| Colwyn | |
|---|---|
| Borough | |
 Civic Centre, Colwyn Bay | |
 | |
| Area | |
| • 1974 | 136,566.2 acres (552.664 km2) |
| Population | |
| • 1973 | 45,990 |
| History | |
| • Created | 1 April 1974 |
| • Abolished | 31 March 1996 |
| • Succeeded by | Conwy County Borough Denbighshire |
| • HQ | Colwyn Bay |
 | |
| Contained within | |
| • County Council | Clwyd |
Colwyn was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales.
The borough was created on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972. It covered parts of four former districts from the administrative county of Denbighshire, which were all abolished at the same time: [1] [2]
The new borough was named Colwyn, taken from the name of the area's largest town, Colwyn Bay. [3]
Under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, Clwyd County Council and the county's constituent districts were abolished, being replaced by principal areas, whose councils perform the functions which had previously been divided between the county and district councils. With effect from 1 April 1996, the two communities of Cefnmeiriadog and Trefnant were transferred from Colwyn to the new county of Denbighshire, and the remainder of Colwyn was merged with the neighbouring district of Aberconwy from Gwynedd to become a county borough which the government originally named "Aberconwy and Colwyn". [4] During the transition to the new system, the shadow authority requested a change of name from "Aberconwy and Colwyn" to "Conwy". The government confirmed the change with effect from 2 April 1996, one day after the new council came into being. [5]
The borough of Colwyn was twinned with Konstanz, Germany and Roissy-en-Brie, France.
The name Colwyn is currently used for an electoral ward covering the eastern part of the community of Old Colwyn. The ward had a population of 4,566 at the 2011 census. [6]
The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 1996 was as follows: [7]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 1974–1976 | |
| No overall control | 1976–1996 | |
The council was based at the Civic Centre on Abergele Road in Colwyn Bay. The building had been built in 1909 as a hospital called Glan y Don Hall, but had been converted to a civic centre in 1964 for one of Colwyn's predecessor authorities, the Colwyn Bay Borough Council. [8] Following the abolition of Colwyn in 1996 the building served as the headquarters of the successor Conwy County Borough Council until 2018. [9]
Gwynedd is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The city of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon. The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes the Isle of Anglesey.
Conwy County Borough is a county borough in the north of Wales. It borders Gwynedd to the west and south and Denbighshire to the east. The largest settlement is Colwyn Bay, and Conwy is the administrative centre.
Denbighshire is a county in the north-east of Wales. It borders the Irish Sea to the north, Flintshire to the east, Wrexham to the southeast, Powys to the south, and Gwynedd and Conwy to the west. Rhyl is the largest town, and Ruthin is the administrative centre. Its borders differ from the historic county of the same name.
Until 1974, Denbighshire, or the County of Denbigh, was an administrative county in the north of Wales, later classed as one of the thirteen historic counties of Wales. It was a maritime county, that was bounded to the north by the Irish Sea, to the east by Flintshire, Cheshire and Shropshire, to the south by Montgomeryshire and Merionethshire, and to the west by Caernarfonshire.
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east. Powys and Gwynedd lie to the south and west respectively. Clwyd also shares a maritime boundary with Merseyside along the River Dee. Between 1974 and 1996, a slightly different area had a county council, with local government functions shared with six district councils. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished, and the new principal areas of Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Flintshire and Wrexham County Borough were created; under this reorganisation, "Clwyd" became a preserved county, with the name being retained for certain ceremonial functions.
The principal areas of Wales, comprising the counties andcounty boroughs of Wales, are a form of subdivision in Wales. There are currently 22 principal areas in Wales, and they were established in 1996.
Llanrwst is a market town and community on the A470 road and the River Conwy, in Conwy County Borough, Wales, and the historic county of Denbighshire. It developed around the wool trade and became known also for the making of harps and clocks. Today, less than one mile from the edge of Snowdonia, its main pursuit is tourism. Notable buildings include almshouses, two 17th-century chapels, and the Parish Church of St Grwst, which holds the stone coffin of Llywelyn the Great. The 2011 census gave it a population of 3,323.
Colwyn Bay is a town, community and seaside resort in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales overlooking the Irish Sea. It lies within the historic county of Denbighshire. Eight neighbouring communities are incorporated within its postal district. Established as its own separate parish in 1844 with just a small grouping of homes and farms where the community of Old Colwyn stands today, Colwyn Bay has expanded to become the second-largest community and business centre in the north of Wales as well as the 14th largest in the whole of Wales with the urban statistical area, including Old Colwyn, Rhos-on-Sea, and Mochdre and Penrhyn Bay, having a population of 34,284 at the 2011 census.
The Borough of Aberconwy was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of five districts in the county of Gwynedd, north-west Wales.
Glyndŵr was one of six local government districts in the county of Clwyd in Wales from 1974 to 1996.
Clwyd West was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elected one Member of Parliament (MP) by the first past the post method of election. Its last MP was David Jones of the Conservative Party, first elected at the 2005 general election and who also served as Secretary of State for Wales from 4 September 2012 until 14 July 2014.
Llysfaen is a village and community in Conwy County Borough overlooking the north coast of Wales, and situated on the hill Mynydd Marian. For local government purposes, it is also a ward. The community includes the Peulwys estate of Old Colwyn.
The Borough of Rhuddlan was a local government district with borough status from 1974 to 1996, being one of six districts in the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales.
Gwynedd Council, which calls 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.
Denbighshire County Council is the unitary local authority for the county of Denbighshire, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council is based at County Hall in Ruthin.
Aled was a rural district in the administrative county of Denbighshire, Wales, from 1935 to 1974.
Betws yn Rhos is a village and community in Conwy County Borough, Wales.
Conwy & Denbighshire NHS Trust was an NHS Trust in Wales. The headquarters of the Trust were in Glan Clwyd Hospital, in Bodelwyddan, near Rhyl, Denbighshire. The Trust was named in the 'Top 40 Hospitals' in the UK for the fifth year running in 2006, a title conferred by CHKS.
Conwy County Borough Council is the local authority for Conwy County Borough, one of the principal areas of Wales.
Sam Rowlands is a Welsh Conservative politician serving as Member of the Senedd (MS) for the North Wales electoral region since 2021, and Shadow Minister for Health since April 2024. He also formerly served as Leader of Conwy County Borough Council from 2019 to 2021.
Local government districts of Wales 1974–1996 | |
|---|---|
| Clwyd | |
| Dyfed | |
| Gwent | |
| Gwynedd | |
| Mid Glamorgan | |
| Powys | |
| South Glamorgan | |
| West Glamorgan | |
