Taff-Ely ( cy, Taf-Elái) was a

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 ...

with borough status in

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...

from 1974 to 1996.

History

The borough was formed in 1974 as a local government

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

Mid Glamorgan , Government= Mid Glamorgan County Council , Status= Non-metropolitan county (1974–1996) Preserved county (1996–) , Start= 1974 , End= 1996 , Arms= ''Coat of arms of Mid ...

. It covered parts of five former districts which were abolished at the same time, and was initially arranged into ten communities based on the former districts and parishes: * Llanharan‡ *

Llanharry Llanharry ( cy, Llanhari) is a village, community (civil parish) and electoral ward in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Historically part of Glamorgan, Llanharry has been inextricably linked with iron mining as far back as the R ...

‡ *

Llanilid Llanilid is a small settlement of in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. It is in the historic county of Glamorgan. Llanilid is part of the community of Llanharan along with the villages of Bryncae, Brynna, Ynysmaerdy, Peterston ...

‡ *Llanilterne, formerly a parish in Cardiff Rural District * Llantrisant, formerly a parish in Llantrisant and Llantwit Fardre Rural District *

Llantwit Fardre Llantwit Fardre ( cy, Llanilltud Faerdref) is a large village and community (and electoral ward) situated on the A473, Pontypridd to Bridgend, road near the Welsh towns of Pontypridd and Llantrisant. Llantwit Fardre is also the name of the ol ...

, formerly a parish in Llantrisant and Llantwit Fardre Rural District *

Pentyrch Pentyrch ( cy, Pen-tyrch) is a village and community located on the western outskirts of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. The village gives its name to a Cardiff local authority electoral ward, Pentyrch, which covers the village and immediat ...

, formerly a parish in Cardiff Rural District *Peterson-super-Montem‡ *

Pontypridd () ( colloquially: Ponty) is a town and a community in Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Geography comprises the electoral wards of , Hawthorn, Pontypridd Town, 'Rhondda', Rhydyfelin Central/Ilan ( Rhydfelen), Trallwng ( Trallwn) and Treforest (). ...

, covering Pontypridd Urban District *

Taff's Well Taff's Well () is a semi-rural village, community and electoral ward located at the south easterly tip of Rhondda Cynon Taf, to the north of Cardiff, the capital city of Wales. Known locally as the 'Gates to the Valleys', it is separated from Gwa ...

, covering the Taff's Well ward from Caerphilly

Urban District Urban district may refer to: * District * Urban area * Quarter (urban subdivision) * Neighbourhood Specific subdivisions in some countries: * Urban districts of Denmark * Urban districts of Germany * Urban district (Great Britain and Ireland) (hist ...

‡Formerly a parish in

Cowbridge Rural District Cowbridge ( cy, Y Bont-faen) is a market town in the Vale of Glamorgan, Wales, approximately west of the centre of Cardiff. The Cowbridge with Llanblethian community and civil parish elect a town council. A Cowbridge electoral ward exists for e ...

The borough was named after the

River Taff The River Taff ( cy, Afon Taf) is a river in Wales. It rises as two rivers in the Brecon Beacons; the Taf Fechan (''little Taff'') and the Taf Fawr (''great Taff'') before becoming one just north of Merthyr Tydfil. Its confluence with th ...

and the

River Ely The River Ely ( cy, Afon Elái) is in South Wales flowing generally southeast, from Tonyrefail to Cardiff. The river is about long. The Ely's numerous sources lie in the mountains to the south of Tonypandy, near the town of Tonyrefail, ri ...

. The communities within the borough were reorganised in 1985, which saw the small community of Llanilterne (where the main settlement was Capel Llanilltern) absorbed into Pentyrch, the communities of Llanilid and Peterson-super-Montem absorbed into Llanharan, and the large community of Llantrisant divided into the four communities of Gilfach Goch,

Tonyrefail Tonyrefail is a village and community in the Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough, Wales. It is situated at the head of the River Ely; northwest of Llantrisant, about from Trebanog and about from Williamstown. During the second half of the 19th ...

Pont-y-clun Pontyclun (or Pont-y-clun) is a village and community located in the county borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf, Wales. Like the surrounding towns, it has seen a sharp increase in its population in the last ten years as people migrate south from the So ...

, and a smaller Llantrisant community. In 1996 the borough was abolished, with most of the area going to the new principal area of

Rhondda Cynon Taf Rhondda Cynon Taf (; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: ''Taf'') and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and vill ...

, with the exception of Pentyrch community going to

Cardiff Cardiff (; cy, Caerdydd ) is the capital and largest city of Wales. It forms a principal area, officially known as the City and County of Cardiff ( cy, Dinas a Sir Caerdydd, links=no), and the city is the eleventh-largest in the United Kingd ...

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. Political control of the council from 1974 until its abolition in 1996 was held by the following parties:

Premises

The council was based at the Municipal Buildings on Gelliwastad Road in Pontypridd, which had been built in 1904 as the headquarters of Pontypridd Urban District Council. Since the council's abolition in 1996 the building has been used as a register office for Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.

References

{{Mid Glamorgan elections Districts of Wales abolished in 1996 1974 establishments in Wales Mid Glamorgan