The history of local government in Wales in a recognisably modern form emerged during the late 19th century. Administrative counties and county boroughs were first established in Wales in 1889. Urban and rural districts were formed in 1894. These were replaced in 1974 by a two-tier authority system across the country comprising eight counties and, within them, thirty-seven districts. This system was itself replaced by the introduction of 22 single-tier authorities in 1996.
Local Government Act 1888 From 1889 to 1974, counties made up of administrative counties and county boroughs were used for local government purposes. The counties were created by the Local Government Act 1888 (51 & 52 Vict. c. 41), which applied without distinction across Wales and England, and in Wales the administrative counties were based on the historic counties of Wales, but they were not entirely identical.
The 1888 act did not create elected district councils, but anticipated their later creation, which came with the Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73). The 1894 act created 'urban districts' and 'rural districts'.
Administrative counties
The table shows the area and population of administrative counties in Wales as recorded at the censuses of 1891 and 1961. Administrative county Area 1891acres (km) Population 1891 Area 1961acres (km) Population 1961Anglesey50,09851,705Brecknockshire51,39355,185Cardiganshire63,46753,648Carmarthenshire130,566168,008Caernarfonshire(1)117,233121,767Denbighshire118,843174,151Flintshire77,277150,082Glamorgan467,954523,253Merionethshire49,21238,310Monmouthshire203,347336,556Montgomeryshire58,00341,165Pembrokeshire88,29694,124Radnorshire21,79118,471 (1)Renamed from Carnarvonshire, 1 July 19261931 Census of England and Wales, county report for Caernarvonshire
County boroughs There were also a number of administratively independent county boroughs: Cardiff created in 1889 (associated with Glamorgan) Swansea, created in 1889 (associated with Glamorgan) Newport, separated from Monmouthshire in 1891 Merthyr Tydfil, separated from Glamorgan in 1908
County borough Area 1911acres (km) Population 1911 Area 1961acres (km) Population 1961 Cardiff 182,259 256,582 Merthyr Tydfil 80,990 59,039 Newport 83,691 112,298 Swansea 114,663 167,322
Local Government Act 1972: Counties and districts
In 1974, the existing administrative counties and county boroughs were abolished and replaced by eight new two-tier authorities, instead called 'counties' by the Local Government Act 1972 (1972 c. 70). These counties were sub-divided into lower-tier districts.
The counties were all given names in Welsh only, apart from the three in Glamorgan, which had English names as well as Welsh. The creation of these new administrative areas effectively separated the administrative function from the traditional counties, although in reality this had occurred in 1889.
These two-tier counties were abolished in 1996 and replaced with principal areas, each of which is designated as either a county or county borough. The names and areas of the pre-1996 counties were retained with slight modifications for some ceremonial purposes such as Lieutenancy, and became known as the preserved counties of Wales, which were amended in 2003 by S.I. 2003/974 to ensure that each principal area is wholly within one preserved county.
Counties Gwent South Glamorgan (De Morgannwg) Mid Glamorgan (Morgannwg Ganol) West Glamorgan (Gorllewin Morgannwg) Dyfed Powys Gwynedd Clwyd
Districts
The counties were sub-divided into districts, these were:
Clwyd — Alyn and Deeside, Colwyn, Delyn, Glyndwr, Rhuddlan, Wrexham Maelor Dyfed — Carmarthen, Ceredigion, Dinefwr, Llanelli, Preseli Pembrokeshire (named Preseli until 1987), South Pembrokeshire Gwent — Blaenau Gwent, Islwyn, Monmouth, Newport, Torfaen Gwynedd — Aberconwy, Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirionnydd, Anglesey Mid Glamorgan — Cynon Valley, Ogwr, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda, Rhymney Valley, Taff–Ely Powys — Brecknock, Montgomery, Radnor South Glamorgan — Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan West Glamorgan — Lliw Valley, Neath, Port Talbot (named Afan until 1986), Swansea
1996 The redistribution of these districts into the current principal areas is as follows:
Principal areaPrevious districtsBlaenau Gwentmost of Blaenau GwentBridgendmost of OgwrCaerphillyIslwyn, Rhymney ValleyCarmarthenshireCarmarthen, Llanelli, DinefwrCardiffCardiff, part of Taff–ElyCeredigionCeredigionConwyAberconwy, most of ColwynDenbighshireRhuddlan, parts of Glyndwr and ColwynFlintshireAlyn and Deeside, DelynGwyneddArfon, Dwyfor, MeirionnyddIsle of AngleseyAngleseyMerthyr TydfilMerthyr TydfilMonmouthshireMonmouth, part of Blaenau GwentNeath Port TalbotNeath, Port Talbot, parts of Lliw ValleyNewportNewportPembrokeshirePreseli Pembrokeshire, South PembrokeshirePowysMontgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Brecknock, part of GlyndwrRhondda Cynon TafRhondda, Cynon Valley, most of Taff-ElySwanseaSwansea, parts of Lliw ValleyTorfaenTorfaenVale of Glamorganmost of Vale of GlamorganWrexhammost of Wrexham, parts of Glyndwr
See also
Local government in Wales History of local government in the United Kingdom
References