Aberystwyth Town Council ( Welsh - Cyngor Tref Aberystwyth) is the

community council A community council is a public representative body in Great Britain. In England they may be statutory parish councils by another name, under the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007, or they may be non-statutory bodies. In ...

that governs the

ancient borough The ancient boroughs were a historic unit of lower-tier local government in England and Wales. The ancient boroughs covered only important towns and were established by charters granted at different times by the monarchy. Their history is large ...

, town and community of Aberystwyth. For electoral purposes, it is divided into five electoral divisions (often known as wards).

Background

The council appoints a chairman as its presiding officer who is then known as the ''Mayor of Aberystwyth''. The Town Council is now a statutory body, but it also holds the town's Borough Charter in trust, granted by King Edward I on 28 December 1277 and confirmed by successive monarchs, resulting in the members also being charter trustees. Since the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 came into force, Aberystwyth's status as a borough has been wholly ceremonial. The Local Government Act 1972 (in force from 1 April 1974) prevents the town council being known in name as a borough council as previously, although the town councillors as charter trustees can still, for example, take part in all of the ceremonial activities (wearing civic outfits), elect mayors (who can wear the chain of office) and organise markets (according to the original royal charter). The current Mayor of Aberystwyth is Talat Chaudhri; the Deputy Mayor for 2022-23 is Kerry Ferguson. Aberystwyth-wards-map2

Aberystwyth town council comprises five wards - Bronglais, Central, North,

Penparcau Penparcau is a village and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales, situated to the south of Aberystwyth. The village has the largest number of Welsh language speakers (1095) in the Aberystwyth town area, covering an area from the sea to the Rheidol ...

and Rheidol - electing between three and five town councillors each. Clockwise, from the north, it borders the communities of Tirymynach, Faenor, Llanbadarn Fawr and

Llanfarian Llanfarian is a village, electoral ward and community in the district county of Ceredigion, Mid-Wales, south of the administrative centre Aberystwyth. Llanfarian village lies above the banks of the river Ystwyth in the Ystwyth Valley. The commu ...

Current composition

Election history

Aberystwyth town council is made up o
19 councillors
elected from the five wards. The most recent elections were held in 2022. Plaid Cymru have an overall majority.

2022 election

The 2022 Aberystwyth town council elections were held alongside the elections for elections for Ceredigion County council on 5 May 2022. All 14 seats from the Bronglais, Central, North and Rheidol wards were up for election. There was no election in the Penparcau ward as there were only 2 candidates for the 5 seats representing the ward. The election resulted in 12 seats for Plaid Cymru, 2 for Labour, 1 for Liberal Democrats and 3 vacant seats.

2017 election

The 2017 Aberystwyth town council elections were held alongside the elections for Ceredigion County council on 4 May 2017. All 19 seats were up for election, which resulted in the election of 11 councillors for

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

, 6 for the

Welsh Liberal Democrats The Welsh Liberal Democrats ( cy, Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru) are a branch of the United Kingdom Liberal Democrats that operates in Wales. The party is led by Jane Dodds, who served as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire from August to Decemb ...

and 2

Welsh Labour Welsh Labour ( cy, Llafur Cymru) is the branch of the United Kingdom Labour Party in Wales and the largest party in modern Welsh politics. Welsh Labour and its forebears won a plurality of the Welsh vote at every UK general election since 192 ...

councillors. One seat became vacant in May 2017, reducing the number held by the Welsh Liberal Democrats to 5. This position was filled by Brendan Somers in September 2017, bringing the total number of Plaid councillors up to 12. However, Councillor Brendan Somers resigned from Plaid Cymru on 30 April 2019 and now sits as an independent.

2012 election

The 2012 Aberystwyth town council elections were held alongside the elections for Ceredigion County council on 3 May 2012. All 19 seats were up for election. The 2012 elections had previously resulted in 11 councillors for Plaid Cymru, 5 for the Welsh Lib Democrats and 3 independents. Lucy Teresa Huws (Plaid Cymru) was elected for Bronglais Ward in November 2013, replacing Christopher Griffiths. Brendan Somers (Plaid Cymru) joined for Central Ward in January 2014, replacing Carys Morgan (resigned 2013), and Dr Talat Zafar Chaudhri (Plaid Cymru) joined for Penparcau in September 2015, replacing Dylan Lewis (resigned 2015). There were subsequently 12 councillors for Plaid Cymru, 4 for the Welsh Liberal Democrats and 3 independents for the remainder of the term.

2008-2012 by-elections

2008 election

In the 2008 elections, 9 seats were won by

, 6 by the

, 2 by independents, 1 by

and 1 by the Green Party.Ceredigion County Council
, Community Council Election Results 2008.

Mayoral history

{, class="wikitable" ! Year !! Name!! colspan=2 , Party !! Notes , - , 2022-23 , Talat Chaudhri , , , -, - , - , 2021-22 , Alun Williams , , , -, - , - , 2020-21 , Charlie Kingsbury , , , -, - , - , 2019-20 , Mari Rhian Turner , , , -, - , 2018-19 , Talat Zafar Chaudhri , , ''First Pakistani Punjabi and ethnic minority mayor of Aberystwyth.'' , - , 2017-18 , Steve Davies , , ''Elected as Plaid Cymru mayoral candidate and mayor-elect.'' , - , 2016-17 , Brendan Somers , , ''Lost seat at election held on 4 May 2017'' , - , 2015-16 , Endaf Edwards , , , - , 2014-15 , Brenda Haines , , , - , 2013-14 , Wendy Morris-Twiddy , , , - , 2012-13 , Dylan Wilson-Lewis , , , - , 2011-12 , Richard Boudier , , ''General election candidate for

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cer ...

UK parliamentary constituency'' , - , 2010-11 , Samantha Hearne , , , - , 2009-10 , Trevor Shaftoe , , , - , 2008-09 , Susan Jones-Davies , , , - , 2007-08 , Lorrae Jones-Southgate , , ''Resigned June 2008.'' , - , 2006-07 , Michael Jones , , , - , 2005-06 , Aled Davies , , , - , 2004-05 , John T. James , , ''

Independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

from March 2005.'' , , - , 2003-04 , John T. James , , , - , 2002-03 , Carol Kolczak , , , - , 2000-01 , Jaci Taylor , , , - , 1999-00 , Siôn Jobbins , , , - , 1998-99 , Graham T. Parry , , , - , 1997-98 ,

Elin Jones Elin Jones (born 1 September 1966) is a Welsh politician who has served as the Llywydd of the Senedd since 2016. A member of Plaid Cymru, Jones has been the Member of the Senedd (MS) for Ceredigion since 1999. Background Jones attended Llan ...

, , , - , 1996-97 , Carol Kolczak , , , - , 1995-96 , Hywel Jones , , ''Removed from office February 1996.'' , - , 1994-95 , Bob Griffin , {{Party name with colour, Liberal Democrats (UK) , ''Husband of

Rose Simpson Rose Simpson (born 22 November 1946) is an English former musician. Between 1968 and 1971, she was a member of the Incredible String Band, with whom she played bass guitar, violin, percussion and sang. She later became Lady Mayoress of the Wel ...

.''

References

External links

Aberystwyth Town Council
Aberystwyth Community councils of Wales Politics of Ceredigion