History of local government in Wales
Encyclopedia
The history of local government Wales in a recognisably modern form emerged during the late 19th century.

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
Local Government Act 1888
The Local Government Act 1888 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which established county councils and county borough councils in England and Wales...

 (51 & 52 Vict, c. 41) based on the historic counties of Wales, but they were not entirely identical.

Administrative Counties

The table shows the area and population of administrative counties in Wales and Monmouthshire as recorded at the censuses of 1891 and 1961.
Administrative county Area 1891

(Statute acres)
Population 1891 Area 1961

(Statute acres)
Population 1961
Anglesey 175,836 50,098 176,694 51,705
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire
Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...

469,894 51,393 469,281 55,185
Cardiganshire
Ceredigion
Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...

443,071 63,467 443,189 53,648
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire
Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...

587,816 130,566 588,271 168,008
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire
Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....

(1)
360,138 117,233 364,108 121,767
Denbighshire
Denbighshire (historic)
Historic Denbighshire is one of thirteen traditional counties in Wales, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which covers an area in north east Wales...

424,235 118,843 427,978 174,151
Flintshire
Flintshire (historic)
Flintshire , also known as the County of Flint, is one of thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county, which mostly lies on the north east coast of Wales....

164,051 77,277 163,707 150,082
Glamorgan
Glamorgan
Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...

505,815 467,954 468,808 523,253
Merionethshire
Merionethshire
Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...

427,810 49,212 422,372 38,310
Monmouthshire
Monmouthshire (historic)
Monmouthshire , also known as the County of Monmouth , is one of thirteen ancient counties of Wales and a former administrative county....

(2)
342,548 203,347 346,779 336,556
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire
Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...

510,111 58,003 510,110 41,165
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire
Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....

392,710 88,296 393,008 94,124
Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...

301,164 21,791 301,165 18,471

(1)Renamed from Carnarvonshire, July 1, 1926

(2)Monmouthshire's status as a county of Wales was ambiguous until 1974.

County Boroughs

There were also a number of administratively independent county borough
County borough
County borough is a term introduced in 1889 in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , to refer to a borough or a city independent of county council control. They were abolished by the Local Government Act 1972 in England and Wales, but continue in use for lieutenancy and shrievalty in...

s:
  • Cardiff
    Cardiff
    Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

     created in 1889 (associated with Glamorgan)
  • Swansea
    Swansea
    Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

    , created in 1889 (associated with Glamorgan)
  • Newport
    Newport
    Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...

    , separated from Monmouthshire in 1891
  • Merthyr Tydfil
    Merthyr Tydfil
    Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

    , separated from Glamorgan in 1908

County borough Area 1911
(Statute acres)
Population 1911 Area 1961
(Statute acres)
Population 1961
Cardiff
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

6,373 182,259 15,085 256,582
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

17,761 80,990 17,760 59,039
Newport
Newport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...

4,504 83,691 7,691 112,298
Swansea
Swansea
Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...

5,202 114,663 21,600 167,322

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
Local Government Act 1972
The Local Government Act 1972 is an Act of Parliament in the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974....

 (1972 c. 70). These counties were sub-divided into lower-tier districts.

The counties were all given names in Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

 only, apart from the three in Glamorgan, which had English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 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.

When these two-tier counties were abolished in 1996, their names and areas were retained with slight modifications for some purposes such as Lieutenancy, and became known as the preserved counties of Wales
Preserved counties of Wales
The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.-Usage:The Local Government ...

. These were further amended in 2003 by S.I. 2003/974 to ensure that each unitary area is wholly within one preserved county.

Counties



  1. Gwent
    Gwent (county)
    Gwent is a preserved county and a former local government county in south-east Wales. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was named after the ancient Kingdom of Gwent....

  2. South Glamorgan
    South Glamorgan
    South Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales.It was originally formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a county council area...


    (De Morgannwg)
  3. Mid Glamorgan
    Mid Glamorgan
    Mid Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996, it was also an administrative county, with a county council.Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...


    (Morgannwg Ganol)
  4. West Glamorgan
    West Glamorgan
    West Glamorgan is a preserved county and former administrative county of Wales, one of the divisions of the ancient county of Glamorgan.West Glamorgan was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the county borough of Swansea, the municipal boroughs of Neath and Port Talbot,...


    (Gorllewin Morgannwg)
  5. Dyfed
    Dyfed
    Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...

  6. Powys
    Powys
    Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...

  7. Gwynedd
    Gwynedd
    Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...

  8. Clwyd
    Clwyd
    Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...



Districts

The counties were sub-divided into districts, these were:
  • Clwyd
    Clwyd
    Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...

     — Alyn and Deeside
    Alyn and Deeside (district)
    Alyn and Deeside was one of six districts of the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales from 1974 to 1996. There is still a parliamentary constituency of the same name....

    , Colwyn
    Colwyn
    The Borough of Colwyn was one of six districts of the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from the following parts of the administrative county of Denbighshire:...

    , Delyn
    Delyn (district)
    Delyn is an area in north Wales. From 1974 to 1996 it was a district of Clwyd, but is now included in the county of Flintshire. Delyn is twinned with Menden, Germany....

    , Glyndwr
    Glyndwr
    Glyndŵr was one of six districts of Clwyd between 1974 and 1996.It was formed on April 1, 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, from parts of the administrative counties of Denbighshire and Merionethshire....

    , Rhuddlan
    Rhuddlan (district)
    The Borough of Rhuddlan was one of six districts of the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from part of the administrative county of Flintshire, namely the urban districts of Prestatyn and Rhyl and St Asaph Rural District.The...

    , Wrexham Maelor
    Wrexham Maelor
    Wrexham Maelor was one of six local government districts of the county of Clwyd, north-east Wales, from 1974 to 1996.It was formed from parts of the administrative counties of Denbighshire and Flintshire....

  • Dyfed
    Dyfed
    Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...

     — Carmarthen
    Carmarthen (district)
    Carmarthen was one of six local government districts of the county of Dyfed, west Wales, from 1974 to 1996. It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from the following parts of the administrative county of Carmarthenshire:...

    , Ceredigion
    Ceredigion
    Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...

    , Dinefwr
    Dinefwr
    Dinefwr was a local government district of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was named after Dinefwr Castle which was the royal capital of the Principality of Deheubarth and one of the three principal royal courts of Wales....

    , Llanelli
    Llanelli (district)
    The Borough of Llanelli was one of thirty-seven local government districts in Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was the smallest of six districts in the newly-created county of Dyfed, and was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 by a merger of the municipal boroughs of Llanelli and Kidwelly, Burry...

    , Preseli Pembrokeshire
    Preseli Pembrokeshire
    Preseli Pembrokeshire was one of six local government districts of Dyfed in West Wales from 1974 to 1996. Until 1987 the name of the district was Preseli...

     (named Preseli until 1987), South Pembrokeshire
    South Pembrokeshire
    South Pembrokeshire was one of six local government districts of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996.It was formed on April 1, 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, from the following parts of the administrative county of Pembrokeshire:...

  • Gwent
    Gwent (county)
    Gwent is a preserved county and a former local government county in south-east Wales. It was formed on 1 April 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972, and was named after the ancient Kingdom of Gwent....

     — Blaenau Gwent
    Blaenau Gwent
    Blaenau Gwent is a county borough in South Wales, sharing its name with a parliamentary constituency. It borders the unitary authority areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen to the east, Caerphilly to the west and Powys to the north. Its main towns are Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and...

    , Islwyn
    Islwyn
    The Borough of Islwyn was one of five local government districts of Gwent from 1983 to 2011.The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from part of the administrative county of Monmouthshire, namely the urban districts of Abercarn, Mynyddislwyn and Risca, and the Bedwellty urban...

    , Monmouth
    Monmouth (district)
    The Monmouth district was one of five districts of Gwent in Wales between 1974 and 1996. In 1988 the district was granted a charter conferring borough status, becoming the Borough of Monmouth .The district was created by the Local Government Act 1972 from the following parts of the...

    , Newport
    Newport (district)
    The Newport district was one of the five local government districts of Gwent from 1974 to 1996. The district comprised the county borough of Newport and several surrounding parishes...

    , Torfaen
    Torfaen
    Torfaen is a county borough in Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It was originally formed in 1974 as a district of the county of Gwent and in 1996 it was reconstituted as a unitary authority.-Education:...

  • Gwynedd
    Gwynedd
    Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...

     — Aberconwy
    Aberconwy (district)
    The Borough of Aberconwy was one of five districts of Gwynedd, north-west Wales, from 1974 to 1996.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972, on April 1, 1974 from parts of the administrative counties of Caernarfonshire and Denbighshire....

    , Arfon
    Arfon
    Arfon was one of five districts of Gwynedd, Wales, from 1974 to 1996.It was created by the Local Government Act 1972 on 1 April 1974 from part of the administrative county of Caernarfonshire, namely the municipal boroughs of Bangor and Caernarfon, the Bethesda urban district, the rural districts...

    , Dwyfor
    Dwyfor
    Dwyfor was one of the five local government districts of Gwynedd, Wales from 1974 to 1996, covering the Llŷn peninsula. Its council was based in Pwllheli....

    , Meirionnydd
    Meirionnydd
    Meirionnydd is a coastal and mountainous region of Wales. It has been a kingdom, a cantref, a district and, as Merionethshire, a county.-Kingdom:...

    , Anglesey
    Anglesey
    Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...

  • Mid Glamorgan
    Mid Glamorgan
    Mid Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996, it was also an administrative county, with a county council.Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...

     — Cynon Valley
    Cynon Valley
    The Cynon Valley , is a famous former coal mining valley within the South Wales Valleys of Wales. The Cynon Valley lies between the other mining Valley of Rhondda and the iron industrial Valley of the Merthyr Valley. Its main towns are Aberdare located North of the Valley and Mountain Ash located...

    , Ogwr
    Ogwr
    The Borough of Ogwr was one of six districts of Mid Glamorgan in Wales, which existed from 1974 to 1996.It was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 from the urban districts of Bridgend, Maesteg, Ogmore and Garw and Porthcawl, along with Penybont Rural District from the administrative county...

    , Merthyr Tydfil
    Merthyr Tydfil
    Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...

    , Rhondda
    Rhondda (district)
    Rhondda was a local government district based around the geographical area of the Rhondda Valley, south Wales.The district was initially created as Ystradyfodwg Local Government District from parts of Ystradyfodwg, Llanwonno and Llantrisant parishes, Glamorgan, in 1877, when the Local Government...

    , Rhymney Valley
    Rhymney Valley (district)
    Rhymney Valley was one of six local government districts in Mid Glamorgan from 1974 to 1996.The district was formed from areas in the administrative counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire...

    , Taff–Ely
    Taff-Ely
    Taff-Ely was a local government district in Wales from 1974 to 1996.It was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, by a merger of the urban district of Pontypridd, along with Llantrisant and Llantwit Farde Rural District, the Taff's Well ward of Caerphilly urban district, the...

  • Powys
    Powys
    Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...

     — Brecknock
    Brecknock (borough)
    The Borough of Brecknock was one of the three local government districts of the county of Powys, Wales from 1974 to 1996. The district comprised the majority of the historic county of Brecknockshire....

    , Montgomery
    Montgomeryshire (district)
    Montgomeryshire was, from 1974 to 1996, one of three districts of the county of Powys, Wales. The district had an identical area to the previous administrative county of Montgomeryshire....

    , Radnor
    Radnorshire (district)
    Radnorshire was one of three districts of the county of Powys, Wales, from 1974 - 1996. The district had an identical area to the previous administrative county of Radnorshire....

  • South Glamorgan
    South Glamorgan
    South Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales.It was originally formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a county council area...

     — Cardiff
    Cardiff
    Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

    , Vale of Glamorgan
    Vale of Glamorgan
    The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...

  • West Glamorgan
    West Glamorgan
    West Glamorgan is a preserved county and former administrative county of Wales, one of the divisions of the ancient county of Glamorgan.West Glamorgan was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the county borough of Swansea, the municipal boroughs of Neath and Port Talbot,...

     — Lliw Valley
    Lliw Valley
    The Borough of Lliw Valley was one of the four local government districts of West Glamorgan, Wales from 1974 to 1996...

    , Neath
    Neath (district)
    Neath was one of the four local government districts of West Glamorgan, Wales from 1974 to 1996. It was formed from the municipal borough of Neath, along with all of Neath Rural District apart from Rhigos parish, which went to Cynon Valley district....

    , Port Talbot
    Port Talbot (district)
    Port Talbot was one of the four local government districts of the county of West Glamorgan, Wales from 1974 to 1996.The district was formed as Afan on 1 April 1974 as part of a general reorganisation of local government in England and Wales under the Local Government Act 1972...

     (named Afan until 1986), Swansea
    Swansea
    Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...


1996

The redistribution of these districts into the current unitary authorities is as follows:
Unitary authorityPrevious districts
Blaenau Gwent most of Blaenau Gwent
Bridgend most of Ogwr
Caerphilly Islwyn, Rhymney Valley
Carmarthenshire Carmarthen, Llanelli, Dinefwr
Cardiff Cardiff, part of Taff–Ely
Ceredigion Ceredigion
Conwy Aberconwy, most of Colwyn
Denbighshire Rhuddlan, parts of Glyndwr and Colwyn
Flintshire Alyn and Deeside, Delyn
Gwynedd Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirionnydd
Isle of Anglesey Anglesey
Merthyr Tydfil Merthyr Tydfil
Monmouthshire Monmouth, part of Blaenau Gwent
Neath Port Talbot Neath, Port Talbot, parts of Lliw Valley
Newport Newport
Pembrokeshire Preseli Pembrokeshire, South Pembrokeshire
Powys Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Brecknock, part of Glyndwr
Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda, Cynon Valley, most of Taff-Ely
Swansea Swansea, parts of Lliw Valley
Torfaen Torfaen
Vale of Glamorgan most of Vale of Glamorgan
Wrexham most of Wrexham, parts of Glyndwr
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