Subdivisions of Wales -- Please Click to Return to Front Page

For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 22 unitary authority areas, which are responsible for the provision of all local government services, including education, social work, environment and roads services. Below these in some areas there are community councils, which cover specific areas within a council area. The unitary authority areas are referred to in local government legislation as the principal areas of Wales. They are variously styled: nine areas are styled as counties, three as cities (two of which as City and County), and ten as county boroughs, although all authorities have equal powers. All 22 authorities are regularly called counties in the Welsh media, including BBC Wales.^[1][2] They came into being on 1 April 1996 by virtue of the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 (1994 c. 19).

The Queen appoints a Lord Lieutenant to represent her in the eight Preserved counties of Wales — which are combinations of council areas. However other subdivisions occur when dividing Wales into separate regions in the provisions of fire, and police services. For example there is a South Wales Police force, rather than the Glamorgan Police Force.

Cities

There are five cities in total in Wales: in addition to the three unitary authorities with city status, the communities of Bangor and St David's also have the status. City status is determined by letters patent.

• Bangor
• Cardiff
• Newport
• St David's
• Swansea

St. Asaph, as the seat of a bishopric, was historically referred to as a city, and was described as such in the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica. The status was never officially recognised, however. When city status was restored to St David's in 1994, St Asaph community council submitted a petition for the same purpose. The petition was refused as, unlike St David's, there was no evidence of any charter or letters patent in the past conferring the status. Applications for city status in competitions in 2000 and 2002 were unsuccessful.^[3]

Unitary authorities of Wales

Unitary authority areas are styled as counties, except the City of Newport, the Cities and Counties of Cardiff and Swansea (all marked *), and the county boroughs (marked †). Welsh language forms are given in parentheses, except where there is no English equivalent.

Merthyr Tydfil (Merthyr Tudful) † Caerphilly (Caerffili) † Blaenau Gwent † Torfaen (Tor-faen) † Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy) Newport (Casnewydd) * Cardiff (Caerdydd) * Vale of Glamorgan (Bro Morgannwg) † Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) † Rhondda Cynon Taf † Neath Port Talbot (Castell-nedd Port Talbot) † Swansea (Abertawe) * Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin) Ceredigion Powys Wrexham (Wrecsam) † Flintshire (Sir y Fflint) Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych) Conwy † Gwynedd Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro)

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