Preseli Pembrokeshire (, ; cy, Preseli Sir Benfro) was one of six

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 ...

s of

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

West Wales West Wales ( cy, Gorllewin Cymru) is not clearly defined as a particular region of Wales. Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of ''Deheub ...

from 1974 to 1996. Until 1987 the name of the district was Preseli. The district took its name from the

Preseli Hills The Preseli Hills or, as they are known locally and historically, Preseli Mountains, ( Welsh: ''Mynyddoedd y Preseli / Y Preselau'' , ) is a range of hills in western Wales, mostly within the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. The range stre ...

Creation

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, from the following parts of the

administrative county An administrative county was a first-level administrative division in England and Wales from 1888 to 1974, and in Ireland from 1899 until either 1973 (in Northern Ireland) or 2002 (in the Republic of Ireland). They are now abolished, although mos ...

of Pembrokeshire: * Cemaes Rural District *

Fishguard and Goodwick Fishguard and Goodwick is the name of a community that wraps around Fishguard Bay, on the northern coast of Pembrokeshire, Wales. It comprises the two towns of Fishguard and Goodwick, with their neighbourhoods of Dyffryn, Harbour Village, Peny ...

Urban District *

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

Municipal Borough Municipal boroughs were a type of local government district which existed in England and Wales between 1835 and 1974, in Northern Ireland from 1840 to 1973 and in the Republic of Ireland from 1840 to 2002. Broadly similar structures existed in S ...

Haverfordwest Rural District Haverfordwest Rural District was a rural district in the administrative county of Pembrokeshire, Wales from 1894 to 1974, covering an area in the west of the county. It surrounded, but did not include, the town of Haverfordwest after which it ...

* Milford Haven Urban District *

Neyland Neyland is a town and community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, lying on the River Cleddau and the upstream end of the Milford Haven estuary. The Cleddau Bridge carrying the A477 links Pembroke Dock with Neyland. Etymology The name of the town is ...

Urban District In 1981, a further 11 communities were transferred from

South Pembrokeshire South Pembrokeshire ( cy, De Sir Benfro) was one of six local government districts of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996. Creation The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, from the following parts of the administra ...

district.

Premises

The council's main offices were at Cambria House on Salutation Square in Haverfordwest, which had been built in 1965 as the headquarters of one of the council's predecessors, the Haverfordwest Rural District Council.

Abolition

On 1 April 1996 the district was abolished by the

Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 The Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (c. 19) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which amended the Local Government Act 1972 to create the current local government structure in Wales of 22 unitary authority areas, referred to as ...

, merging with its neighbour

to become a reconstituted

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

of Pembrokeshire. Cambria House temporarily served as the headquarters of the new

Pembrokeshire County Council Pembrokeshire County Council ( cy, Cyngor Sir Penfro) is the governing body for Pembrokeshire, one of the Principal Areas of Wales. Political control The first election to the council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authori ...

. A new County Hall was built adjoining Cambria House in 1999, and Cambria House was demolished the following year.

Political control

The first election to the council was held in 1973, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1974. Throughout the council's existence a majority of the seats were held by

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 ...

councillors.

Elections

1973 Preseli District Council election The first election to Preseli District Council was held in April 1973. It was followed by the 1976 election. On the same day there were elections to the other local authorities and community councils in Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a co ...

1976 Preseli District Council election An election to Preseli District Council was held in May 1976. It was preceded by the 1973 election and followed by the 1979 election. On the same day there were elections to the other local authorities and community councils in Wales Wale ...

1979 Preseli District Council election An election to Preseli District Council was held in May 1979. It was preceded by the 1976 election and followed by the 1983 election. On the same day there was a UK General Election and elections to the other local authorities and community coun ...

1983 Preseli District Council election An election to Preseli District Council was held in May 1983. It was preceded by the 1979 election and followed by the 1987 election (the authority having changed its name). On the same day there were elections to the other local authorities and ...

1987 Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council election An election to Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council was held in May 1987. It was preceded by the 1983 election and followed by the 1991 election. On the same day there were elections to the other local authorities and community councils in Wale ...

1991 Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council election An election to Preseli Pembrokeshire District Council was held in May 1991. The Independent councilors retained the vast majority of seats. It was preceded by the 1987 election and followed, after local government re-organization, by the 1995 Pemb ...

References