| Carmarthenshire County Council | |
| Native Name: | Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin |
| Logo Pic: | Carmarthenshire County Council.svg |
| Logo Res: | 200px |
| House Type: | Unicameral |
| Leader1: | Handel Davies |
| Election1: | 22 May 2024[1] |
| Leader2: | Darren Price |
| Election2: | 25 May 2022 |
| Leader3: | Wendy Walters |
| Election3: | June 2019[2] |
| Seats: | 75 councillors |
| Structure1: | Carmarthenshire County Council 2022.svg |
| Structure1 Res: | 250 |
| Structure1 Alt: | Carmarthenshire County Council |
| Political Groups1: |
|
| Term Length: | 5 years |
| Next Election1: | 6 May 2027 |
| Session Room: | Carmarthenshire County Hall from across Towy.png |
| Meeting Place: | County Hall, Carmarthen, SA311JP |
Carmarthenshire County Council (Welsh: Cyngor Sir Gâr or Cyngor Sir Gaerfyrddin) is the local authority for the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. It provides a range of services including education, planning, transport, social services and public safety. The council is one of twenty-two unitary authorities that came into existence on 1 April 1996 under the provisions of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. It took over local government functions previously provided by the three district councils of Carmarthen, Dinefwr, and Llanelli, as well as the county-level services in the area from Dyfed County Council, all of which councils were abolished at the same time.
The council is based at County Hall in Carmarthen.
There have been two bodies called Carmarthenshire County Council. The first existed from 1889 until 1974, and the current one was created in 1996.
Elected county councils were created in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888, taking over certain functions which had previously been administered by unelected magistrates at each county's quarter sessions. The first election was held in January 1889 and the majority of the seats were won by the Liberals.[3]
At a preliminary meeting in March 1889 the councillors debated where the new council should meet, with some advocating that meetings should rotate between Carmarthen, Llandeilo and Llanelli, others arguing that meetings should be held solely in Carmarthen. It was resolved by 30 votes to 29 to meet only in Carmarthen.[4] The council formally came into its powers on 1 April 1889, on which day it held its first official meeting at Carmarthen Guildhall (then also known as the Shire Hall).[5]
By 1895 the council had adopted the pattern of holding meetings in rotation at Carmarthen, Llandeilo and Llanelli, and the council's clerk was based in Llandovery.[6] Construction of a new County Hall started in 1939 but, due to the Second World War, was not completed until 1955.[7]
The Liberals continued to dominate the council until the 1920s, from which time most rural seats were held by independents, while the Labour Party dominated the industrial part of the county.
The original Carmarthenshire County Council was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972, with the area becoming part of the county of Dyfed, which also covered the former counties of Pembrokeshire and Cardiganshire.[8] From 1974 until 1996 the area of the former county of Carmarthenshire was split into the three districts of Carmarthen, Dinefwr, and Llanelli, with Dyfed County Council providing county-level services.[9]
In 1996 the councils established in 1974 were all abolished under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, and Carmarthenshire County Council was re-established as a unitary authority for the area.[10]
The council has been under no overall control since May 2024.[11]
The first election to the re-established council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been held by the following parties:[12]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| 1996–2022 | ||
| 2022–2024 | ||
| 2024–present | ||
The leaders of the council since 1996 have been:[13]
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gerald Meyler[14] | 1 Apr 1996 | May 1999 | ||
| Meryl Gravell[15] [16] | May 1999 | May 2012 | ||
| Kevin Madge[17] | May 2012 | May 2015 | ||
| Emlyn Dole[18] [19] | May 2015 | 8 May 2022 | ||
| Darren Price[20] | 25 May 2022 | |||
The council's chief executive since 2019 has been Wendy Walters.[21] She succeeded Mark James, who had held the post for 17 years.[22]
Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was:[23]
| Party | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | |||
| 20 | |||
| 18 | |||
| Total | 75 | ||
Elections take place every five years. The last election was held on 5 May 2022.
| Year | Seats | Plaid Cymru | Labour | Independent | Liberal Democrats | Conservative | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995[25] | 80 | 7 | 37 | 32 | 3 | 1 | ||
| 1999 | 74 | 13 | 28 | 32 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2004 | 74 | 16 | 25 | 33 | 0 | 1 | ||
| 2008 | 74 | 31 | 12 | 30 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 2012 | 74 | 28 | 23 | 23 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2017 | 74 | 36 | 22 | 16 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022 | 75 | 38 | 23 | 14 | 0 | 0 | Plaid Cymru majority controlled | |
The county is divided into 51 electoral wards returning 75 councillors.[26] In July 2021 Welsh Government accepted a number of ward change proposals by the Local Democracy and Boundary Commission for Wales, the changes gave a better parity of representation. Thirty-four wards remained unchanged.
Most of these wards are coterminous with communities. Most communities in Carmarthenshire have a community council. For each ward, councillors are elected to sit on Carmarthenshire County Council. The following table lists council wards, community councils and associated geographical areas. Communities with their own community council are marked with a *.
The council meets and has its main offices at County Hall in Carmarthen, which had been completed in 1955 for the original Carmarthenshire County Council, and served as the headquarters of Dyfed County Council between 1974 and 1996.[28] The council has customer service centres in Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli.[29]
| Escutcheon: | Quarterly indented Or and Gules in the first and fourth quarters a dragon rampant and in the second and third quarters a lion rampant all counterchanged. |
| Crest: | On a wreath of the colours a dragon passant Gules gorged with a collar flory counterflory and resting the dexter foreclaw on a harp Or. |
| Supporters: | On the dexter side a dragon Gules gorged with a collar flory counterflory attached thereto a chain reflexed over the back Or and on the sinister side a sea horse Argent the piscine parts Proper gorged with a collar flory counterflory attached thereto a chain reflexed over the back Or. Granted 1997. |
| Badge: | Within an elliptical cable Azure knotted in base issuing out of a bailey of five towers a garb Or banded Vert. Granted 1997. |
| Motto: | Rhyddid Gwerin Ffyniant Gwlad (The Freedom Of The People Is The Prosperity Of The Country)[30] |
| Notes: | Granted on 28 August 1935. |