Cardiff Council

The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff (Welsh: Cyngor Sir Dinas a Sir Caerdydd)[1] has been the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales, since 1996. The council consists of 75 councillors, representing 29 electoral wards. The authority is properly styled as 'the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff' or in common use Cardiff Council.[2] No other style is sanctioned for use on Council Documents although it does occasionally appear wrongly as Cardiff County Council on documents and signage. The City & County itself is usually simply referred to as Cardiff.

Cardiff Council

Cyngor Caerdydd
Council coat of arms
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1996 (1996-04-01)
Preceded by
Leadership
Lord Mayor
Daniel De'Ath, Welsh Labour
since 2019
Leader
Huw Thomas, Welsh Labour
since 2017
Deputy Leader
Sarah Merry, Welsh Labour
Structure
Seats75
Political groups
  •   Welsh Labour (38)
  •   Welsh Conservatives (21)
  •   Welsh Lib Dems (11)
  •   Propel (4)
Length of term
4 years
Elections
First past the post
First election
1995 Cardiff Council election
Last election
2017 Cardiff Council election
Next election
2022 Cardiff Council election
Meeting place
County Hall, Cardiff
Website
www.cardiff.gov.uk

After the 2004 election, which changed the control of the council from Labour to No Overall Control, the Liberal Democrats formed a minority administration, led by Cllr Rodney Berman. The Liberal Democrats remained the largest party following the 2008 local election, and formed an administration with Plaid Cymru.

In 2012, the Labour Party took overall control of Cardiff council, and remained in overall control following the 2017 elections.

Political makeup

Elections to Cardiff Council take place every four years. The last election was 4 May 2017. The 2021 elections have been postponed to 2022 to avoid a clash with the 2021 Welsh Parliament election.

Current composition

Group affiliation Members
Labour 38
Welsh Conservatives 21
Liberal Democrats 11
Welsh Nation Party 4
  Heath & Birchgrove Independents
1
 Total
75
Source:[3]

Historic results

Council Leaders

Term of OfficeLeader[4]Party
1995-2004 Russell Goodway Welsh Labour
2004-2012 Rodney Berman Liberal Democrat
2012-2014 Heather Joyce Welsh Labour
2014-2017 Phil Bale Welsh Labour
2017 Huw Thomas Welsh Labour

At the age of 31, Huw Thomas became Wales' youngest council leader when he was elected in May 2017.[5]

Seat totals

Lab Lib Dem Con Plaid Ind
1995619110
19995018511
200427331230
200813351773
20124616724
201740112031

The council was run by a Labour majority administration between 1995 and 2004. The Liberal Democrats ran a minority administration from 2004 to 2008, in coalition with Plaid Cymru.[6]

Following the 2008 local elections in Cardiff there was still no party with an overall majority. The Lib Dems increased their total number of councillors to 35, forming an administration with Plaid Cymru, with Rodney Berman as leader of the Council. The Conservatives replaced Labour as the official opposition. Labour suffered badly, losing 14 councillors. Plaid Cymru gained four councillors. Three independent councillors were elected; two former Conservatives who had left the group in 2006 being joined by an additional member.

In 2012 Labour regained control of the council and remained in control following the 2017 elections.

History

Municipal life in Cardiff dates back to the 12th century, when Cardiff was granted borough status by the Earls of Gloucester. The offices of the mayor, aldermen, and common councillors developed during the Middle Ages.

Following The Local Government Act 1888 Cardiff was one of three Welsh towns granted county borough status, in addition to 13 Welsh county councils.[7] In 1905, Cardiff became a city, and the borough council became a city council.

The City of Cardiff is the county town of Glamorgan. However, prior to 1974, Cardiff was a county borough in its own right and not subject to Glamorgan County Council. Council reorganisation in 1974 paired Cardiff City Council and the Vale of Glamorgan Borough Council together as district councils subject to the new county of South Glamorgan.

Further local government restructuring in 1996 to better reflect local identities resulted in Cardiff City's district council becoming a unitary authority – the present Cardiff Council. South Glamorgan County Council had wanted a new 'greater Cardiff' authority to reflect the boundaries of South Glamorgan but the Conservative government of the time decided to separate the Vale of Glamorgan, which covered a marginal Conservative parliamentary seat.[8]

Mayoralty

The first mayor of Cardiff is listed by the County Borough Records as Ralph "Prepositus de Kardi" who took up office in 1126. In 1835, Thomas Revel Guest became the first elected mayor of Cardiff when the first council elections were held. When Cardiff was granted city status in 1905 Cardiff's First Citizen became lord mayor. Robert Hughes, the mayor in 1904, was re-elected to become Cardiff's first lord mayor in the following year. The lord mayor was granted the right to the style "The Right Honourable". The lord mayor now bears the style "The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Cardiff".[9]

In 1999 a new system was introduced whereby the leader of the council could also serve as mayor for the duration of the council without re-election. This led to Russell Goodway serving as both council leader and mayor from 1999 to 2003. From 2004 the mayoralty reverted to a separate role, elected annually.[10]

Since 1999 the post has been held by the following councillors:

Municipal YearLord MayorDeputy Lord Mayor
2019–2020 Daniel De'Ath (Lab) [11] Jacqueline Parry (Lab) [12]
2018–2019 Bob Derbyshire (Lab) Daniel De'Ath (Lab)
2012(Sep)–2013Derrick Morgan (Lab)Keith Jones (Lab)
2012(May)–2012(Sep)Cerys Furlong (Lab)**
2011–2012Delme Bowen (Plaid)Jayne Cowan (Ind)
2010–2011Keith Hyde (Lib Dem)Dianne Rees (Con)
2009–2010Brian Griffiths (Con)Keith Hyde (Lib Dem)
2008–2009Kate Lloyd (Lib Dem)Jaswant Singh (Plaid)
2007–2008Gill Bird (Lab)Brian Griffiths (Con)
2006–2007Gareth Neale (Con)Kate Lloyd (Lib Dem)
2005–2006Freda Salway (Lib Dem)Monica Walsh (Lab)
2004–2005Jacqui Gasson (Lib Dem)Delme Bowen (Plaid)
2003–2004Gordon Houlston (Lab)
2002–2003Russell Goodway (Lab)
2001–2002Russell Goodway (Lab)
2000–2001Russell Goodway (Lab)
1999–2000Russell Goodway (Lab)

** Following the council elections in May 2012, the position of lord mayor was unfilled, while the new Labour council attempted to split the responsibilities of the mayor between two councillors. Cllr Cerys Furlong filled the traditional mayoral roles from 17 May, as chair of the council during this period. The new mayor, Derrick Morgan, took office on 27 September after Furlong resigned her chair post when it became clear the split role proposition was losing support.[13]

Electoral wards

Electoral ward map of Cardiff

The unitary authority area is divided into 29 electoral wards. Most of these wards are coterminous with communities of the same name. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with an asterisk.

Ward Communities Other geographic areas
1 Adamsdown Adamsdown Cardiff city centre, Roath
2 Butetown Butetown Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff city centre, Tiger Bay
3 Caerau Caerau Cyntwell, Culverhouse Cross
4 Canton Canton Cardiff city centre, Leckwith, Victoria Park
5 Cathays Cathays and Castle Blackweir, Cardiff city centre, Cathays, Cathays Park, Maindy
6 Creigiau & St. Fagans Pentyrch* (part: Creigiau ward) and St Fagans* Coedbychan, Capel Llanilltern, Rhydlafar
7 Cyncoed Cyncoed Roath Park, Lakeside
8 Ely Ely Culverhouse Cross, Michaelston-super-Ely
9 Fairwater Fairwater Pentrebane
10 Gabalfa Gabalfa Mynachdy, Maindy, Heath
11 Grangetown Grangetown Cardiff Bay, Cardiff city centre, Saltmead, International Sports Village
12 Heath Heath Birchgrove
13 Lisvane Lisvane*
14 Llandaff Llandaff Danescourt
15 Llandaff North Llandaff North Hailey Park, Lydstep Park, Mynachdy, Gabalfa
16 Llanishen Llanishen and Thornhill
17 Llanrumney Llanrumney
18 Pentwyn Pentwyn and Llanedeyrn (since 2016)
19 Pentyrch Pentyrch* (part: Gwaelod-y-Garth and Pentyrch wards) Gwaelod-y-Garth
20 Penylan Penylan
21 Plasnewydd Roath part of Cardiff city centre
22 Pontprennau & Old St. Mellons Old St. Mellons* and Pontprennau Llanedeyrn Village
23 Radyr Radyr & Morganstown* Morganstown, Radyr
24 Rhiwbina Rhiwbina Pantmawr, Rhydwaedlyd, Wenallt
25 Riverside Riverside and Pontcanna part of Cardiff city centre, Llandaff Fields, Sophia Gardens
26 Rumney Rumney
27 Splott Splott and Tremorfa Pengam Green
28 Trowbridge Trowbridge St Mellons estate, Cefn Mably, Wentloog
29 Whitchurch & Tongwynlais Tongwynlais* and Whitchurch Blaengwynlais, Bwlch-y-cwm, Coedcefngarw, Coryton, Cwmnofydd, Graig-goch, Llandaff North

See also

References

  1. "Cyfansoddiad Cyngor Caerdydd" (PDF). Cardiff Council website.
  2. Council Constitution Archived 9 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  3. "Councillors by political party". City of Cardiff Council. Retrieved 16 April 2020.
  4. Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 2)
  5. Ruth Mosalski (8 May 2017). "Cardiff Labour group picks Huw Thomas as its new leader". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  6. "ELECTION 2012: 'Plaid Cymru are community activists, not politicians' – Neil McEvoy". yourCardiff. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  7. "Wales Factfile - Welsh Democracy" (PDF). Institute of Welsh Affairs. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  8. Alan Hooper; John Punter (Eds.) Capital Cardiff 1975–2020: Regeneration, Competitiveness and the Urban Environment, page 34. University of Wales Press (2006), ISBN 0-7083-2063-5.
  9. "Lord Mayor – A History". Cardiff Council. Retrieved 18 August 2007.
  10. "(List of) Lord Mayors of Cardiff". Cardiff Council. Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  11. https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/Your-Council/Lord-Mayor/The-Lord-Mayor/Pages/LordMayor.aspx
  12. https://www.cardiff.gov.uk/ENG/Your-Council/Lord-Mayor/Deputy-Lord-Mayor/Pages/default.aspx
  13. Law, Peter (20 September 2012). "Cardiff to get Lord Mayor again after Labour council U-turn". WalesOnline. Retrieved 29 April 2013.
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