Mid Glamorgan County Council
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Mid Glamorgan County Council () was the upper-tier authority for the
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...
county of
Mid Glamorgan , Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...
between its creation in 1974 and its abolition in 1996.


History

Local government in England and Wales was reorganised in 1974 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 ...
. The old administrative county of
Glamorgan , HQ = Cardiff , Government = Glamorgan County Council (1889–1974) , Origin= , Code = GLA , CodeName = Chapman code , Replace = * West Glamorgan * Mid Glamorgan * South Glamorgan , Motto ...
was subdivided, forming
Mid Glamorgan , Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...
,
South Glamorgan , Government= South Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= , HQ= ...
and
West Glamorgan , HQ= County Hall, Swansea , Government= West Glamorgan County Council (abolished 1996) , Status= , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Wes ...
, which all came into existence on 1 April 1974. Mid Glamorgan was the largest and the poorest of the new county councils in Glamorgan. In 1974 it had a population of 531,847 and the council had a revenue expenditure of £60 million. Mid Glamorgan County Council was abolished in 1996 under 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 ...
, with the districts in the area being reorganised to become unitary authorities taking over the functions previously performed by the county council.


Political control

The first election to the county council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing authorities until it came into its powers on 1 April 1974.
Labour Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the labour ...
held a majority of the seats on the council throughout its existence.


Leadership

The leaders of the council were:
Philip Squire Philip Squire CBE (1905–1996) was a local Labour Party politician who was a county councillor for over 40 years and leader of Mid Glamorgan County Council, Wales, for 15 years. He was described as "one of the most influential figures in Welsh l ...
was appointed chairman and leader from the establishment of the shadow authority. He had previously been a member of
Glamorgan County Council Glamorgan County Council was established in 1889 together with the administrative county of Glamorganshire under the Local Government Act 1888. The first elections to the council were held in January 1889. The council was abolished under the Local ...
since 1946. The chief executive was solicitor, Tom Vivian Walters, who had worked for Glamorgan County Council since 1943. Squire continued as leader of the council for 15 years, until retiring in 1989 at the age of 83. Because of the dominance of the Labour Party on the council, it was sometimes referred to as a "Squirearchy".


Elections

The first Mid Glamorgan Council elections took place in April 1973, when 85 councillors were elected from 68 electoral divisions (with 16 councillors in 14 divisions being elected unopposed). The number of councillors was reduced to 74 in 1989. The results of each election were as follows:


Premises

County Hall (now the Glamorgan Building) in
Cathays Park Cathays Park ( cy, Parc Cathays) or Cardiff Civic Centre is a civic centre area in the city centre of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, consisting of a number of early 20th century buildings and a central park area, Alexandra Gardens. It i ...
,
Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...
had been the headquarters for
Glamorgan County Council Glamorgan County Council was established in 1889 together with the administrative county of Glamorganshire under the Local Government Act 1888. The first elections to the council were held in January 1889. The council was abolished under the Local ...
prior to 1974 and, although Cardiff was in
South Glamorgan , Government= South Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= , HQ= ...
, not Mid Glamorgan, it was decided to use the Glamorgan Building as the new headquarters for Mid Glamorgan County Council.


See also

*
List of electoral wards in Mid Glamorgan This list of electoral wards in Mid Glamorgan includes council wards which elected councillors to Mid Glamorgan County Council during its existence from 1 April 1974 to 1 April 1996. Wards 1973–1989 The first Mid Glamorgan Council elec ...


References

{{Authority control Mid Glamorgan County councils of Wales 1974 establishments in Wales 1996 disestablishments in Wales