Merionethshire County Council was a local authority in Wales from 1889 until its abolition in 1974.

Overview

The administrative county of

Merionethshire , HQ= Dolgellau , Government= Merionethshire County Council (1889-1974) , Origin= , Status= , Start= 1284 , End= , Code= MER , CodeName= ...

and its local authority, the Merionethshire County Council was established in 1889 under the

Local Government Act 1888 Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States * Local government, a form of public administration, usually the lowest tier of administrat ...

. The first elections were held in January 1889. The county was abolished under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant Acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

on 1 April 1974. A successor authority, Meirionnydd District Council, existed between 1974 and 1995. As a result of the

Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to create the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as ...

, which came into force on 1 April 1996, it became part of the new unitary authority of

Gwynedd Council Cyngor Gwynedd ( en, Gwynedd Council) is the governing body for the county of Gwynedd, one of the principal areas of Wales. The council administrates internally using the Welsh language. History The county of Gwynedd was created in 1974 under ...

Early History, 1889-1914

During the period,

Liberal Liberal or liberalism may refer to: Politics * a supporter of liberalism ** Liberalism by country * an adherent of a Liberal Party * Liberalism (international relations) * Sexually liberal feminism * Social liberalism Arts, entertainment and m ...

candidates win large majorities at each election and Conservative support was limited to some of the towns and areas where local gentry continued to gain some personal support. The leadership of the council was composed mainly of prosperous middle class tradesmen, professionals and nonconformist ministers.

1889 Election

The first election was held in 1889 and the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

held a large majority of the seats down to the First World War, reflecting its dominance over the politics of the county. The first meeting of the council was a notable event. Samuel Pope, elected as temporary chairman, ruled that only English could be spoken at council meetings. This prompted an outcry in the county, as it was apparent that several members were not fluent in the English language. Prior to the second meeting of the Council, a caucus meeting of the Liberal councillors was held at which it was decided by thirty votes against nine that Dr Edward Jones of

Dolgellau Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...

, rather than Pope, should be the permanent chairman.

References

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Overview

Early History, 1889-1914

1889 Election

References

See also