South Glamorgan County Council () was the local government authority that administered the county of South Glamorgan, Wales from its creation in 1974 until its abolition in 1996.
History Local government in England and Wales was reorganised in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972. The old administrative county of Glamorgan was divided into three new counties and Glamorgan County Council was abolished. The new county of South Glamorgan was created covering the former county borough of Cardiff, (which had been independent from Glamorgan County Council), together with the southern parts of Glamorgan and the parish of St Mellons from Monmouthshire. South Glamorgan County Council came into existence on 1 April 1974. There were two lower-tier district councils within South Glamorgan: Cardiff City Council (later Cardiff Council) and the Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council (later the Vale of Glamorgan Council).Stewart Williams (Ed.), The Cardiff Book: Volume I., Stewart Williams Publishers (1973), p. 8. .
Ahead of the 1970 general election, the Labour Party, had proposed splitting Glamorgan into two counties, East and West. However, the Conservative Party prevailed at the election and proceeded to divide the county into three, hoping South Glamorgan would become a Conservative-controlled administration.Capital Cardiff 1975–2020, "Chapter 3: Governing Cardiff: politics, power and personalities", p. 32
South Glamorgan County Council was abolished in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. Its functions passed to the two district councils of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan, which became unitary authorities.
Political control The first election to the county 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. Despite the intentions of the Conservatives who created South Glamorgan, the Labour Party gained a majority of the seats on the council at the first election. Labour held the council from 1974 to 1977 and from 1981 to 1996, with the Conservatives holding power for the four intervening years. (Put "South Glamorgan" in search box to see specific results.)
Party in controlYears 1974–1977 1977–1981 1981–1996
Leadership The leaders of the council included: Councillor Party From To Jack Brooks 1974 1977 Hugh Ferguson Jones 1977 15 Jun 1979 Bob Morgan 1981 May 1986 Jack Brooks May 1986 May 1992 Russell Goodway May 1992 31 Mar 1996
Emyr Currie-Jones was the initial Chairman of the Council from 1973 until 1975.
Elections Elections were held every four years: YearSeatsLabourConservativeLiberal DemocratsPlaid CymruOthersNotes1973 80 42 36 0 0 2 1977 80 15 64 0 0 1 1981 80 41 35 3 1 0 1985 62 34 18 9 1 0 New division boundaries.1989 62 40 13 6 1 2 1993 62 40 12 8 1 1
Premises The county council was initially headquartered in a building on Newport Road, Cardiff."Jack Brooks", South Wales Echo, 25 February 2005. Retrieved 2013-05-04. In 1986 the council moved to a purpose-built County Hall at Atlantic Wharf in Cardiff. Since the county council's abolition in 1996, County Hall has been used as offices by Cardiff Council.
See also :Category:Members of South Glamorgan County Council
Sources Alan Hooper; John Punter (Eds.) Capital Cardiff 1975–2020: Regeneration, Competitiveness and the Urban Environment. University of Wales Press (2006), .
Footnotes