Ceredigion County Council

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Ceredigion County Council

Cyngor Sir Ceredigion
Ceredigion County Council.svg
History
Founded1 April 1996
Preceded by Dyfed County Council
Ceredigion District Council
Leadership
Keith Evans,
Independent
since 17 May 2024 [1]
Bryan Davies,
Plaid Cymru
since 13 May 2022
Eifion Evans
since 1 October 2017 [2]
Structure
Seats38 councillors
Ceredigon County Council 2022.svg
Political groups
Administration
  Plaid Cymru (21)
Other parties (18)
  Independent (9)
  Liberal Democrats (7)
  Gwlad (1)
Joint committees
Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
Length of term
5 Years
Elections
First past the post
First election
4 May 1995
Last election
5 May 2022
Next election
6 May 2027
Meeting place
Ceredigion-council-aberaeron.jpg
Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion, Penmorfa, Aberaeron, SA46 0PA
Website
www.ceredigion.gov.uk

Ceredigion County Council (Welsh : Cyngor Sir Ceredigion) is the governing body for the county of Ceredigion, since 1996 one of the unitary authorities of Wales. The council's main offices are in Aberaeron.

Contents

History

The current council was created on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, replacing Ceredigion District Council and also taking over county-level functions in the area from Dyfed County Council, which was abolished. The 1994 act specified that the new authority was to have both an English and a Welsh name: Cardiganshire / Sir Aberteifi. [3] The new authority was elected in 1995, but acted as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing district and county councils until the new arrangements took effect the following year. During that time, the shadow authority requested a change of name from Cardiganshire / Sir Aberteifi to Ceredigion for both languages. The government confirmed the change with effect from 2 April 1996, one day after the new council came into being. [4] [5]

Public health

The county had the lowest rates of people infected with or dying from COVID-19 in the British mainland, up to June 2020. The area is naturally rural and holiday attractions and the university were closed down very early. The council set up its own contact tracing system in March 2020. [6]

Political control

The first election to the new council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been held by the following parties: [7]

Party in controlYears
Independent 1996–1999
No overall control 1999–2003
Independent 2003–2004
No overall control 2004–2022
Plaid Cymru 2022–present

Leadership

The leaders of the council since 1996 have been: [8]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Dai Lloyd Evans [9] Independent 19962006
Keith Evans [10] Independent 2006May 2012
Ellen ap Gwynn [11] Plaid Cymru May 20128 May 2022
Bryan Davies Plaid Cymru 13 May 2022

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to November 2023, the composition of the council was: [12]

PartyCouncillors
Plaid Cymru 21
Independent 9
Liberal Democrats 7
Gwlad 1
Total38

The Gwlad councillor and eight of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independents Group". The other independent councillor is unaffiliated to any group. [13] The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Elections take place every five years. The last full county election took place on 5 May 2022. The next election is due in May 2027. [14] [15]

YearSeats Plaid Cymru Independent Liberal Democrats Labour Gwlad Notes
1995 43626101N/AIndependent majority controlled
1999 44142271N/AIndependent led with Lib Dem support
2004 42161691N/AIndependent led with Lib Dem support
2008 421912101N/AIndependent led with Lib Dem support
2012 42191571N/APlaid Cymru led with Independent support
2017 42201381N/APlaid Cymru led with Independent support
2022 38209711Plaid Cymru majority controlled

Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.

Premises

Since the local government reorganisation in 1996, the council has had its meeting place and main offices at Neuadd Cyngor Ceredigion (English: Ceredigion Council Hall) at Penmorfa in Aberaeron. [16] The building was erected in the early 1990s for the council's predecessor, Ceredigion District Council. [17] [18]

Council's offices at Canolfan Rheidol on outskirts of Aberystwyth, opened 2009. Ceredigion County Council offices - geograph.org.uk - 3635121.jpg
Council's offices at Canolfan Rheidol on outskirts of Aberystwyth, opened 2009.

When the council was created in 1996 it inherited various offices from its predecessor authorities, including Swyddfa'r Sir in Aberystwyth, which had been built as the Queen's Hotel in 1866 and had served as the headquarters of the former Cardiganshire County Council from 1950 until 1974, then served as an area office for Dyfed County Council from 1974 until 1996. The council also inherited Aberystwyth Town Hall, which had been the headquarters of Ceredigion District Council. Both these Aberystwyth offices closed in 2009 when the council opened a new Aberystwyth area office at Canolfan Rheidol in Llanbadarn Fawr on the outskirts of Aberystwyth. [19] [20] The council also has area offices in Lampeter and Cardigan. [21]

Arms

Coat of arms of Ceredigion County Council
Arms of Ceredigion County Council.svg
Notes
Originally granted to Cardiganshire County Council on 21 October 1937
Coronet
A mural crown Or.
Escutcheon
Quarterly per pale indented first Sable a lion rampant reguardant Or second barry wavy of six Argent and Azure a herring haurient proper third Azure a garb Or banded Gules and fourth Sable a chevron between three roses Argent barbed and seeded Proper.
Motto
Golud Gwlad Rhyddid (A Nation's Wealth Is Freedom) [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyfed</span> Preserved county of Wales

Dyfed is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceredigion</span> County in Wales

Ceredigion ( ), historically Cardiganshire, is a county in the west of Wales. It borders Gwynedd across the Dyfi estuary to the north, Powys to the east, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. Aberystwyth is the largest settlement and, together with Aberaeron, is an administrative centre of Ceredigion County Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aberaeron</span> Town in Ceredigion, Wales

Aberaeron, previously anglicised as Aberayron, is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales. Located on the coast between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, its resident population was 1,274 in the 2021 census.

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

Cardigan is a town and community in the county of Ceredigion, Wales. Positioned on the tidal reach of the River Teifi at the point where Ceredigion meets Pembrokeshire, Cardigan was the county town of the historic county of Cardiganshire. Cardigan is the second-largest town in Ceredigion. The largest town, Aberystwyth, is one of the two administrative centres; the other is Aberaeron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lampeter</span> University town in Wales

Lampeter is a town, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, at the confluence of the Afon Dulas with the River Teifi. It is the third largest urban area in Ceredigion, after Aberystwyth and Cardigan, and has a campus of the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. At the 2011 Census, the population was 2,970. Lampeter is the smallest university town in the United Kingdom. The university adds approximately 1,000 people to the town's population during term time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceredigion (UK Parliament constituency)</span> UK Parliamentary constituency, 1997–2024

Ceredigion was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. Created in 1536, the franchise expanded in the late 19th century and on the enfranchisement of women. Its boundaries remained virtually unchanged until 1983. From 1536 until 1885 the area had two seats : a county constituency (Cardiganshire) comprising the rural areas, the other the borough constituency known as the Cardigan District of Boroughs comprising a few separate towns; in 1885 the latter was abolished, its towns and electors incorporated into the former, reduced to one MP. The towns which comprised the Boroughs varied slightly over this long period, but primarily consisted of Cardigan, Aberystwyth, Lampeter and Adpar, the latter now a suburb of Newcastle Emlyn across the Teifi, in Carmarthenshire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penparcau</span> Village in Ceredigion, Wales

Penparcau is a village and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, situated to the south of Aberystwyth.

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

Carmarthenshire County Council is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The council is one of twenty-two unitary authorities that came into existence on 1 April 1996 under the provisions of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. It took over local government functions previously provided by the three district councils of Carmarthen, Dinefwr, and Llanelli, as well as the county-level services in the area from Dyfed County Council, all of which councils were abolished at the same time.

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

Pembrokeshire County Council is the local authority for the county of Pembrokeshire, one of the principal areas of Wales.

Cardiganshire County Council was the local government authority for the county of Cardiganshire, Wales, between 1889 and 1974. It was superseded by Dyfed County Council.

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

Aberystwyth is a university and seaside town and a community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and 16 miles (26 km) from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the population of the town was 14,640.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dyfed County Council</span> Welsh local governing body (1974–1996)

Dyfed County Council was the county council of the non-metropolitan county of Dyfed in south west Wales. It operated between 1974 and 1996. The county council was based at County Hall, Carmarthen.

Aberystwyth Town Council is the community council that governs the ancient borough, town and community of Aberystwyth. For electoral purposes, it is divided into five electoral divisions.

John Morgan Howell (1855-1928) was a prominent figure in the public life of Cardiganshire in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. A supporter of the Liberal Party, he represented Aberaeron as a county councillor for over thirty years and served on many other public bodies.

The fourth election for Cardiganshire County Council took place in March 1898. They were preceded by the 1895 election and followed by the 1901 election

Ceredigion District Council was one of six district-level authorities in the county of Dyfed, Wales, from 1974 until 1996. The district had an identical area to the pre-1974 administrative county of Cardiganshire. From its creation in 1974 the district used the name "Ceredigion" rather than "Cardiganshire", which had been used for the former county council. Further local government reorganisation in 1996 saw Dyfed County Council abolished and Ceredigion become a unitary authority, with the district council taking over county-level services to become Ceredigion County Council.

Aberystwyth Rheidol is a electoral ward in the town of Aberystwyth, Ceredigion, Wales. It elects a county councillor to Ceredigion County Council and also elects town councillors to Aberystwyth Town Council.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Ceredigion County Council election</span> 2022 Welsh local government election

The 2022 Ceredigion County Council election took place as of 5 May 2022 to elect 38 members to Ceredigion 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 all-council election took place in May 2017 and future elections will take place every five years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Hall, Aberaeron</span> Municipal Building in Aberaeron, Wales

County Hall, formerly Aberaeron Town Hall, is a municipal building in Market Street, Aberaeron, Ceredigion, Wales. The structure, which is now used as a public library, is a Grade II listed building.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ceredigion Archives</span> Welsh regional archive service

Ceredigion Archives is a regional archive service and the county record office for Ceredigion County Council. Located since 2012 in Aberystwyth Town Hall, the archive collects, curates, preserves and gives access to records relating to the county and its administration.

References

  1. "New Ceredigion chairman's 'privilege and honour' to be elected". Tivyside Advertiser. 19 May 2024. Retrieved 27 July 2024.
  2. "Deputy takes over as new chief executive of Ceredigion council". Cambrian News. 1 August 2017. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  3. "Local Government (Wales) Act 1994", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, 1994 c. 19, retrieved 28 September 2022
  4. "Hansard: Written Answers". UK Parliament. 2 April 1996. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  5. "The County of Ceredigion (Electoral Changes) Order 2002", legislation.gov.uk , The National Archives, SI 2002/3278, retrieved 2 October 2022
  6. "The area of Wales that missed coronavirus - and the simple system it set up". Wales Online. 5 June 2020. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  7. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. Retrieved 28 September 2022.
  8. "Council minutes". Ceredigion County Council. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  9. "Ceredigion Council leader to quit". BBC News. 24 April 2006. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  10. "Vote 2012: Ceredigion council leader Keith Evans loses seat". BBC News. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  11. "Ceredigion's Plaid leader Ellen ap Gwynn to step down". BBC News. 23 February 2022. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  12. "Local Elections - 5th May 2022". Ceredigion County Council. Ceredigion County Council. Retrieved 7 May 2022.
  13. "Your councillors by political grouping". Ceredigion County Council. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  14. "Ceredigion County Council Election Results 1995-2012". Elections Centre Plymouth University. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  15. "Wales at the polls: Local elections 2017". ITV News. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  16. "No. 54475". The London Gazette . 24 July 1996. p. 9921.
  17. Planning application 890453, New council offices at Penmorfa, Aberaeron, granted 18 June 1990
  18. "No. 53783". The London Gazette . 7 September 1994. p. 12630.
  19. "Work starts on £950,000 town library in Aberystwyth". BBC. 23 September 2010. Retrieved 26 July 2021.
  20. "Welsh Assembly Government and County Council Offices, Canolfan Rheidol, Aberystwyth". Coflein. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  21. "Customer service centres". Ceredigion County Council. Retrieved 3 October 2022.
  22. "Wales". Civic Heraldry of Wales. Retrieved 22 March 2021.