The logo of City and County of Cardiff council |
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The arms of City and County of Cardiff |
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| Control | Liberal Democrats/Plaid Cymru |
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| MPs |
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| Constituency AMs |
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| Official Website | http://www.cardiff.gov.uk |
The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff (Welsh: Dinas a Sir Caerdydd) is the governing body for Cardiff, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. The council consists of 75 councillors, representing 29 electoral wards. The authority is properly styled as The County Council of the City and County of Cardiff or in common use Cardiff Council.[1]. No other style is sanctioned for use on Council Documents although it does occasionally appear wrongly as Cardiff County Council on documents and signage. The City & County itself is usually simply referred to as Cardiff.
After the 2004 election, which changed the control of the Council from Labour to No Overall Control, the Liberal Democrats formed a minority administration, led by Cllr Rodney Berman. The Liberal Democrats remained the largest party following the 2008 local election, and currently form an administration with Plaid Cymru.
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Elections to Cardiff Council take place every four years. The last election was 1 May 2008.[2]
| Group affiliation[3] | Members |
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|---|---|---|
| Liberal Democrat | 34 | |
| Conservative | 17 | |
| Labour | 14 | |
| Plaid Cymru | 6 | |
| Independents |
4 | |
| Total |
75 | |
| Year | Lib Dem | Con | Labour | Plaid | Independent |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 35 | 17 | 13 | 7 | 3 |
| 2004 | 33 | 12 | 27 | 3 | 0 |
| 1999 | 18 | 5 | 50 | 1 | 1 |
| 1995 | 9 | 1 | 61 | 1 | 0 |
The council was run by a Labour majority administration between 1995 and 2004. The Liberal Democrats ran a minority administration from 2004-2008.
Following the 2008 local elections in Cardiff there is still no party with an overall majority. The Lib Dems gained three, increasing their total number of councillors to 35, and have formed an administration with Plaid Cymru, with Rodney Berman as leader of the Council. The Conservatives replaced Labour as the official opposition, having gained five councillors - the Labour party suffered badly, losing 14 councillors and reducing their total number to 13. Plaid Cymru gained four councillors, increasing their representation to seven. Three independent councillors were elected; two former Conservatives who had left the group in 2006 being joined by an additional member.
Municipal life in Cardiff dates back to the 12th century, when Cardiff was granted borough status by the Earls of Gloucester. The offices of the Mayor, Aldermen, and Common Councillors developed during the Middle Ages. In 1905, Cardiff became a City, and the Borough Council became a City Council.
The City of Cardiff is the county town of Glamorgan. However, prior to 1974, Cardiff was a County Borough in its own right and not subject to Glamorgan County Council. Council reorganisation in 1974 paired Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan together as district councils subject to the new county of South Glamorgan. Further local government restructuring in 1996 resulted in Cardiff City's district council becoming once again a unitary authority - the present Cardiff Council.
The first Mayor of Cardiff is listed by the County Borough Records as Ralph "Prepositus de Kardi" who took up office in 1126. In 1835, Thomas Revel Guest became the first elected Mayor of Cardiff when the first council elections were held. When Cardiff was granted city status in 1905 Cardiff's First Citizen became 'Lord Mayor'. Robert Hughes, the Mayor in 1904, was re-elected to become Cardiff's first Lord Mayor in the following year. The Lord Mayor was granted the right to the style "The Right Honourable". The Lord Mayor now bears the style "The Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of Cardiff".[4]
In 1999 a new system was introduced whereby the Leader of the Council could also serve as mayor for the duration of the Council without re-election. This led to Russell Goodway serving as both council leader and mayor from 1999 to 2003. From 2004 the mayoralty reverted to a separate role, elected annually[5] and the post has been held by the following councillors:
| Municipal Year | Lord Mayor | Deputy Lord Mayor |
|---|---|---|
| 2011–2012 | Delme Bowen (Plaid) | Jayne Cowan (Ind) |
| 2010–2011 | Keith Hyde (Lib Dem) | Dianne Rees (Con) |
| 2009–2010 | Brian Griffiths (Con) | Keith Hyde (Lib Dem) |
| 2008–2009 | Kate Lloyd (Lib Dem) | Jaswant Singh (Plaid) |
| 2007–2008 | Gill Bird (Lab) | Brian Griffiths (Con) |
| 2006–2007 | Gareth Neale (Con) | Kate Lloyd (Lib Dem) |
| 2005–2006 | Freda Salway (Lib Dem) | Monica Walsh (Lab) |
| 2004–2005 | Jacqui Gasson (Lib Dem) | Delme Bowen (Plaid) |
| 2003–2004 | Gordon Houlston (Lab) |
The unitary authority area is divided into 29 electoral wards. Most of these wards are coterminous with communities of the same name. Each community can have an elected council. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':
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