For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 22 unitary authorities. There are 9 counties, 3 cities, and 10 county boroughs, although all have equal status. Collectively these are known as the principal areas of Wales. They came into being on April 1, 1996.
Areas are Counties, unless marked * (for Cities) or † (for County Boroughs). Welsh language forms are given in parentheses, where they differ from the English.
The current names of the counties and county boroughs are in some cases different from those specified in the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. The following changes took place, all with effect from April 2, 1996.
From 1889 to 1974, administrative counties of Wales were used for local government for the first time. These were based on the traditional counties of Wales, but not entirely identical.
In 1974, the existing administrative counties were replaced by eight new two-tier administrative counties. These were all given names in Welsh only, apart from the Glamorgans, which had English names as well as Welsh. The creation of these new administrative areas effectively separated the administrative counties from the traditional counties, although in reality this had occurred in 1889.
When these administrative counties were abolished in 1996, they were retained with slight amendations for some purposes such as Lieutenancy, and became known as the preserved counties of Wales. These were further amended in 2003 to ensure that each unitary area is wholly within one preserved county.
"principalarea" means, in England, a county, district or London borough and, in Wales, a county or county borough;
Where the poll at an election of councillors to the council of a principalarea is to be taken together with the poll at a relevant election or referendum[14], the Rules set out in Schedule 2 shall apply to the principalarea election as shown modified in Schedule 3.
A candidate who is validly nominated for more than one electoral area of the same local government area, must withdraw from his candidature in all those electoral areas except one, and if he does not so withdraw, he shall be deemed to have withdrawn from his candidature in all those electoral areas.
Wales was legally annexed by the Act of Union 1536, in the reign of Henry VIII of England.
Wales has been a principality since the 13th century, initially under the Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great, and later under his grandson, Llywelyn the Last, who took the title Prince of Wales around 1258, and was recognised by the English Crown in 1277 by the Treaty of Aberconwy.
Feeds |
Contact