Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn (

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 ...

: ''Y Drenewydd a Llanllwchaearn'') is a local government

community A community is a social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place, norms, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given geographical area (e.g. a country, village, ...

in mid

Powys Powys (; ) is a county and preserved county in Wales. It is named after the Kingdom of Powys which was a Welsh successor state, petty kingdom and principality that emerged during the Middle Ages following the end of Roman rule in Britain. Geog ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

. It includes the town of Newtown and the small neighbouring village of

Llanllwchaiarn Llanllwchaiarn or Llanllwchaearn () in Welsh) is a village on the outskirts of Newtown in Powys, Wales. It forms part of the community of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn. Aberbechan Hall was a Tudor mansion in the eastern part of the parish d ...

. At the time of the 2011 census the population of the community was 11,357. The community council is called Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council, often abbreviated to Newtown Town Council.

History

The community has its origins in the Newtown

Local Government District The districts of England (also known as local authority districts or local government districts to distinguish from unofficial city districts) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the st ...

, which was established on 25 July 1866. The district was governed by a local board, and from the outset its territory covered parts of the two parishes of Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn. By 1871 the district had become known as the Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn district. Under the

Local Government Act 1894 The Local Government Act 1894 (56 & 57 Vict. c. 73) was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales outside the County of London. The Act followed the reforms carried out at county level un ...

such local government districts were reconstituted as urban districts with effect from 31 December 1894. The Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District Council held its first meeting on 4 January 1895 when Alfred Ford, a

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 ...

, was appointed the first chairman of the council. Llanllwchaiarn and Newtown remained separate

civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...

, but were classed as "urban parishes" and so did not have parish councils of their own, with the Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District Council being the lowest level representative body. Council Offices Newtown - geograph

In the 1968 the urban district council and its neighbour, Newtown and Llanidloes Rural District Council, built a shared headquarters building in Newtown Hall Park, on the site of a large Victorian house called Newtown Hall (which was itself a replacement for an earlier house on the site). The building cost £86,000 and was initially known as "Town Hall". Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Urban District was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, becoming part of the Montgomery district of

on 1 April 1974. A new community was created covering the former urban district, with its council taking the name Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council, also known as Newtown Town Council. The former Town Hall in Newtown Hall Park was used as an area office by Montgomery District Council and then became an area office for

Powys County Council Powys County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Powys) is the local authority for Powys, one of the administrative areas of Wales. The County Hall is in Llandrindod Wells. History The county of Powys was created on 1 April 1974 under the Local Govern ...

, called the Park Office.

Town council

Newtown and Llanllwchaiarn Town Council (commonly called Newtown Town Council) was established in 1974. The community elects up to sixteen members to the town council, from five wards of Llanllwchaiarn North, Llanllwchaiarn West, Newtown Central, Newtown East, Newtown South. The town has an annual '

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

making' event where the new town mayor takes their oath of office and gives out awards. The council's headquarters are at Brisco House in Broad Street. The building dates from 1902 and also houses Newtown's Robert Owen Museum. In May 2018 the town council backed a proposal to name the town's by-pass after social reformer Robert Owen. The following month it backed plans to place statues on the town's roundabouts, of 'Powys Pioneers'. In May 2021 the town council elected its youngest mayor, Richard Williams, who was aged 26 at the time of his appointment.

Elections

At the May 2017 town council elections only the Llanllwchaiarn West ward held a contest, with four candidates competing for the three seats. At the May 2022 town council elections, no seats were required to have an election and all councillors were elected unopposed. There were 6 vacancies following the election.

References

External links

Newtown Town Council website
{{Powys Communities in Powys 1974 establishments in Wales Community councils of Wales Politics of Powys

Town Council A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities. Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions. Republic of Ireland Town Councils in the Republic of Ireland were the second t ...