City and County of Swansea Council

The City and County of Swansea Council () is the governing body for one of the Principal Areas of Wales covering Swansea, Gower and the surrounding area. The council consists of 72 councillors representing 36 electoral wards.

The council is currently controlled by the Liberal Democrats and is led by Councillor Christopher Holley.

Political makeup

Elections take place every four years. The last election was 1 May 2008.

Current composition

Historic results

source:

<!--Labour, 32; Liberal Democrats 19; Swansea Independents Association, 8; Plaid Cymru, 5; Conservative, 4; independents 3; People’s Representative, 1.-->Between 1996 and 2004, the council was under Labour control. Since 2004 there has been no overral control and the council has been led by a Liberal Democrats coalition with an alliance with the Independents and the Conservatives, termed the Swansea Administration. However these figures changed during the 2004-2008 period with the defection of Cllr. Keith Morgan from Plaid Cymru to the Welsh Liberal Democrats in 2005 and Cllr. Rene Kinzett from the Welsh Liberal Democrats to the Conservatives in 2006.

Following the 2008 elections, the Liberal Democrats agreed with the Independents to form another coalition for the next four years.

Municipal History

Swansea's first charter was granted sometime between 1158-1184 by William de Newburgh, 3rd Earl of Warwick. The charter gave Swansea the status of a borough, granting the townsmen, called burgess...
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