Cardiff Council

Cardiff Council, formally the County Council of the City and County of Cardiff (Welsh: Cyngor Sir Dinas a Sir Caerdydd)[4] is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The principal area and its council were established in 1996 to replace the previous Cardiff City Council which had been a lower-tier authority within South Glamorgan. Cardiff Council consists of 79 councillors, representing 28 electoral wards.

For the district authority from 1974–1996, see Cardiff City Council. For the local authority prior to 1974, see Cardiff County Borough Council.

Cardiff Council

Cyngor Caerdydd
Council logo
Type
Type
History
Founded1 April 1996 (1996-04-01)
Preceded by
Leadership
Bablin Molik,
Liberal Democrat
since 25 May 2023[1]
Huw Thomas,
Labour
since 25 May 2017[2]
Paul Orders
since 26 September 2013[3]
Structure
Seats79
Political groups
Administration
  Labour (55)
Other parties (24)
  Conservative (11)
  Liberal Democrat (10)
  Plaid Cymru/Green (2)
  Propel (1)
Length of term
5 years
Elections
First past the post
First election
1995 Cardiff Council election
Last election
2022 Cardiff Council election
Next election
2027 Cardiff Council election
Meeting place
City Hall, Cathays Park, Cardiff, CF10 3ND
Website
www.cardiff.gov.uk

Labour has held a majority of the seats on the council since 2012. The last election was in May 2022 and the next election is due in 2027.

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. When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, Cardiff was considered large enough to run its own services and so it became a county borough, independent from Glamorgan County Council.[5] The town of Cardiff was still considered the county town of Glamorgan, with Glamorgan County Council building its headquarters there. Cardiff was one of only two county boroughs in Wales created in 1889, the other being Swansea. (Newport was later elevated to county borough status in 1891, followed by Merthyr Tydfil in 1908.)[6] In 1905, Cardiff became a city, and thereafter Cardiff County Borough Council was allowed to call itself Cardiff City Council.

In 1974 local government across Wales and England was restructured into a two-tier system under the Local Government Act 1972. Cardiff became a lower-tier district council, called Cardiff City Council, within the new county of South Glamorgan. The South Glamorgan County Council provided county-level services in the area.[7]

Further local government restructuring in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 saw the city of Cardiff become a unitary authority: the present Cardiff Council. South Glamorgan County Council was abolished. Ahead of the reforms the county council had campaigned for a new "Greater Cardiff" authority to reflect the boundaries of South Glamorgan, but the Conservative government of the time decided to keep the Vale of Glamorgan (which covered a marginal Conservative parliamentary seat) separate from Cardiff.[8]

The 1994 Act directed that the new council should be called "Cardiff County Council".[9] The council's constitution calls it instead the "County Council of the City and County of Cardiff". For most purposes the council styles itself "Cardiff Council", except where the full legal name is required, when it uses the form from its constitution.[10]

Political control

The first election to the reconstituted council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been held by the following parties:[11]

Party in controlYears
Labour1996–2004
No overall control2004–2012
Labour2012–present

Leadership
See also: List of mayors of Cardiff

The role of Lord Mayor of Cardiff is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is provided instead by the leader of the council, although the two roles were temporarily combined between 1999 and 2003. The first leader following the 1996 reforms was Russell Goodway, who had been the last leader of South Glamorgan County Council. The leaders of Cardiff Council since 1996 have been:[12]

CouncillorPartyFromTo
Russell Goodway Labour1 April 19961 Jul 2004
Rodney Berman Liberal Democrats1 Jul 20046 May 2012
Heather Joyce Labour17 May 201227 Mar 2014
Phil Bale Labour27 Mar 201425 May 2017
Huw Thomas Labour25 May 2017

At the age of 31, Huw Thomas became Wales' youngest council leader when he was elected in May 2017.[13]

Composition

Following the 2022 election the composition of the council was:

Party Councillors
Labour55
Conservative11
Liberal Democrats10
Common Ground2
Propel1
Total 79

Common Ground is an alliance of Plaid Cymru and the Greens, with its candidates standing for both parties as "Plaid Cymru, Green Party, Common Ground". The next election is due in 2027.

Elections

Since 2012, Cardiff Council elections have taken place every five years.

The council was run by a Labour majority administration between 1995 and 2004. The Liberal Democrats ran a minority administration from 2004, in coalition with Plaid Cymru.[14]

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, the Labour Party took overall control of the council, and remained in overall control following the 2017 and 2022 elections.

Year Seats Labour Liberal Democrats Conservative Plaid Cymru Independent / Other Notes
199572619110Labour majority controlled
1999755018511Labour majority controlled
20047527331230Lib Dem minority
20087513351773Lib Dem / Plaid Cymru coalition
2012754616724Labour majority controlled
20177540112031Labour majority controlled
2022795510112[lower-alpha 1]1[lower-alpha 2]Labour majority controlled
  1. Plaid Cymru / Green Common Ground Alliance
  2. Neil McEvoy elected as Propel

Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.

Premises
County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff

The council's main offices are at County Hall on Atlantic Wharf.[15] It was built in 1987 as the headquarters of the former South Glamorgan County Council. The council also uses the City Hall on Cathays Park in the city centre, built in 1906 for the former Cardiff City Council. Full council meetings were held at County Hall prior to 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic required meetings to be held virtually. From the resumption of in-person meetings in May 2022, full council meetings have been held at City Hall.[16]

Electoral wards
Main article: List of electoral wards in Cardiff
Numbered map of electoral wards (alphabetical order) of Cardiff

Since the 2022 elections, the unitary authority area has been divided into 28 electoral wards. Many of these wards are coterminous with communities of the same name.[17] 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
2 Butetown Butetown Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay, Cardiff city centre (part), Tiger Bay, Flatholm
3 Caerau Caerau Culverhouse Cross
4 Canton Canton Leckwith, Victoria Park
5 Cathays Cathays and Castle Blackweir, Cardiff city centre (Castle), Cathays, Cathays Park, Maindy
6 Cyncoed Cyncoed Roath Park, Lakeside
7 Ely Ely Culverhouse Cross, Michaelston-super-Ely
8 Fairwater Fairwater Pentrebane
9 Gabalfa Gabalfa Mynachdy, Maindy, Heath
10 Grangetown Grangetown Cardiff Bay (part), Saltmead, International Sports Village
11 Heath Heath Birchgrove
12 Lisvane and Thornhill Lisvane* and Thornhill Cefn Onn
13 Llandaff Llandaff Danescourt
14 Llandaff North Llandaff North Hailey Park, Lydstep Park, Mynachdy, Gabalfa
15 Llanishen Llanishen
16 Llanrumney Llanrumney
17 Pentwyn Pentwyn and Llanedeyrn (since 2016)
18 Pentyrch and
St Fagans		 Pentyrch* and St Fagans* Capel Llanilltern, Coedbychan, Creigiau, Gwaelod-y-Garth, Rhydlafar
19 Penylan Penylan
20 Plasnewydd Roath Cardiff city centre (part)
21 Pontprennau and
Old St Mellons		 Old St. Mellons* and Pontprennau Llanedeyrn Village
22 Radyr Radyr & Morganstown* Morganstown, Radyr
23 Rhiwbina Rhiwbina Pantmawr, Rhydwaedlyd, Wenallt
24 Riverside Riverside and Pontcanna Part of Cardiff city centre, Llandaff Fields, Sophia Gardens
25 Rumney Rumney
26 Splott Splott and Tremorfa Pengam Green
27 Trowbridge Trowbridge St Mellons estate, Cefn Mably, Wentloog
28 Whitchurch & Tongwynlais Tongwynlais* and Whitchurch Blaengwynlais, Bwlch-y-cwm, Coedcefngarw, Coryton, Cwmnofydd, Graig-goch, Llandaff North

Arms
Coat of arms of Cardiff Council
Crest
A Tudor rose on three ostrich feathers Argent issuing out of a mural crown Proper. Granted 6th October 1906.
Escutcheon
Argent on a mount Vert a dragon rampant Gules supporting in front of a leek issuing from the mount a flag staff erect Proper flying therefrom to the sinister a banner of the third charged with three chevronels of the first. Granted 26th August 1906
Supporters
On the dexter side a goat and on the sinister side a sea horse both Proper as an honourable augmentation Her Majesty's Royal Badge for Wales videlicet within a circular riband Argent fimbriated Or bearing the motto Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN in letters Vert and ensigned with a representation of the crown Proper an escutcheon per fess Argent and Vert and thereon a Red dragon passant pendent by a Golden chain from the neck of each supporter. Granted 25th February 1907 and augmented 19th October 1956.
Motto
1st Deffro Mae'n Ddydd (Awake It Is Day) 2nd Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn (The Red Dragon Shall Lead)

See also

References
  1. "First woman of colour made lord mayor of Cardiff". BBC News. 25 May 2023. Retrieved 8 July 2023.
  2. "Council minutes, 25 May 2017" (PDF). Cardiff Council. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  3. "Council minutes, 26 September 2013" (PDF). Cardiff Council. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  4. "Cyfansoddiad Cyngor Caerdydd" (PDF). Cardiff Council website.
  5. "Local Government Act 1888", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1888 c. 41, retrieved 26 October 2022
  6. "Wales Factfile - Welsh Democracy" (PDF). Institute of Welsh Affairs. p. 1. Retrieved 12 May 2019.
  7. "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 26 October 2022
  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. "Local Government (Wales) Act 1994: Section 2", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1994 c. 19 (s. 2), retrieved 26 October 2022
  10. "Cardiff Council Constitution". Cardiff Council. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  11. "Compositions calculator". The Elections Centre. 4 March 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  12. "Council minutes". Cardiff Council. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  13. Ruth Mosalski (8 May 2017). "Cardiff Labour group picks Huw Thomas as its new leader". Wales Online. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  14. "ELECTION 2012: 'Plaid Cymru are community activists, not politicians' – Neil McEvoy". yourCardiff. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 27 April 2018.
  15. "General enquiries". Cardiff Council. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  16. "Council agendas". Cardiff Council. Retrieved 26 October 2022.
  17. "The City and County of Cardiff (Electoral Arrangements) Order 2021". Legislation.gov.uk. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
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