Charles III
31-590: Pelenna is a community (civil parish) in Neath Port Talbot , Wales . It largely covers the valleys of the rivers Pelenna and the Blaenpelenna, to the east of the town of Neath . The community includes the villages of Efail-fach , Tonmawr and Pontrhydyfen . According to the 2011 UK Census, the population of the Pelenna was 1,152. The area has a history of mining for coal and iron, though this largely ceased in
62-575: A county or a county borough ) in Wales, with the current configuration established in the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 , enacted on 1 April 1996, while the framework was established earlier in the Local Government Act 1972 . Like community councils, they are composed of councillors. Councils are required by law to hold annual general meetings, including after their election. In this meeting
93-415: A "town council" if it so wishes. The councils of three communities with city status – Bangor, St Asaph, and St Davids – are known as "city councils". Communities which are too small to have a council may have a community meeting instead: an example of direct democracy . The communities in the urban areas of the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport do not have community councils. Every part of Wales
124-425: A majority of councillors. All principal councils in Wales have an executive leader and cabinet, although directly-elected mayor model can be adopted by a council if there is public support through a referendum. Some decisions are required by law to be voted on by the entire council, such as the council budget and the amount of council tax. Most committees must be "politically balanced", proportionally representative of
155-532: 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
186-497: Is a statutory board established in each principal area, as part of the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 . However, some PSB have merged to span multiple principal areas. Their main purpose is to improve the collaboration across the public services in a principal area. There are four members of each board that are required by law, being members from the local authority, local health board , Natural Resources Wales and
217-551: Is covered by a community. There are 878 communities in Wales, however only 734 communities have a community council (also styled as a "town council" for some communities). The current configuration of communities was established in the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 , while the framework was established earlier in the Local Government Act 1972 . Like principal councils, they are made up of councillors. Before 1974, Wales had civil parishes , like in England, until they were replaced with communities. The communities initially followed
248-546: Is primarily undertaken by the twenty-two principal councils . The councils are unitary authorities , meaning they are responsible for providing local government services within their principal area , including education, social work, environmental protection, and most highway maintenance. The principal areas are divided into communities , most of which have an elected community council . The services provided by community councils vary, but they will typically maintain public spaces and facilities. Local councils in Wales are elected;
279-488: The Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales . Some wards may be representated by more than one member, and therefore are called "multi-member" wards. Councils can choose between running their elections with the first-past-the-post voting (FPTP) system or the single transferable vote (STV) system. First-past-the-post has been used as the sole voting system to elect councils in Wales since their establishment in
310-684: The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 and the Local Government (Wales) Measure 2011 . Local government in Wales Charles III 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
341-522: The Social Services and Well-being (Wales) Act 2014 . They are made up of members of health boards, local authorities and the third sector. This can include a member of the local health board, a carer, a member of the public, a registered social landlord, a third-sector worker for a local authority or health board, and members of the local authority, such as one elected member, the Director of Social Services,
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#1733092571026372-1103: The partnership economic areas established by the same councils as part of city deals and growth deals , which they were later given the responsibility to oversee. City deals have been agreed for the Cardiff Capital Region and Swansea Bay City Region , which cover south-east and south-west Wales respectively, and growth deals have been agreed for Mid Wales ( Growing Mid Wales ) and North Wales ( Ambition North Wales ). In Wales, there are various strategic partnerships comprising members of multiple public services, such as local authorities, health board, fire and rescue authorities, national park authorities, and town and community councils. Other regional partnerships include regional economic boards (for city/growth deals or Ambition boards), Regional Partnership Boards, Adults' and Children's Safeguarding Partnerships, Community Safety Partnerships, Public Service Boards, Regional Housing Support Collaborative Groups and Area Planning Boards (relating to substance misuse). Public services board (PSB)
403-908: The 1960s. The River Pelenna eventually flows into the River Afan at Pontrhydyfen. At the lowest tier of local government, Pelenna has a community council comprising 11 councillors. For elections to Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council , Pelenna has been part of the electoral ward of 'Cimla and Pelenna' which includes the neighbouring village of Cimla . The ward elects one county borough councillor. 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
434-475: 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
465-645: 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 Local government in Wales
496-582: 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 )
527-602: The Welsh Government. The fire authorities' powers and duties were set out in the Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 (part 2), with their core responsibilities being to: There are three national park authorities across Wales, covering the country's three national parks . They are Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority (Brecon Beacons), Eryri National Park Authority (Snowdonia) and Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority . These are considered to be "local government" by
558-464: The Welsh Government. The national park authorities' responsibilities are: There are various forms of strategic partnerships covering regions of Wales , which bring together members of various public services. These include members of the principal councils, national park authorities, fire authorities, health boards, and town and community councils. As well as Corporate Joint Committees . The Local Government and Elections (Wales) Act 2021 allowed for
589-491: The boundaries of the civil parishes they replaced. Council elections in Wales are held every five years. Councils are not allowed to have more regular elections where a third of their members are elected instead. By elections can occur for councils if a seat is made vacant, such as following resignation, however by-elections cannot be held within 6 months of a council-wide election. Each council, both principal and community, are divided into electoral wards, which are decided by
620-629: 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
651-423: The council's chair or presiding member would be elected. Some councils also elect an individual to perform civic and ceremonial duties, usually known as a mayor and deputy mayor, with some styled as lord mayor . Council decisions may be taken by the entire council, some legally defined committees (e.g. scrutiny, audit, licensing, planning and governance committees), or by the council's executive, largely made up of
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#1733092571026682-455: The council's political make up. Councils in Wales cannot operate a "committee" system as done in England. All principal councils have to prepare and agree on a council constitution by law. It would also have to be kept up to date, published electronically, and revised when amended. The principal councils of Wales, have responsibility and deliver over 700 local government services. These include: The 22 principal councils of Wales are: At
713-448: The fire and rescue authority. The board can statutory invite other public representatives such as the Police and crime commissioner , a force's chief constable , probation services or a voluntary sector representative. There are currently fifteen public service boards, of varying overlapping degrees of integration, in Wales, they are: Regional Partnership Boards (RPBs) were established by
744-439: The formation of corporate joint committees (CJCs) made up of two or more principal areas. CJCs have powers relating to economic well-being, strategic planning and the development of regional transport policies. There are four CJCs, covering Mid Wales , North Wales , South East Wales , and South West Wales . These are considered to be "local government" by the Welsh Government. The joint committee's areas are conterminous with
775-420: The late 19th century. Anyone over 16 and a legal resident of Wales can vote in local government elections, when registered to vote. The principal council areas' boundaries are made from a collection of electoral wards. Each unitary authority has roughly 40 electoral wards within them on average. There are 762 electoral wards in Wales. As of 2021, the average resident population in an electoral ward in Wales
806-410: The lowest level of administrative subdivision in Wales are the communities , into which each principal area is subdivided. They may have elected community councils which perform a number of roles, such as providing local facilities, and representing their communities to larger local government bodies. Community councils are the equivalent of English parish councils . A community council may call itself
837-505: The most recent local elections in Wales took place in 2022 , and the next are due to take place in 2027 . Local government is generally supervised by the (devolved) Welsh Ministers , who allocate funding of the majority of local government yearly revenue and capital settlements. The Government of Wales Act 2006 gave the Welsh Ministers the responsibility of setting up a scheme on how they are to propose and exercise their functions for
868-599: The promotion and sustainability of Welsh local government. Like councils throughout the UK, Welsh councils are composed of elected councillors and local government elections normally take place every four years. The Wales Act 2017 prevents local government elections from taking place in the same year as elections to the Senedd , meaning the May 2021 local elections to were postponed to May 2022. There are currently 22 principal areas (styled as
899-487: 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
930-551: 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
961-457: Was around 4 000. More populated wards are usually in larger urban areas. If boundary changes are made to electoral wards they are usually enacted on the first Thursday in May each year, in line with local government elections. In Wales, there are three fire and rescue authorities , established in 1996: Mid and West Wales Fire Authority , North Wales Fire Authority and South Wales Fire Authority . These are considered to be "local government" by