Bridgend County Borough

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Bridgend County Borough
Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr (Welsh)
County borough
The road to Nantymoel (geograph 6618227).jpg
Bridgend, St. Mary's Nolton - geograph.org.uk - 5042091 (cropped).jpg
Trecco Bay from seat on Newton Point, Porthcawl (geograph 7068564) (cropped).jpg
Left to right:
Ogwr arms.png
Coat of arms
Motto: 
Onward With Confidence
Bridgend UK location map.svg
Bridgend shown within Wales
Coordinates: 51°33′17″N03°35′29″W / 51.55472°N 3.59139°W / 51.55472; -3.59139
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Country Wales
Preserved county Mid Glamorgan
Incorporated 1 April 1996
Administrative HQ Bridgend
Government
[1]
 • Type Principal council
 • Body Bridgend County Borough Council
 •  Control Labour
 •  MPs
3 MPs
 •  MSs
2 MSs
+4 regional members
Area
[2]
 • Total
97 sq mi (251 km2)
 • Rank 17th
Population
 (2022) [2]
 • Total
146,136
 • Rank 8th
 • Density1,510/sq mi (583/km2)
Welsh language (2021)
[3]
 • Speakers9.2%
 • Rank 19th
Time zone UTC+0 (GMT)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+1 (BST)
ISO 3166 code GB-BGE
GSS code W06000013
Website bridgend.gov.uk

Bridgend County Borough (Welsh : Bwrdeistref Sirol Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. The county borough has a total population of 139,200 people, and contains the town of Bridgend, after which it is named. Its members of the Senedd are Sarah Murphy MS, representing the Bridgend Constituency, and Huw Irranca-Davies MS representing the Ogmore Constituency, and its members of the UK parliament are Chris Bryant, Chris Elmore, and Stephen Kinnock.

Contents

The county borough lies at the geographical heart of south Wales. Its land area of 110 mi2 (285 km2) stretches 12 miles (20 km) from east to west and occupies the Llynfi, Garw and Ogmore valleys. The largest town is Bridgend (pop: 39,773), followed by Maesteg (pop: 20,700) and Porthcawl (pop: 19,238). It is situated on the Ogmore River and its tributaries, although the Ewenny and Ogwr Fach rivers form the border with the Vale of Glamorgan for much of their length.

It was formed on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. It includes all of the former Ogwr borough apart from the communities of Wick, St Bride's Major and Ewenny, which went to Vale of Glamorgan. Bridgend County Borough was divided into 20 communities: Brackla, Bridgend, Cefn Cribwr, Coity Higher, Coychurch Higher, Coychurch Lower, Cornelly, Garw Valley, Laleston, Llangynwyd Lower, Llangynwyd Middle, Maesteg, Merthyr Mawr, Newcastle Higher, Ogmore Valley, Pencoed, Porthcawl, Pyle, St Bride's Minor and Ynysawdre. The communities of Brackla, Bridgend and Coychurch Lower make up the town of Bridgend.

Government

The region is governed by Bridgend County Borough Council, a principal council. It is currently in the control of the Labour party with 26 seats out of 54.[ citation needed ]

The three UK parliament constituencies covering Bridgend County Borough (in pink). 1 = Aberafan Maesteg, 2 = Bridgend and 3 = Rhondda and Ogmore. 2024 Wales Bridgend Constituencies map.svg
The three UK parliament constituencies covering Bridgend County Borough (in pink). 1 = Aberafan Maesteg, 2 = Bridgend and 3 = Rhondda and Ogmore.

From 2024, Bridgend County Borough would be in three UK Parliament constituencies, Aberafan Maesteg, Bridgend, and Rhondda and Ogmore. [4]

Schools

Parks and green spaces

Bryngarw Country Park is the largest (113 acres) country park in the borough. It offers many amenity based areas including an adventure play area, barbecue and picnic areas, car park, cafe, visitor centre and toilets; as well as a patchwork of woodland, grassland and freshwater habitats. Bryngarw Country Park is a Grade II listed Historic Park and Garden and has been designated a 'Green Flag' Park since 2010. The Oriental Garden in the park has been noted as a 'Visit Wales Sustainable Tourism, Historic Gardens Centre of Excellence' by the 'One Historic Garden, Centre of Excellence'. [5]

Kenfig National Nature Reserve with Glamorgan's largest natural lake, Kenfig Pool, is set on the edge of this area, with views from Sker beach across Swansea Bay to Gower. It is one of the finest wildlife habitats in Wales,[ citation needed ] and one of the last remnants of a huge dune system that once stretched along the coast from the River Ogmore to the Gower peninsula. The reserve is home to unique wild orchids, as well as insects and wildlife. Kenfig is one of the most important sites in Britain for nature conservation. [6]

Parc Slip Nature Reserve is an environment of wetlands, woodlands and meadows at the Parc Slip Nature Park where there is a wealth of wildlife.[ citation needed ] After a century of coal mining on the site, the Wildlife Trust began to manage the land for nature in the late 1980s. Varied habitats have since been created and the park supports an increasing diversity of wildlife. [7] [8]

Notable people

Freedom of the Borough

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Bridgend: [9]

Individuals

Military units

Demographics

Ethnicity

As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the county borough's ethnic groups are as follows: [11]

Ethnic group Percentage
White 96.8%
Asian 1.5%
Mixed 1.2%
Black 0.3%
Other 0.3%

Religion

As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the county borough's religious make-up is as follows: [11]

Religion
No religion 52.3%
Christianity 40.4%
Islam 0.5%
Other 0.5%
Buddhism 0.3%
Hinduism 0.2%
Sikhism 0.1%
Judaism 0.1%
not stated5.6%

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgend</span> Town in South Wales

Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough of Wales, 20 miles (32 km) west of Cardiff and 20 miles (32 km) east of Swansea. The town is named after the medieval bridge over the River Ogmore. The River Ewenny also flows through the town. The population was 49,597 in 2021. Bridgend is within the Cardiff Capital Region which in 2019 had a population of approximately 1.54 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maesteg</span> Town and community in Wales

Maesteg ( ) is a town and community in Bridgend County Borough, Wales. Maesteg lies at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley, close to the border with Neath Port Talbot. In 2011, Maesteg had a population of 20,612. The English translation of Maesteg is 'fair field'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Ogmore</span> River in Wales

The River Ogmore is a river in South Wales that is popular with anglers. It runs generally from north to south from the Ogmore Vale and Gilfach Goch, past Bridgend and Ogmore. The River Ogmore rises at Craig Ogwr in the Ogmore Valley as the Ogwr Fawr before it links with the Ogwr Fach at Blackmill. The River Llynfi, the River Garw and finally the River Ewenny in its estuary are all tributaries of the Ogmore which flows into the sea between Ogmore-by-Sea and the Merthyr Mawr sand-dunes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogwr</span> Former district of Mid Glamorgan, Wales

The Borough of Ogwr was one of six districts of Mid Glamorgan in Wales, which existed from 1974 to 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgend (UK Parliament constituency)</span> Parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom, 1983 onwards

Bridgend is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Chris Elmore of Labour.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogmore (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliamentary constituency, 1918–2024

Ogmore was a constituency created in 1918, represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament.

The Garw Valley Railway is the trading name of the Bridgend Valleys Railway Company Limited. It operates a short section of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 instandard gauge railway located in South Wales, which is being recreated as a heritage railway. Formerly part of the Llynvi and Ogmore Railway (L&OR) and built by the Great Western Railway (GWR), the line was used for freight and passenger services, with most of the track still in place between Brynmenyn and Pontycymer. The project currently has a train shed at Pontycymer, and hopes to initially offer brake van rides between Pontycymer and Pant-y-Gog, a distance of 0.5 miles (0.8 km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberkenfig</span> Human settlement in Wales

Aberkenfig is a village located in the County Borough of Bridgend, Wales to the north of Bridgend town. It is in the community of Newcastle Higher.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bridgend County Borough Council</span> Local government of Bridgend County Borough, Wales

Bridgend County Borough Council is the governing body for Bridgend County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bettws, Bridgend</span> Human settlement in Wales

Bettws, is a small ex-mining and farming village in the South Wales Valleys in the county borough of Bridgend, Wales. Bettws is also an electoral ward for the county council.

Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Llangynwyd is a Welsh-medium secondary school for pupils aged between 11 and 18. The school is based in the village of Llangynwyd in the borough of Bridgend, Wales. The school opened on 3 September 2008 on the site of the former Maesteg Comprehensive Upper School in Llangynwyd. It is the only secondary school in the borough of Bridgend to use the Welsh language as the primary medium of education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coychurch Lower</span> Community in Wales

Coychurch Lower is a community in Bridgend County Borough, South Wales. Along with the communities of Brackla and Bridgend, it makes up the town of Bridgend. Coychurch Lower is the eastern district of Bridgend, and takes in the village of Coychurch and the area of Waterton. Traffic leaving the M4 motorway for Bridgend at Junction 35 travels through Coychurch Lower along the A473 road, passing through an area of business parks and out-of town shopping zones, which take up the majority of the western half of the community. The population of Coychurch Lower at the 2001 census was 1,206, increasing to 1,365 at the 2011 census.

Ogmore and Garw Urban District Council was an Urban District in Glamorgan, Wales. It was created in 1894 as a result of the Local Government Act 1894 and the 1894 Ogmore and Garw UDC election saw the election of the first members of the authority. The Council existed until 1973 and replaced the Ogmore and Garw Local Board of Health which had functioned for some years. Its boundaries were set in 1894. Initially, the Council had twelve members but this was increased some years later, as a result of the increase in population. There were two wards, namely Garw Valley and Ogmore Valley.

Oldcastle is an area and electoral ward of the town of Bridgend, Wales, to the south of the town centre. The ward elects councillors to Bridgend Town Council and Bridgend County Borough Council.

The Bridgend & District League is a football league covering the town of Bridgend and surrounding areas in South Wales. The leagues are at the seventh, eighth and ninth levels of the Welsh football league system.

References

  1. ↑ "Democracy and elections". Bridgend County Borough Council. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Mid-Year Population Estimates, UK, June 2022". Office for National Statistics . 26 March 2024. Retrieved 3 May 2024.
  3. ↑ "How life has changed in Bridgend: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  4. ↑ "2023 Parliamentary Review - Revised Proposals | Boundary Commission for Wales". Boundary Commission for Wales . Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  5. ↑ "Welcome to Bryngarw House, Brynmenyn, Bridgend". Bryngarwhouse.co.uk. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  6. ↑ "Country Parks". Archived from the original on 2 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Country Parks". Archived from the original on 3 September 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Country Parks". Archived from the original on 13 September 2011. Retrieved 6 August 2011.
  9. ↑ "Freedom of the Borough - Bridgend County Borough Council". Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 30 May 2016.
  10. ↑ "Hero soldiers honoured in freedom march of Bridgend". 11 May 2011.
  11. 1 2 UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Bridgend Local Authority (W06000013)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics . Retrieved 12 July 2024.
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