25-578: The Swansea barrage (or the Tawe barrage ) is a structure near the mouth of the River Tawe in Swansea , Wales. It was completed in 1992, creating a marina which extended the leisure boat facilities already being offered by the former South Dock. The barrage structure includes a boat lock , spillway , fish pass and generator turbine . The turbine serves a dual use: acting as a power generator for
50-434: A number of initiatives to better connect the urban areas on the west of the river with the more rural areas of Kilvey Hill and Crymlyn Bog beyond to the east. 51°37′N 3°56′W / 51.617°N 3.933°W / 51.617; -3.933 Swansea Council The City and County of Swansea Council ( Welsh : Cyngor Dinas a Sir Abertawe ), or simply Swansea Council ( Welsh : Cyngor Abertawe ),
75-696: Is a 30 miles (48 km) long river in South Wales . Its headwaters flow initially east from its source below Llyn y Fan Fawr south of Moel Feity in the Black Mountains , the westernmost range of the Brecon Beacons National Park , before the river turns south and then southwest to its estuary at Swansea . Its main tributaries are the right bank Upper and Lower Clydach Rivers and the Afon Twrch . The total area of
100-551: Is due in 2027. Since 2012, elections have taken place every five years. The last election was 5 May 2022. Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column. Between 1996 and 2004, the council was under Labour control. Between 2004 and 2012 there was no overall control and the council was led by a coalition of the Liberal Democrats, Independents and the Conservatives, termed
125-460: Is extended as far as requiring permission and payment for bridges which are built over it. This was last exercised in 2008 when Swansea Council was required to pay £281,431 to the estate, as revealed by a Freedom of Information request. The lower part of the valley was intensely industrialised in the 18th and 19th centuries and was especially impacted by metal refining and working and to a much lesser extent by porcelain manufacture. Large areas of
150-556: Is the local authority for the city and county of Swansea , one of the principal areas of Wales . The principal area also includes rural areas to the north of the built-up area of Swansea and the Gower Peninsula to the west. The council consists of 75 councillors representing 32 electoral wards. Since 2012 the council has been controlled by the Labour Party . Swansea was an ancient borough . The town's first charter
175-501: The Civic Centre , on Oystermouth Road, overlooking Swansea Bay . The Civic Centre was completed in 1982 as County Hall for the former West Glamorgan County Council. The Lord Mayor of Swansea ( Welsh : Arglwydd Faer Abertawe ) is a senior member of the elected Council. Swansea has had a Mayor since it became a borough in 1835. The dignity of Lord Mayor was conferred on the city by Queen Elizabeth II on 22 March 1982 to celebrate
200-471: The Lliw Valley district to form a unitary authority , called the 'City and County of Swansea' ( Welsh : Dinas a Sir Abertawe .) 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 held by the following parties: The first leader of the council following
225-576: The National Grid as well as being used to pump water back into the Tawe river system. The barrage has an installed generating capacity of 200kW. The barrage scheme gave rise to a number of environmental concerns. Fish navigation up the river and dissolved oxygen levels were problems that arose after completion. Salt water that came in at high spring tides sank to the bottom and stayed there, reducing oxygen levels. The Environmental Advice Centre
250-627: The Swansea Administration. Labour regained control of the council at the 2012 election and retained control at the 2017 and 2022 elections. Following a local government boundary review, the number of wards in Swansea was reduced from 36 to 32. The changes took effect from the 2022 local elections . The boundaries of 15 wards remained unchanged, but a number of other wards were merged, or radically altered, with new wards such as Mumbles and Waterfront created. The following table lists
275-647: The catchment is some 246 km (95 sq mi). The Tawe passes through a number of towns and villages including Ystradgynlais , Ystalyfera , Pontardawe , and Clydach and meets the sea at Swansea Bay below Swansea. The Tawe Valley ( Cwm Tawe in Welsh ) is more commonly known as the Swansea Valley . Ownership of the riverbed was granted to the Duke of Beaufort in the 17th century by Charles II resulting in exclusive mineral and fishing rights, which
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#1732787322182300-693: The council today were granted by the College of Arms in 1922. The motto is 'Floreat Swansea'. The Arms are blazoned as follows: The Arms are symbolic to an extent: the blue and white wavy bars represent the sea, since Swansea is a port town; the Castle represents the Medieval fortifications of the Town; the lion as dexter supporter and on the Inescutcheon commemorates the link with the de Breos family; and
325-860: The dragon as sinister supporter is the National Emblem of Wales and is a supporter in the Achievement of Arms of the present Lord Swansea. In April 1974, the City of Swansea was merged with the Gower Rural District to form the new District and City of Swansea . The Arms granted to the Corporation of the County Borough of Swansea in 1922 were transferred unchanged to the new City Council in May 1975. The Certificate of Transfer of
350-678: The export of saline water from the system. Following the success of the River Tawe aeration scheme, the city of Cardiff used the same method to improve the quality of the water in its newly created bay. Other fears that arose with the building of the barrage such as the raising of the water table causing ground subsidence problems in the low-lying areas around the River Tawe did not materialize. 51°36′58″N 3°55′44″W / 51.616°N 3.929°W / 51.616; -3.929 River Tawe The River Tawe ( / ˈ t aʊ i / ; Welsh : Afon Tawe [ˈtau.ɛ] )
375-465: The lower valley remain contaminated by industrial spoil containing copper , lead , nickel and zinc . The only significant extant relic of those times is a major nickel refinery at Clydach which is part of the Canadian company Vale Inco . The quality of the river has now greatly improved. Large salmon swim up the river to spawn , whilst trout are in abundance. In 1992, a barrage was built at
400-606: The mouth of the river. National Cycle Route 43 follows this river for much of its course. Bridges over the River Tawe within the City and County of Swansea , from north to south: There are plans for further housing developments on both east and west banks of the River Tawe and a proposal to operate river taxis along the river. A report was commissioned by Natural Resources Wales in 2015 as part of its 'Tawe Trial' initiative - completed by regeneration consultants Trilein Ltd. it recommended
425-465: The new West Glamorgan County Council providing county-level services. The district of Swansea created in 1974 was larger than the old county borough, also covering the area of the abolished Gower Rural District . In 1996, under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 , further local government reform saw West Glamorgan County Council abolished and the district of Swansea merged with parts of
450-441: The post-2022 county/community wards, the numbers of councillors elected and the communities they cover. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*': * = Communities which elect a community council = Ward coterminous with community of the same name Council meetings are generally held at Swansea Guildhall , which was completed in 1934 for the old county borough council. The council's main offices are at
475-452: The reforms in 1996, Tom Jones, was the last leader of West Glamorgan County Council. The leaders of Swansea Council since 1996 have been: Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2024, the composition of the council was: The Liberal Democrats, local party Independents@Swansea and five of the independent councillors sit together as the 'Liberal Democrats and Independent Opposition Group'. The next election
500-584: The then County Borough of Swansea in 1922 and renamed the Mansion House. The logo of the City and County of Swansea depicts a stylised Osprey . It is shown with the name of the council written beneath it or beside it, both in Welsh (Cyngor Abertawe) and English (Swansea Council). An older version of the logo displayed the text written in a ring around the Osprey pictogram. The official coat of arms used by
525-709: The wedding of Charles, Prince of Wales . The status was confirmed on 1 April 1996 when the Unitary Authority of the City and County of Swansea came into being. The style of the Lord Mayor is "The Right Worshipful the Lord Mayor of Swansea". The official residence is the Mansion House in Ffynone, which was originally built as the home of a previous mayor, Evan Matthew Richards. It was purchased by
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#1732787322182550-435: Was commissioned to undertake an aeration scheme trial in the Tawe in the summer of 1998. The system was based on a diffuser design and propeller mixer, which proved highly effective at exporting the salt water from the deep area of the trial site and raising dissolved oxygen concentrations at the bed. Following the success of the trial system, a more extensive system was designed for installation in 1999–2000. The installation
575-428: Was conducted using a diving team to ensure optimal location of the diffusers within the river channel. The installation was expected to treat all the problem areas over a 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) long reach of river and ameliorate the poor water quality present in these areas. Monitoring results from the system installed to date have indicated that aeration has effectively raised the oxygen concentration and assisted in
600-492: Was considered large enough to run its own county-level services, and so it became a county borough , independent from Glamorgan County Council . Swansea County Borough Council was the local authority from 1889 until 1974. It gained city status in 1969, allowing the council to call itself Swansea City Council. In 1974, under the Local Government Act 1972 , Swansea became a lower-tier district council , with
625-517: Was granted sometime between 1158 and 1184 by William de Newburgh, 3rd Earl of Warwick . The charter granted the townsmen (called burgesses ) certain rights to develop the area. A second charter was granted in 1215 by King John . The borough was reformed under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835 to become a municipal borough . When elected county councils were established in 1889 under the Local Government Act 1888 , Swansea
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