This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please improve this article if you can. (June 2008)

Cardiff Council

The logo of City and County of Cardiff council
The arms of City and County of Cardiff
Control	Liberal Democrats
MPs	Kevin Brennan Alun Michael Julie Morgan Jenny Willott
Constituency AMs	Lorraine Barrett Jonathan Morgan Rhodri Morgan Jenny Randerson
Official Website	http://www.cardiff.gov.uk

The County Council of City and County of Cardiff (Welsh: Dinas a Sir Caerdydd) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council consists of 75 councillors, representing 29 electoral wards. While the authority is properly styled as City and County of Cardiff, it is more often referred to as the City of Cardiff (its pre-1996 style) or simply Cardiff.

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.

Political makeup

Elections take place every four years. The last election was 1 May 2008.^[1]

The council was under Labour control between 1995 - 2004. The Liberal Democrats ran a minority administration from 2004-2008.

Following the 2008 local elections in Cardiff there is still no party with an overall majority. The Lib Dems gained three, increasing their total number of councillors to 35, and have formed an administration with Plaid Cymru, with Rodney Berman as leader of the Council. The Conservative party replaced the Labour party as the official opposition, having gained five councillors - the Labour party suffered badly, losing 14 councillors and reducing their total number to 13. Plaid Cymru gained four councillors, increasing their representation to seven. Three independent councillors were elected in Rhiwbina, two former Conservatives who had left the group in 2006 being joined by an additional member.

History

The city of Cardiff is the county town of Glamorgan, although this role has diminished since council reorganisation in 1974 paired Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan together as the new county of South Glamorgan. Further local government restructuring in 1996 resulted in Cardiff City's district council becoming a unitary authority - the present Cardiff Council.

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 mayor now bears the style "The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Cardiff".^[2]

Electoral divisions

The unitary authority area is divided into 29 electoral wards. Most of these wards are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name. Each community can have an elected council. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':

Electoral ward map of Cardiff

See also

• City Hall, Cardiff
• County Hall, Cardiff
• Cardiff Bay
• Flat Holm

References

External links

• City and County of Cardiff

v • d • e Local authorities of Wales Local authorities for subdivisions created by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 Anglesey • Blaenau Gwent • Bridgend • Caerphilly • Cardiff • Carmarthenshire • Ceredigion • Conwy • Denbighshire • Flintshire • Gwynedd • Merthyr Tydfil • Monmouthshire • Neath Port Talbot • Newport • Pembrokeshire • Powys • Rhondda Cynon Taff • Swansea • Torfaen • Vale of Glamorgan • Wrexham