Wrexham County Borough Council
Local government authority in north-east Wales
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Wrexham County Borough Council (Welsh: Cyngor Bwrdeistref Sirol Wrecsam) is the local authority for the city and county borough of Wrexham, one of the principal areas of Wales. Located in North Wales, it covers Wrexham and the surrounding area.
Wrexham County Borough Council | |
|---|---|
| |
| Type | |
| Type | |
| History | |
| Founded | 1 April 1996 |
| Preceded by | Clwyd County Council Wrexham Maelor |
| Leadership | |
Chief Executive (interim) | Alwyn Jones since January 2025[2] |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 56 councillors[3] |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 5 years |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | 5 May 2022 |
Next election | 6 May 2027 |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Guildhall, Wrexham, LL11 1AY | |
| Website | |
| www | |
History
Wrexham County Borough Council was created in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. The new county borough of Wrexham covered all of the district of Wrexham Maelor and a small part of the Glyndŵr district, both of which were part of the county of Clwyd. On 1 April 1996 the new Wrexham County Borough Council took over the county-level functions previously performed by Clwyd County Council and the district-level functions from the two district councils, which were abolished.[4]
On 1 September 2022 the county borough was awarded city status, but the council continues to style itself "Wrexham County Borough Council".[5]
In November 2023, a councillor's annual basic salary was £17,600, with the council proposing an increase of 6% to £18,666.[6]
Political control
The council has been under no overall control since 1999. Since the 2022 election the council has been led by a coalition of the "Independent Group", comprising 21 of the independent councillors, and the Conservatives.[7] The council's one Liberal Democrat councillor joined the administration in December 2022.[8]
The first election to the new council was held in 1995, initially operating as a shadow authority before coming into its powers on 1 April 1996. Political control of the council since 1996 has been as follows:[9]
| Party in control | Years | |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 1996–1999 | |
| No overall control | 1999–present | |
Leadership
The role of Mayor of Wrexham is largely ceremonial. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 1996 have been:
| Councillor | Party | From | To | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Coleman[10] | Labour | 1 Apr 1996 | May 1997 | |
| Malcolm King[11] | Labour | 21 May 1997 | May 1998 | |
| Neil Rogers[12][13] | Labour | 6 May 1998 | May 2000 | |
| Shân Wilkinson[14][15] | Labour | 17 May 2000 | Jun 2004 | |
| Neil Rogers[16][17] | Labour | 23 Jun 2004 | 9 Mar 2005 | |
| Aled Roberts[18][19] | Liberal Democrats | 9 Mar 2005 | May 2011 | |
| Ron Davies[20][21] | Liberal Democrats | 18 May 2011 | May 2012 | |
| Neil Rogers[22][23] | Labour | 23 May 2012 | 2 Sep 2014 | |
| Independent | 2 Sep 2014 | 24 Sep 2014 | ||
| Mark Pritchard[24] | Independent | 24 Sep 2014 | ||
Composition
Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to August 2025, the composition of the council was:[25][26][27]
| Party | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| Independent | 26 | |
| Labour | 14 | |
| Conservative | 8 | |
| Plaid Cymru | 7 | |
| Liberal Democrats | 1 | |
| Total | 56 | |
Of the independent councillors, 21 sit as the "Independent Group" which also includes the one Liberal Democrat councillor, two form the "Progressive Independent" group, and the other three do not belong to any group.[28] The next election is due in 2027.[29]
Elections
Since 2012, elections have taken place every five years. The last election was 5 May 2022.[30]
| Year | Seats | Independent | Labour | Plaid Cymru | Conservative | Liberal Democrats | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 51 | 11[a] | 33 | 0 | 3 | 4 | Labour majority control |
| 1999 | 52 | 15[b] | 26 | 0 | 4 | 7 | New ward boundaries.[31] |
| 2004 | 52 | 20[c] | 19 | 0 | 3 | 10 | |
| 2008 | 52 | 20 | 11 | 4 | 5 | 12 | |
| 2012 | 52 | 19 | 23 | 1 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2017 | 52 | 26 | 12 | 3 | 9 | 2 | |
| 2022[32] | 56 | 23 | 14 | 9 | 9 | 1 | No overall control; Independent / Conservative coalition. New ward boundaries.[33] |
- Includes three candidates elected as Independent Labour.
- Includes five candidates elected as Independent Labour.
- Includes one candidate elected to represent Forward Wales.
Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.
Premises
The council is based at the Guildhall off Rhosddu Road in the centre of Wrexham, overlooking the open space of Llwyn Isaf. The Guildhall was built between 1959 and 1961 for the original Wrexham Borough Council. It subsequently served as the headquarters of Wrexham Maelor Borough Council between 1974 and 1996, when the current Wrexham County Borough Council was created.[34]
Electoral divisions
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The county borough is divided into forty-nine electoral wards returning fifty-six councillors. There are 35 communities in the county borough, some of which have their own elected council.
| Electoral ward (2022–) |
Welsh name (if applicable)[33][35] |
No. of councillors [35][36] |
Communities and community council wards[i][35][36] | Councillor elected in May 2022 election[37][38] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Acrefair North | Gogledd Acre-fair | 1 | Cefn (Plas Madoc community ward and Acrefair and Penybryn community ward) | Paul Blackwell (Labour) |
| Acton and Maesydre | Gwaunyterfyn a Maes-y-dre | 2 | Acton (Acton Central, Acton Park and Maesydre community wards) | Becca Martin (Plaid Cymru)
Corin Jarvis (Labour) |
| Bangor Is-y-Coed | Bangor-is-y-coed | 1 | Bangor Is-y-Coed
Willington Worthenbury (Willington and Worthenbury wards) |
Robert Ian Williams (Conservative) |
| Borras Park | Parc Borras | 1 | Acton (Borras Park ward) | Debbie Wallice (Conservative) |
| Bronington and Hanmer | Bronington a Hanmer | 1 | Bronington (Bronington, Iscoyd and Tybroughton community wards)
Hanmer (Halghton and Hanmer community wards) |
Jeremy Alexander Newton (Conservative) |
| Brymbo | 2 | Brymbo
(Brymbo ward and Vron ward) |
Paul Rogers (Independent)
Gary Brown (Labour) | |
| Bryn Cefn | 1 | Broughton (Bryn Cefn ward and parts of Brynteg ward) | Beverley Parry-Jones (Conservative) | |
| Brynyffynnon | 1 | Offa (Part of Brynffynon and Offa community wards) | Phill Wynn (Independent) | |
| Cartrefle | 1 | Caia Park (Cartrefle ward) | Ronnie Prince (Independent) | |
| Cefn East | Dwyrain Cefn | 1 | Cefn (Parts of Cefn community ward, and Rhosymedre and Cefn Bychan community ward) | Derek William Wright (Labour) |
| Cefn West | Gorllewin Cefn | 1 | Cefn (Part of Acrefair and Penybryn ward, and parts of Rhosymedre and Cefn community wards) | Stella Matthews (Labour) |
| Chirk North | Gogledd y Waun | 1 | Chirk (North ward) | Frank Hemmings (Labour) |
| Chirk South | De'r Waun | 1 | Chirk (South ward) | Terry Evans (Independent) |
| Coedpoeth | Coed-poeth | 2 | Coedpoeth | Krista Childs (Labour)
Anthony Wedlake (Labour) |
| Dyffryn Ceiriog | 1 | Trevor Raymond Bates (Independent) | ||
| Erddig | 1 | Offa (Erddig ward and part of Offa ward) | Paul Anthony Roberts (Conservative) | |
| Esclusham | 1 | Esclusham (Bersham and Rhostyllen wards) | Mark Pritchard (Independent) | |
| Garden Village[ii] | 1 | Rhosddu (Garden Village ward) | Andy Williams (Independent) | |
| Gresford East and West | Dwyrain a Gorllewin Gresffordd | 1 | Gresford (East and West wards) | Jeremy Kent (Conservative) |
| Grosvenor | 1 | Rhosddu (Grosvenor ward) | Marc Jones (Plaid Cymru) | |
| Gwenfro | 1 | Broughton (Gwenfro ward and parts of New Broughton and Brynteg community wards) | Nigel Williams (Independent) | |
| Gwersyllt East | Dwyrain Gwersyllt | 1 | Gwersyllt (East ward and parts of South ward) | Tina Mannering (Independent) |
| Gwersyllt North | Gogledd Gwersyllt | 1 | Gwersyllt (North ward) | Emma Holland (Plaid Cymru) |
| Gwersyllt South | De Gwersyllt | 1 | Gwersyllt (Part of South ward) | Peter Howell (Plaid Cymru) |
| Gwersyllt West | Gorllewin Gwersyllt | 1 | Gwersyllt (West ward) | Annette Davies (Plaid Cymru) |
| Hermitage | 1 | Offa (Hermitage ward) | Graham Rogers (Labour) | |
| Holt | 1 | Holt (entire community) | Michael Morris (Conservative) | |
| Little Acton | Acton Fechan | 1 | Acton (Little Acton ward) | Bill Baldwin (Independent) |
| Llangollen Rural | Llangollen Wledig | 1 | Llangollen Rural | Rondo Roberts (Independent) |
| Llay | Llai | 2 | Llay | Rob Walsh (Independent)
Bryan Apsley (Labour) |
| Marchwiel[iii] | 1 | Erbistock
Marchwiel |
John Pritchard (Independent) | |
| Marford and Hoseley | Marford a Hoseley | 1 | Gresford (Marford and Hoseley ward) | Beryl Blackmore (Liberal Democrats) |
| Minera | Mwynglawdd[iv] | 1 |
|
Jerry Wellens (Labour) |
| New Broughton | 1 | Broughton (Parts of Brynteg and New Broughton community wards) | Claire Lovett (Independent) | |
| Offa | 1 | Offa (Part of Offa community ward and Brynyffynnon community ward) | Katie Wilkinson (Plaid Cymru) | |
| Overton and Maelor South | Owrtyn a De Maelor | 1 | Overton
Maelor South (Penley and Bettisfield wards) |
John Bernard McCusker (Independent) |
| Pant and Johnstown | Pant a Johnstown | 2 | Rhosllanerchrugog(Johnstown community ward and Pant community ward) | Steve Joe Jones (Independent)
David A Bithell (Independent) |
| Penycae | Pen-y-cae | 1 | Penycae (Eitha ward) | John Conrad Phillips (Independent) |
| Penycae and Ruabon South | Pen-y-cae a De Rhiwabon | 1 |
|
Alison Tynan (Independent) |
| Ponciau | 1 | Esclusham ( Pentrebychan ward)
Rhosllanerchrugog (parts of Ponciau North, and Ponciau South wards) |
Paul Pemberton (Independent) | |
| Queensway | 1 | Caia Park (Queensway ward) | Carrie Harper (Plaid Cymru) | |
| Rhos | 1 | Esclusham (Aberoer ward)
Rhosllanerchrugog (Rhos ward; parts of Ponciau North and Ponciau South wards) |
Fred Roberts (Independent) | |
| Rhosnesni | 2 | Acton (Rhosnesni community ward) | Mike Davies (Independent)
Andy Gallanders (Plaid Cymru) | |
| Rossett | Yr Orsedd | 2 | Rossett (Allington and Burton wards) | Hugh Jones (Conservative)
Ross Edward Shepherd (Conservative) |
| Ruabon | Rhiwabon | 1 | Ruabon (North ward) | Dana Davies (Labour) |
| Smithfield | 1 | Caia Park (Part of Smithfield ward and part of Whitegate ward) | Paul Williams (Plaid Cymru) | |
| Stansty | 1 | Rhosddu (Stansty ward) | David Bithell (Independent) | |
| Whitegate | 1 | Caia Park (Part of Whitegate ward and Abenbury ward) | Brian Paterson Cameron (Labour) | |
| Wynnstay | 1 | Caia Park (Wynnstay community ward and parts of Smithfield community ward) | Malcolm Christopher King (Labour) | |
See also
Notes
- All wards listed in this column are referring to the community electoral wards for their respective community councils. These wards are within the brackets following the name of the community. Many community wards share names with current and former county borough council electoral wards.
- "Pentre Yr Ardd", with "Yr" capitalised in source, was a name suggested by Wrexham County Borough Council for the electoral ward.[39] However, this recommendation was not applied, English name "Garden Village" is used in Welsh, following the Welsh Language Commissioner's standardisation policy,[40] as the commissioner stated they have no evidence of a used Welsh name for the settlement.
- The Welsh name Marchwiail was proposed by the LDBCW to be the name for the ward in both Welsh and English, but rejected by the Welsh Government in July 2021. The ward would be known as Marchwiel in both Welsh and English.
- Initially proposed as Y Mwynglawdd by the LDBCW, rejected by the Welsh Government in July 2021 for Mwynglawdd.