Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council (or simply Neath Port Talbot Council) is the local authority for the county borough of Neath Port Talbot, one of the 22 principal areas of Wales. The council is based at the Civic Centre in Port Talbot. The council was controlled by the Labour Party from its creation in 1996 until 2022, when Plaid Cymru and a group of independent councillors agreed to share power.

Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council Bwrdeistref Sirol Castell-nedd Port Talbot
History
Founded	1 April 1996
Preceded by	West Glamorgan County Council Port Talbot Neath Lliw Valley (part)
Leadership
Mayor	Wayne Carpenter, Independent since 8 May 2025[1][2]
Leader	Steve Hunt, Independent since 7 June 2022
Chief Executive	Frances O’Brien since November 2024[3]
Structure
Seats	60 councillors[4]
Political groups	Administration (28)   Independent (17)   Plaid Cymru (11) Other parties (32)   Labour (26)   Liberal Democrats (3)   Green (1)   Independent (2)
Length of term	5 years
Elections
Voting system	First past the post
First election	4 May 1995
Last election	5 May 2022
Next election	6 May 2027
Meeting place
Civic Centre, Port Talbot, SA13 1PJ
Website
www.npt.gov.uk

History

The county borough and its council were created on 1 April 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994. The borough covered the combined area of the two former districts of Port Talbot and Neath, as well as a smaller area from Lliw Valley (the majority of which went to Swansea). The new council also took over county-level responsibilities in the area from the abolished West Glamorgan County Council. The 1994 Act originally specified that the borough should be called "Neath and Port Talbot".^[5] The new authority was elected in 1995, but acted as a shadow authority alongside the outgoing county and district councils until the new arrangements took effect the following year. During that time, the shadow authority requested a change of name from "Neath and Port Talbot" to "Neath Port Talbot". The government confirmed the change with effect from 2 April 1996, one day after the new council came into being.^[6]

Political control

Since the 2022 election, the council has been under no overall control. On 23 May 2022, it was announced that a coalition between the Plaid Cymru and Independent groups would lead the council.^[7] The Liberal Democrats and Green Party members would support the coalition via a confidence and supply agreement. Independent councillor Steve Hunt became the new leader of council, with Plaid Cymru councillor Alun Llewelyn as the new deputy leader.^[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	1996–2022
	No overall control	2022–present

Leadership

The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Neath Port Talbot. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The first leader, Noel Crowley, had been the last leader of the old Port Talbot Borough Council.^[10] The leaders since 1996 have been:

Councillor	Party		From	To
Noel Crowley[11][12]		Labour	1 Apr 1996	Jun 2004
Derek Vaughan[13][14]		Labour	25 Jun 2004	May 2009
Ali Thomas[15][16]		Labour	15 May 2009	May 2017
Rob Jones[17][18][19]		Labour	26 May 2017	6 Mar 2021
Ted Latham[20][21]		Labour	17 Mar 2021	May 2022
Steve Hunt[22]		Independent	7 Jun 2022

Composition

Following the 2022 election and subsequent by-elections and changes of allegiance up to July 2025, the composition of the council was:^[23]

Party		Councillors
	Labour	26
	Independent	19
	Plaid Cymru	11
	Liberal Democrats	3
	Green	1
Total		60

As of July 2025, seventeen of the independent councillors sit together as the "Independent Group", which forms the council's administration with Plaid Cymru. One independent sits with the Liberal Democrats as the "Coedffranc Liberal & Independent" group, and the other independent does not belong to a group.^[24] The next election is due in 2027.^[23]

Elections

Elections take place every five years, electing sixty councillors. The last election was 5 May 2022.^[25]

Year	Seats	Labour	Plaid Cymru	Independent	Liberal Democrats	Green	Others	Notes
1995[26]	65	52	3	8	2	0	0	Labour majority control
1999	64	40	10	7	2	0	5	Labour majority control
2004	64	36	10	7	2	0	9	Labour majority control
2008	64	37	11	9	4	0	3	Labour majority control
2012	64	52	8	4	0	0	0	Labour majority control
2017	64	43	15	5	1	0	0	Labour majority control
2022	60	27	12	18	2	1	0	No overall control; Independent / Plaid Cymru coalition[8]

Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.

Premises

The council's main offices are at the Civic Centre in Port Talbot, which had been built in 1987 for the former Port Talbot Borough Council.^[27][28] Other offices are located at the New Neath Civic Centre, and The Quays in Baglan Bay.

When created in 1996, the council also inherited the former Neath Civic Centre, which was subsequently demolished in 2008 to make way for a retail development.^[29]

Electoral wards

Pre-2022 electoral wards in Neath Port Talbot

Following a 2021 local government boundary review, the number of electoral wards dropped from 42 to 34, with the number of elected councillors reducing from 64 to 60, effective from the 2022 local elections.^[30]

Prior to this, the county borough was divided into 42 wards, listed below, returning a total of 64 councillors. Some of these wards are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name. There are 19 community councils in the county borough area. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':

Ward	Communities (Parishes)	Places covered
Aberavon	Aberavon
Aberdulais	Blaenhonddan* (Aberdulais and Cilfrew wards)	Cilfrew
Allt-Wen	Cilybebyll* (Allt-Wen ward)	Cilhendre, Trebanos
Baglan	Baglan and Baglan Bay	Baglan Moor
Blaengwrach	Blaengwrach* and Glynneath Town* (West Central ward)	Cwmgwrach
Briton Ferry East	Briton Ferry Town* (Craig-y-darren and Cwrt Sart wards)	Goytre
Briton Ferry West	Briton Ferry Town* (Brynhyfryd and Shelone Wood wards)	Giant's Grave
Bryn and Cwmavon	Bryn and Cwmafan	Brynbryddan, Pontrhydyfen
Bryncoch North	Blaenhonddan* (Bryn-côch North ward)
Bryncoch South	Blaenhonddan* (Bryn-côch South ward)
Cadoxton	Blaenhonddan* (Cadoxton ward)	Cilfrew
Cimla	Neath* Town (Cefn Saeson and Crynallt wards)	Cefn Saeson, Cimla
Coedffranc Central	Coedffranc* (East Central and Central wards)	Skewen, Caewathen
Coedffranc North	Coedffranc* (North ward)	Birchgrove, Moore Town, Longford, Skewen
Coedffranc West	Coedffranc* (West and West Central wards)	Coed Darcy, Crymlyn Bog, Crymlyn Burrows, Pant y Sais, Jersey Marine, Llandarcy, Skewen
Crynant	Crynant*	Tre-Forgan
Cwmllynfell	Cwmllynfell*	Bryn-Melyn, Pen Rhiw-fawr,
Cymmer	Glyncorrwg (Cymmer ward)
Dyffryn	Dyffryn Clydach*	Bryncoch, Dyffryn, Longford, Neath Abbey, White Gates
Glyncorrwg	Glyncorrwg (Glyncorrwg ward)
Glynneath	Glynneath Town* (East, Central and West wards)	Blaengwrach, Cwmgwrach, Morfa Glas, Rheola
Godre'r Graig	Ystalyfera* (Godre’r graig ward)	Cilmaengwyn
Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen	Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen* (Cwmgors and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen wards)	Cwmgors, Gwaun Laision.
Gwynfi	Glyncorrwg (Gwynfi ward)	Abergwynfi, Blaengwynfi
Lower Brynamman	Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen* (Lower Brynamman and Tai’r Gwaith wards)	Tairgwaith
Margam	Margam and Margam Moors
Neath East	Neath Town* (Melyncrythan and Penrhiwtyn wards)	Melincryddan, Pencaerau, Penrhiwtyn
Neath North	Neath Town* (Castle and Llantwit wards)	Llantwit
Neath South	Neath Town* (Gnoll and Mount Pleasant wards)	Cimla, Mount Pleasant
Onllwyn	Onllwyn*	Banwen, Dynffyn Cellwen
Pelenna	Pelenna*	Pontrhydyfen, Tonmawr
Pontardawe	Pontardawe Town* (Pontardawe and Rhyd-y-fro wards)	Rhyd-y-fro, Ynysmeudwy
Port Talbot	Port Talbot	Cirrinau, Cwm Dyffryn, Mynydd Emroch, Pen y Cae, Velindre
Resolven	Clyne and Resolven*
Rhos	Cilybebyll* (Gellinudd and Rhos wards)	Cilmaengwyn, Gellinudd
Sandfields East	Sandfields East
Sandfields West	Sandfields West
Seven Sisters	Seven Sisters*	Bryndulais, Tynewydd
Taibach	Taibach	Goytre
Tonna	Tonna*
Trebanos	Pontardawe Town* (Trebanos ward)	Craig Trebanos, Pontardawe
Ystalyfera	Ystalyfera* (Ystalyfera ward)	Gurnos

Council Interests

The Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council administrates or jointly controls a number of business interests, which include:

• Afan Forest Park
• Margam Country Park

Arms

Coat of arms of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council

Notes Granted 10 May 1997 by the College of Arms. Crest Issuant from a mural crown Sable a demi Cistercian monk habited Proper holding aloft in the dexter hand a clarion Vert. Escutcheon Per chevron Vert and Argent per chevron removed to the dexter and per chevron removed to the sinister all counterchanged in dexter chief a plate charged with an annulet embattled on the outer edge Sable. Supporters On either side a dragon Gules mutually gorged Argent and holding in the exterior claws by a cord with twists alternately Argent and Vert a pine cone also Vert dimidiating a goutte Sable. Motto Llwyddo Drwy Ymdrech[31] Badge Within a mascle gobonny Argent and Gules suspended from a cord with a loop passing over and behind the apex twisted alternately Argent and Vert a pine cone also Vert dimidiating a goutte Sable.