The Borough of Llanelli was one of six

local government districts The districts of England (officially, local authority districts, abbreviated LADs) are a level of subnational division of England used for the purposes of local government. As the structure of local government in England is not uniform, there ...

of the county of

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales, covering the modern counties Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire. It is mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed w ...

Wales Wales ( ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the England–Wales border, east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic ...

from 1974 to 1996.

History

The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the

Local Government Act 1972 The Local Government Act 1972 (c. 70) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed local government in England and Wales on 1 April 1974. It was one of the most significant acts of Parliament to be passed by the Heath Gov ...

, covering the area of four former districts from 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 1973 in Northern Ireland, 2002 in the Republic of Ireland. They are now abolished, although most Northern ...

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire (; or informally ') is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. ...

, which were abolished at the same time: * Burry Port Urban District *

Kidwelly Kidwelly () is a town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, southwest Wales, approximately northwest of the most populous town in the county, Llanelli. At the 2021 United Kingdom census, 2021 census the community had a population ...

Municipal Borough A municipal borough was a type of local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of governance or public administration within a particular sovereign state. Local governments typically constitute a subdivision of ...

* Llanelli Municipal Borough *

Llanelli Rural District ; ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire. The town is north-west of Swansea and south ...

The district was the smallest by area of six districts in the newly created county of

. The district held

borough status Borough status is granted by royal charter to local government districts in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The status is purely honorary, and does not give any additional powers to the council or inhabitants of the district. In Scotland, si ...

, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor. The borough of Llanelli was abolished 22 years later under 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 ...

, with the area becoming part of the new

unitary authority on 1 April 1996.

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 Labour:

Leadership

The leaders of the council from 1981 until the council's abolition in 1996 were:

Coat of arms

The

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the last two being outer garments), originating in Europe. The coat of arms on an escutcheon f ...

with the motto 'Ymlaen Llanelli' was transferred from the former municipal borough to the

Llanelli Borough Council The Borough of Llanelli was one of six local government districts of the county of Dyfed, Wales from 1974 to 1996. History The district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of four former districts f ...

Order in Council An Order in Council is a type of legislation in many countries, especially the Commonwealth realms. In the United Kingdom, this legislation is formally made in the name of the monarch by and with the advice and consent of the Privy Council ('' ...

in 1975. Llanelli Town Council, which covers the same area as the pre-1974 municipal borough of Llanelli, was granted a new coat of arms in 1981.

Elections

1973 Llanelli Borough Council election The first election to Llanelli Borough Council was held in April 1973. It was followed by the 1976 election. On the same day there were elections to the other District local authorities and community councils in Wales. Results Llanelli Borough W ...

1976 Llanelli Borough Council election An election to Llanelli Borough 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 district local authorities and community councils in Wales. R ...

1979 Llanelli Borough Council election An election to Llanelli Borough 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 were elections to the other district local authorities and co ...

1983 Llanelli Borough Council election An election to Llanelli Borough Council was held in May 1983. Western Mail, 6 May 1983 It was preceded by the 1979 election and followed by the 1987 election. On the same day there were elections to the other district local authorities and commun ...

1987 Llanelli Borough Council election An election to Llanelli Borough 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 district local authorities and community councils in Wales. O ...

1991 Llanelli Borough Council election An election to Llanelli Borough Council was held in May 1991. It was preceded by the 1987 election and followed, as a result of local government reorganisation in Wales and the formation of unitary authorities, by the Carmarthenshire County Counc ...

Premises

The council met at

Llanelli Town Hall Llanelli Town Hall () is a municipal building in Church Street, Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, South Wales. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Llanelli Borough Council and now serves as a Register office (United Kingdom), register office, ...

, which had been the headquarters of the former municipal borough council. In 1981 the council built additional offices called Ty Elwyn on an adjoining site.

References

{{coord, 51.679, -4.163, display=title, region:GB_scale:20000 History of Llanelli

Llanelli ; ) is a market town and community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire and the Preserved counties of Wales, preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is on the estuary of the River Loughor and is the largest town in the Principal areas of Wales, ...

1974 establishments in Wales Dyfed