Everything about Gwynedd Council totally explained
Gwynedd Council is the governing body for the principal area of
Gwynedd, one of the
subdivisions of Wales within the
United Kingdom.
Creation of the Authority
The present local government area of Gwynedd is made up of the ancient counties of
Caernarfonshire and
Merionethshire. These counties alongside
Anglesey were merged in
1974 to create a much larger subject of local government called "Gwynedd" after the
medieval kingdom of the same name. The governing body of this area was called Gwynedd
County Council.
The present governing body was formed following the local government reorganisation in Wales in
1996 which recommended the separation of Anglesey, the abolition of Gwynedd and the creation of the new
"County of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire". This proposal was clearly unpopular because one of the first acts of this new authority was to rename itself
Gwynedd Council.
Second home controversy
Controversy erupted in mid-winter 2001 when
Seimon Glyn,
Gwynedd Council's housing committee chairman and
Plaid Cymru member, voiced frustration over "English immigrants" moving into traditionally Welsh speaking communities. Glyn was commenting on a report underscoring the delima of rocketing house prices outstripping what locals could pay, with the report warning that '...traditional Welsh communities could die out..." as a consequence.
Much of the rural Welsh realistate market was driven by buyers looking for second homes for use as
holiday homes, or for retirement. Many buyers were drawn to Wales from England because of relitively inexpensive house prices in Wales as compared to house prices in England. The rise in home prices outpaced the average earnings income in Wales and ment that many local people couldn't afford to purchase their first home. Holiday home owners spend less then six months of the year in the local community.
The issue of locals being priced out of the local housing market is common to many rural communities throughout Britain, but in Wales the added dimension of language further complicated the issue, as many new residents didn't learn the Welsh language.
Concerned for the Welsh language under these pressures, Glyn said "Once you've more than 50% of anybody living in a community that speaks a foreign language, then you lose your indigenous tongue almost immediately".
Plaid Cymru had long advocated controls on second homes, and a 2001 taskforce headed by Dafydd Wigley recommended land should be allocated for affordable local housing, and called for grants for locals to buy houses, and recommended council tax on holiday homes should double, following similar measures in the
Scottish Highlands. According to planners in Snowdonia and Pembroke applicants for new homes must demonstrate a proven local need or the applicant had strong links with the area.
Emergence of Llais Gwynedd
In 2008 a previously unheard of regionalist pressure group won several seats on Gwynedd Council.
Llais Gwynedd, or
Voice of Gwynedd demands an end to cut backs in rural areas threatening schools, a relaxation of planning controls, action to provide rural employment and calls for more to be done to protect Gwynedd's "unique cultural, linguistic and social fabric".
Electoral divisions, areas and committees
The council operates a decentralised system of administration, with three
area committees:
Arfon
Dwyfor
Meirionnydd
Electoral divisions
The county borough is divided into 71 electoral wards returning 75 councillors. There are a number of elected community councils in the region. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '* ':
Arfon
Dwyfor
Meirionnydd
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gwynedd Council'.
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