Neath Port Talbot

The local authority area stretches from the coast to the border of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The majority of the land is upland or semi-upland and 43% is covered by forestry with major conifer plantations in upland areas. Most of the lower-lying flat land is near the coast around Port Talbot. An extensive dune system stretches along much of the coast, broken by river mouths and areas of development.[3] The upland areas are cut by five valleys: Vale of Neath, Dulais Valley, Afan Valley, Swansea Valley (or Tawe Valley), Upper Amman Valley.[4]

Modern settlement patterns reflect the industrial history of the area, with urban development along the flatter areas of the valleys and some parts of the coast. Neath with a population of 47,020 is the largest town, followed by Port Talbot (35,633), Briton Ferry (7,186), Pontardawe (5,035), and Glynneath (4,368). The majority of the population live in the coastal plain around Port Talbot and the land around the River Neath in the vicinity of Neath. Many of the larger towns in the borough lie within the Swansea Urban Area.

The population in the region reached its peak in the 1930s. Census figures show a population of 151,563 in 1931. The population has shown a steady decline throughout the rest of the 20th century. The population stood at 134,471 in 2001.[5] In the 1990s, most areas within the region showed a fall or little change in population with the notable exception of Bryncoch South and Margam where the population grew by 47.29% and 41.36% respectively. [6] Local council estimates show the population to have grown during the 2000s.

On 1 April 1996, Neath Port Talbot was created from the former districts of Neath, Port Talbot and part of Lliw Valley. The name change happened on the following day. At the time of the reorganisation, many local people expected that Neath and Port Talbot districts would become separate unitary authorities, and there were protests when the new authority was announced.[7]

In 1991 Neath & Port Talbot was a distinct travel to work area (albeit with different boundaries to the current county borough), but the 2001-based revision has merged the locality into a wider Swansea Bay travel to work area.[8]

In June 2008, the economic activity and employment rates in Neath Port Talbot were below the Welsh average.[9] However, earnings for full-time workers were higher than either the Welsh or British average.[9]

Manufacturing accounts for over 22% of jobs in the county borough compared to under than 14% in Wales as a whole; just under 70% of local jobs are in services compared to a Welsh average of nearly 80%.[9] The Port Talbot Steelworks, operated by Tata, is the largest employer with approximately 3,000 staff (although in 1979 its predecessor employed 12,600); other large employers include General Electric, Hi-Lex Cable Systems Ltd (closing in 2021 [10]), TRW Steering Systems recently closed, Envases (UK) Ltd, Crown Food UK & Ireland, Toyoda Koki, Sofidel, Cornelius Electronics, Excel Electronics Assemblies, and Tedeco.[11]

Port Talbot is also the site for Neath Port Talbot Hospital which is situated on Baglan Way, Port Talbot.

The local Neath Port Talbot Council is the education authority in the area which operates primary schools and secondary schools within the county. The local education authority operates 6 infant schools, 6 junior schools, 56 primary schools, 11 secondary schools and 3 special schools.[12]

Further Education in Neath Port Talbot is provided by a range of institutions. St. Joseph's Catholic School & Sixth Form Centre in Port Talbot and Ysgol Gyfun Ystalyfera have traditional sixth form settings. NPTC Group operates from several sites within the county borough. The largest sites are located in Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe.[13]

The first dedicated higher education site in Neath Port Talbot opened in 2015 when Swansea University opened its science and innovation campus in Crymlyn Burrows.

The University of South Wales has a campus located at Baglan Energy Park in Port Talbot. The Baglan campus houses a Renewable Hydrogen Research and Development Centre.

A separate daily edition of the South Wales Evening Post is published for the Neath Port Talbot area. The paper's publisher, Reach plc, also produces a free weekly paper, the Neath Port Talbot Courier, which is inserted in Thursday's edition of the South Wales Evening Post.[14] The local council publishes a quarterly, Community Spirit, produced and funded in conjunction with seven other public sector partners.[15]

Community radio station is XS broadcasts to both Neath (97.4) and Port Talbot (107.9). Nation Radio Wales briefly broadcast to the wider South Wales region from studios in Neath, but is now based in Cardiff. The county borough is within the local commercial radio licence areas for the CHR-formatted station The Wave, its Classic Hits sister station Greatest Hits Radio South Wales and the Adult Contemporary-orientated Easy Radio. Neath Port Talbot is also within the licence area of Heart South Wales, available via the Swansea area's 106.0 FM frequency.[16]

Neath Port Talbot used to be twinned with:[17]

In 2015, Neath Port Talbot terminated all its twin city relationships for financial reasons.[19][20]

• Afan Forest Park, formerly known as Afan Argoed is a predominantly forest country park for walking and recreation. In recent times, it has become a mecca for mountain biking with the development of a number of demanding mountain biking trails.
• Margam Country Park is a frequent destination for the World Rally Championships and is very popular with tourists all year round. The park houses Go Ape tree tops adventure, Margam Castle, Margam Abbey, Margam Orangery, a fairy tale adventure playground and is set in extensive parkland.
• Aberdulais Falls are on the River Dulais and were portrayed in J. M. W. Turner's painting, The Watermill
• Aberavon Beach is a large blue flag beach resort, popular with surfers and kite boarders. The seafront houses a number of leisure facilities including a cinema, hotel, Aqua Splash park, children's play areas, and several bars, cafes and restaurants.
• Gnoll Country Park is a large country park with lakes, cascading waterfalls and the ruins of the historic Gnoll mansion, the former home of the Mackworth family.
• Crymlyn Bog a site of special scientific interest in Skewen near Neath.
• Cefn Coed Colliery Museum is a former coal mine now operating as a mining museum located in Crynant near Neath.

The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Neath Port Talbot.

• List of places in Neath Port Talbot for a list of settlements
• List of schools in Neath Port Talbot

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Neath Port Talbot County Borough.

• Neath Port Talbot at Curlie
• Freecycle Neath Port Talbot
• Neath Port Talbot Council Site
• Neath Port Talbot Council Adult Learning Portal
• Neath Port Talbot Community News & Chat

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