Charles III
26-463: Blaengwrach ( / b l aɪ n ˈ ɡ r ɑː x / blyne- GRAHKH , Welsh: [ˌblainˈɡwraːχ] ) is a community near Glynneath and Resolven in the county borough of Neath Port Talbot , Wales. It is also the name of an electoral ward of Neath Port Talbot county borough , which is a larger area than the Community. The principal settlement is Cwmgwrach, a village on the south side of
52-477: A group of independent councillors agreed to share power. The county borough and its council were created on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 . The borough covered the combined area of the two former districts of Port Talbot and Neath , as well as a smaller area from Lliw Valley (the majority of which went to Swansea ). The new council also took over county-level responsibilities in
78-642: Is a division of land in Wales that forms the lowest tier of local government in Wales . Welsh communities are analogous to civil parishes in England but, unlike English parishes, communities cover the whole of Wales. There are 878 communities in Wales. Until 1974 Wales was divided into civil parishes . These were abolished by section 20 (6) of the Local Government Act 1972 , and replaced by communities by section 27 of
104-507: The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 and the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 . Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (or simply Neath Port Talbot Council ) is the local authority for the county borough of Neath Port Talbot , one of the 22 principal areas of Wales . The council was controlled by the Labour Party from its creation in 1996 until 2022, when Plaid Cymru and
130-580: The River Neath , and up the lower slopes of the hillside around the Nant Gwrach stream. The ward had a population of 1,985 in the 2001 census, but 837 were residents of the neighbouring community of Glynneath , so the population of the Blaengwrach community was 1,148. The ward population changed very little at the census of 2011. The settlement of Blaengwrach is sometimes confused with the village of Cwmgwrach,
156-475: The Crown . In Wales, all town councils are community councils. There are now three communities with city status: Bangor , St Asaph and St Davids . The chair of a town council or city council will usually have the title mayor (Welsh: maer ). However, not every community has a council. In communities with populations too small to sustain a full community council, community meetings may be established. The communities in
182-640: The Liberal Democrats and the Green councillor as the "Coedffranc Liberal & Green" group. The next election is due in 2027. Elections take place every five years, electing sixty councillors. The last election was 5 May 2022. Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column. The council's main offices are at the Civic Centre in Port Talbot, which had been built in 1987 for
208-447: The Neath valley, of which the eastern end is called Blaengwrach, which sometimes causes confusion. Blaengwrach Community is a predominantly upland area, and contains the highest points of three local hills or mountains , namely Mynydd Resolfen (383m/1257 ft) and the more prominent Mynydd Pen-y-Cae (573m/1880 ft) and Craig-y-Llyn (600m/1970 ft), both of which have views of
234-655: The Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS ( C ) Shadow Cabinet ( current ) Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP ( L ) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) Principal councils ( leader list ) Corporate Joint Committees Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections (1979–2020) Local elections Police and crime commissioner elections Referendums A community ( Welsh : cymuned )
260-483: The access along the Neath valley. Blaengwrach is in the parliamentary constituency of Neath . For elections to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council , Blaengarwch is covered by the 'Blaengarwch and Glynneath West' electoral ward , which also covers the west part of the Glynneath community (though not the village of Glynneath). The ward elects one councillor. The former ward of Blaengwrach included part or all of
286-480: The area from the abolished West Glamorgan County Council . The 1994 Act originally specified that the borough should be called "Neath and Port Talbot". The new authority was elected in 1995, but acted as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing county and district councils until the new arrangements took effect the following year. During that time, the shadow authority requested a change of name from "Neath and Port Talbot" to "Neath Port Talbot". The government confirmed
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#1732856115752312-402: The change with effect from 2 April 1996, one day after the new council came into being. The first election to the new council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been held by the following parties: The leaders of the council since 1996 have been: Since the 2022 election,
338-483: The coalmines, but now contains one shop, a single pub and a rugby union club, Cwmgwrach RFC . Other community facilities include Blaengwrach Primary School, St Mary's Church in Wales, the 13th Afannedd (Cwmgwrach) Scout group, and the Welfare Hall. For wider services the village is largely dependent upon Glynneath. On the western edge of Cwmgwrach are the ruins of Venallt Ironworks constructed around 1839-42. Iron
364-745: The community boundaries within their area every fifteen years. The councils propose changes to the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales , which prepares a report and makes recommendations to the Welsh Government . If the Welsh Government accepts the recommendations, then it implements them using a statutory instrument . For example, in 2016 four new communities were created in the City and County of Cardiff . The legislation surrounding community councils in Wales has been amended significantly in
390-457: The council has been under no overall control . On 23 May 2022, it was announced that a coalition between the Plaid Cymru and Independent groups would lead the council. The Liberal Democrats and Green Party members would support the coalition via a confidence and supply agreement. Independent councillor Steve Hunt became the new leader of council, with Plaid Cymru councillor Alun Llewelyn as
416-522: The former Port Talbot Borough Council. Other offices are located at the New Neath Civic Centre, and The Quays in Baglan Bay . When created in 1996, the council also inherited the former Neath Civic Centre, which was subsequently demolished in 2008 to make way for a retail development. Following a 2021 local government boundary review, the number of electoral wards dropped from 42 to 34, with
442-479: The name that is used for both the village as a whole, and the western settlement. Traditionally, the stream is the dividing line. The Community Council describe Cwmgwrach, as being a village that 'is actually a combination of Blaengwrach and Cwmgwrach'. A history of the village ( Cwmgwrach: Valley of the Witch ) was written by Ian Currie, published in 2000. The village itself was once an active commercial centre, servicing
468-464: The new deputy leader. The new leadership was formally confirmed at the annual council meeting on 7 June 2022. The next election is due in 2027. Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was: As of July 2024, eighteen of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group", which forms the council's administration with Plaid Cymru. The other sits with
494-465: The number of elected councillors reducing from 64 to 60, effective from the 2022 local elections . Prior to this, the county borough was divided into 42 wards, listed below, returning a total of 64 councillors. Some of these wards are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name. There are 19 community councils in the county borough area. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with
520-487: The same Act. The principal areas of Wales are divided entirely into communities. Unlike in England, where unparished areas exist, no part of Wales is outside a community, even in urban areas . Most, but not all, communities are administered by community councils , which are equivalent to English parish councils in terms of their powers and the way they operate. Welsh community councils may call themselves town councils unilaterally and may have city status granted by
546-551: The urban areas of the cities of Cardiff , Swansea and Newport do not have community councils. As of the 2001 United Kingdom census , there were 869 communities in Wales. 84 percent, or more than 730, have a council. They vary in size from Rhayader with an area of 13,945 hectares (34,460 acres) to Cefn Fforest with an area of 64 hectares (160 acres). They ranged in population from Barry with 45,053 recorded inhabitants to Baglan Bay with no permanent residents. The twenty-two principal area councils are required to review
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#1732856115752572-519: The valley below and the Brecon Beacons in the distance. Craig-y-Llyn is the highest point in the old county of Glamorgan , and is home to a nature reserve containing Llyn Fach and a Site of Special Scientific Interest . West of the summit is Foel Chwern round cairn . The villages of Cwmgwrach and Blaengwrach are on the upper reaches of the Neath Valley, and occupy the strip of lowland south of
598-469: The villages of Blaengwrach and Cwmgwrach, as well as Glynneath town. In the 2017 local council elections , the Blaengwrach results were: In the 2012 local council elections , the electorate turnout was 42.28%. The Blaengwrach results were: In 2014, a film called 'Valley of the Witch', was released, set in Cwmgwrach, and with substantial on location filming. A low-budget indie horror/witchcraft film, it
624-579: Was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel to carry coal to Swansea docks, and is still used for freight trains transporting coal from the Unity open cast mine at the north-east edge of the village. In 1996 the single-carriageway road along the length of the Neath valley was replaced with a major dual-carriageway, carrying the A465 trunk road from Llandarcy (near Neath) to Hirwaun in Rhondda Cynon Taf , which transformed
650-437: Was smelted here using anthracite coal using the recently developed hot blast method until the closure of the works in 1854. Most of the remains on land owned by Natural Resources Wales are now a scheduled monument and open to the public. The Neath and Tennant Canal once reached to Glyn-neath, and has been restored to provide over four miles of walkable towpath between Resolven and Glynneath . The Vale of Neath Railway
676-641: Was written and directed by Andrew Jones, and released to DVD in 2015 under the title 'Conjuring the Dead'. Community (Wales) Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales First Minister ( list ) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS ( L ) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS ( L ) Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS ( PC ) Leader of
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