Rhondda Cynon Taff
Encyclopedia : R : RH : RHO : Rhondda Cynon Taff
- For other uses of "", see ) is a county borough in Glamorgan, south Wales.
The district borders Merthyr Tydfil and Caerphilly to the east, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to the south, Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot to the west and Powys to the north. Its main towns are Aberdare, Mountain Ash and Pontypridd. It also is one of the most impoverished areas of the UK.
See List of places in Rhondda Cynon Taff for a list of towns and villages.
History
The county borough was formed on April 1, 1996, by the merger of the former Mid Glamorgan districts of Cynon Valley, Rhondda and Taff-Ely apart from Pentyrch, which was added to Cardiff. Its name reflects all these, and the rivers Cynon, Rhondda and Taff.Industry
The district developed from the discovery and mining, primarily for export, of high quality Welsh coals, such as Anthracite, via Cardiff and Barry docks. The landscape was dominated by coal waste heaps and deep mine pit-heads. Many of the roads are lined with semi-ribbon development of closely packed Victorian terraces of houses which have given the Rhondda valleys their distinctive appearance. In the 1980s, privatisation of British Coal resulted in the closure of many of the coal mining activities in the valleys, devastating the local economy.As deep mines closed, a number of very large open-cast coal mines were created and remain in operation especially towards the north of the area.
The Welsh Development Agency, which was formed in 1976 to help reverse the economic down-turn in Wales caused by the recession in both the coal and Steel industries, was very active in the Rhondda Cynon Taff area in supporting and encouraging industrial and commercial re-generation.
Environment
The Coal industry has had major adverse impacts on the quality of the environment such that most of the rivers were severely polluted to the exclusion of all fish life. Recent decades have shown great improvement with Salmon recorded from the River Taff and the River Rhondda but the continued presence of man-made obstacles in the rivers is inhibiting their return to their pre-industrial condition.Government
The area is governed by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council.Electoral divisions
The county borough is divided into 52 electoral wards returning 75 councillors. Some of these wards are coterminous with communities (parishes) of the same name. Some communities have their own elected council. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':Ward Communities (Parishes) Other geographic areas Aberaman North That part of the Community of Aberaman specified in relation to the existing district ward of Aberaman North in column 2 of Schedule 1 to the Borough of Cynon Valley (Electoral Arrangements ) Order 1983(a) Aberaman South That part of the Community of Aberaman not contained in the electoral division of Aberaman North Abercynon Abercynon Aberdare East That part of the Community of Aberdare specified in relation to the existing district ward of Aberdare East in column 2 of Schedule 1 to the Borough of Cynon Valley (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1983 Aberdare West/Llwydcoed The Community of Llwydcoed and that part of the Community of Aberdare not contained in the electoral division of Aberdare East Beddau Llantrisant* (Beddau ward) Brynna Llanharan* (Brynna and Llanilid wards) Church Village Llantwit Fardre* (Church Village ward) Cilfynydd Pontypridd Town* (Cilfynydd ward) Cwm Clydach Cwm Clydach Cwmbach Cwmbach Cymmer - Cymmer
- Trehafod
Ferndale Ferndale Gilfach Goch Gilfach Goch* Glyncoch Pontypridd Town* (Glyncoch ward) Graig Pontypridd Town* (Graig ward) Hawthorn Pontypridd Town* (Hawthorn and Rhydfelen Lower wards) Hirwaun Hirwaun* (Hirwaun ward) Llanharan Llanharan* (Llanharan ward) Llanharry Llanharry* Llantrisant Town Llantrisant* (Llantrisant Town ward) Llantwit Fardre Llantwit Fardre* (Efail Isaf and Llantwit Fardre wards) Llwyn-y-pia Llwyn-y-pia Maerdy Maerdy Mountain Ash East That part of the Community of Mountain Ash specified in relation to the existing district ward of Mountain Ash East in column 2 of Schedule 1 to the Borough of Cynon Valley (Electoral Arrangements) Order 1983 Mountain Ash West That part of the Community of Mountain Ash not contained in the electoral division of Mountain Ash East Penrhiwceiber Penrhiwceiber Pentre Pentre Pen-y-graig Pen-y-graig Pen-y-waun Pen-y-waun Pont-y-clun Pont-y-clun* Pontyclun Pontypridd Town Pontypridd Town* (Town ward) Porth Porth Rhigos Rhigos* - Hirwaun* (Penderyn ward)
Rhondda (electoral ward) Pontypridd Town* (Rhondda ward) Rhydfelen Central/Ilan Pontypridd Town* (Ilan and Rhydfelen Central wards) Taffs Well Taffs Well* Talbot Green Llantrisant* (Talbot Green ward) Ton-teg Llantwit Fardre* (Ton-teg ward) Tonypandy Tonypandy Tonyrefail East Tonyrefail* (Coedely, Collena and Tylcha wards) Tonyrefail West Tonyrefail* (Penrhiw-fer, Thomastown and Tynybryn wards) Trallwng Pontypridd Town* (Trallwng ward) Trealaw Trealaw Treforest Pontypridd Town* (Treforest ward) Treherbert Treherbert Treorchy Treorchy Tylorstown Tylorstown Tyn-y-nant Llantrisant* (Tyn-y-nant ward) Ynyshir Ynyshir Ynysybwl Ynysybwl and Coed-y-Cwm* Ystrad Ystrad External links
Principal areas of Wales Subdivisions created by the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994
Anglesey | Blaenau Gwent | Bridgend | Caerphilly | Cardiff | Carmarthenshire | Ceredigion | Conwy | Denbighshire | Flintshire | Gwynedd | Merthyr Tydfil | Monmouthshire | Neath Port Talbot | Newport | Pembrokeshire | Powys | Rhondda Cynon Taff | Swansea | Torfaen | Vale of Glamorgan | Wrexham
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