Bangor City Council and one county councillor to Gwynedd Council.
Deiniol is one of eight electoral wards in the city of Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, electing councillors to the city and county councils.
Ogwen is the name of an electoral ward covering part of the village and community of Bethesda in Gwynedd, Wales. It elects councillors to the community council and Gwynedd Council.
Glyder is an electoral ward in the city of Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales, electing councillors to the city council and Gwynedd Council.
Peblig is an electoral ward in the town of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, electing councillors to the town council and Gwynedd Council.
Seiont is an electoral ward in the town of Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales, electing councillors to the town council and Gwynedd Council.
The 2017 Gwynedd Council election took place on 4 May 2017 to elect members of Gwynedd Council in Wales. Seventy five council seats were up for re-election. In twenty one seats, the candidates were elected unopposed.
Owen J. Hurcum is a British politician. They are the former Mayor of the city of Bangor, Wales, and former ward councillor for Glyder ward on Bangor City Council. In May 2021, they became the Mayor of Bangor, the first openly non-binary mayor of any city world-wide and the youngest person in history to hold a mayoral position in Wales. In May 2022 they completed their term as mayor and did not seek re-election to the community council.
The 2022 Gwynedd Council election took place on 5 May 2022 to elect 69 members from 65 wards to Gwynedd Council. On the same day, elections were held to the other 21 local authorities and to community councils in Wales as part of the 2022 Welsh local elections. The previous Gwynedd all-council election took place in May 2017 and future elections will take place every five years.