West Glamorgan ( Welsh : Gorllewin Morgannwg ) is a former administrative county in South Wales. It is now a preserved county .
58-488: West Glamorgan was one of the divisions of the ancient county of Glamorgan . It was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the county borough of Swansea , the municipal boroughs of Neath and Port Talbot , the urban districts of Glyncorrwg and Llwchwr , Gower Rural District, Pontardawe Rural District, and all of Neath Rural District except the parish of Rhigos . From 1982,
116-631: A Vote Leave voice in the Welsh Conservatives. In Spring 2018, a text was reportedly sent by Cairns which discussed with Welsh Conservative AMs how and when to remove Davies. Davies initially only stated that a figure in Westminster had sent the text, but refused to name the individual. This text was reportedly sent to Davies by accident, describing how "the other end of the M4" were in support of his replacement. In around April 2018, it
174-420: A heron , both with a fish in their beaks, and wearing a chain round their necks. The osprey is standing on water, and the heron on a ploughed field. The motto is Cadarn pob cyfiawn ( Welsh : 'The just are strong'). The chevronels derive from the arms of the de Clare family; the pine cones represent forestry; the black drops ( gouttes ) the oil industry; and the black lozenge, coal. The four cogwheels above
232-520: A Leave vote in the 2016 Brexit referendum" which came against the wishes of then Prime Minister David Cameron , who had backed Remain. RT Davies was appointed as Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Sustainability, and Rural Affairs by Paul Davies in September 2018. In the role RT Davies led criticism of Natural Resources Wales in November 2018, particularly around their selling of timber on
290-586: A Senedd Member. He did not contest the 2022 local elections. During the Brexit referendum campaign , Davies suggested Wales would be better off financially outside the European Union , stating that if the UK voted to leave, it could mean "Wales could be as much as half a billion pounds a year better off". In a July 2016 interview with WalesOnline, Davies insisted that, as a result of Brexit "Wales must not lose
348-624: A call for "dog-free areas" in the Welsh Countryside, based on an article in the Daily Mail which made the same claim. The Welsh Government described this as "inaccurate and a complete misrepresentation" of the report. Climate Cymru Ethnic Minorities - who were responsible for the portion of the report the line was included described it as being “out of context, misrepresented and used as clickbait to drive engagement.” Climate Cymru Ethnic Minorities asked Davies to remove his tweet about
406-424: A closed rather than open market. He proposed splitting NRW into two separate bodies, and described the "bloated and largely incompetent quango" body as "no longer fit for purpose". Plaid agriculture spokesman Llyr Gruffydd however stated the issues faced by NRW were down to the 35% real terms cut in their budget and the organisation being under resourced. In 2019, Davies was reported by Wales Online as having
464-511: A federalist system that will only serve to worsen, not solve, the issues present in Wales." On 24 July 2024, Davies wrote an article for the website of GB News entitled "Children SHOULD NOT be forced to eat Halal school lunches", referring to a story from a member of the public who had allegedly been told that there was no non-halal meat options at their child's school. He had further written to Vale of Glamorgan Council , who were responsible for
522-458: A female employee", necessitating a more secure location. They continued stating that "Andrew regularly hosts constituents and organisations at his office and if he knew a Western Mail journalist had intended to visit he would’ve been there to welcome him with the kettle on". Davies responded to concerns raised by Airbus in June 2018 regarding the threat of a no-deal Brexit by stating that "there
580-561: A member of the Conservative Party, and was only a member of the Conservative Senedd Group. In June 2018, Wales Online led an investigation into what they described as Davies keeping his "public constituency office hidden from the public". The piece stated the office was located in a "wooden cabin 50 yards beyond a vehicle security barrier on a rural farm estate". In a freedom of information response by
638-643: A no deal exit from the European Union. He described the avoidance of Brexit on 31 October as a "betrayal of democracy". He criticised First Minister Mark Drakeford for recalling the Welsh Assembly to debate Brexit, stating that the decision would "achieve nothing", and joined Conservative ministers in voting against a motion criticising the UK Government's handling of a no deal exit. Davies has frequently been critical of further devolution to
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#1732779540445696-416: A parallel system of administrative counties based on the historic counties in 1889. Additionally, certain boroughs were deemed to be county boroughs , outside the administrative counties ( Cardiff and Swansea in 1889, Newport in 1891 and Merthyr Tydfil in 1908). As a result of 85 years of local government boundary changes, the boundaries of the administrative counties became increasingly different from
754-533: A penny of the money that has historically flowed into Wales". However, after the referendum, the Secretary of State for Wales Alun Cairns , confirmed that the UK Government would in fact reduce the amount allocated for Wales (which the European Union had earmarked at £1.9 billion for the period 2014 to 2020). In the run-up to the UK's invocation of Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, Davies claimed that
812-543: A pregnant woman with the text "Welsh Government press release celebrates ‘birthing people.’ Wales makes womb for ‘birthing people.'" The Senedd Standards Committee found his tweet to be "a blatant lie", but did not say that any further action in relation to the breach of the Code of Conduct was warranted. In November 2024, he faced similar criticism for his allegation that the Wales Anti-racism action plan contained
870-475: A scandal involving possible breaches of Welsh COVID-19 regulations. He quickly appointed a Shadow Cabinet on the same day. This ceased to be the Shadow Cabinet on 29 March 2021, after Nick Ramsay left the Welsh Conservatives to contest the 2021 Senedd election as an independent. In the 2021 Senedd election, the Welsh Conservatives received 16 seats. Davies stated his intention to remain as leader of
928-590: A vital element in the framework of the national life and helps to preserve its continuity." In the 1536 acts of the Union, a Court of Great Sessions in Wales was created in Wales for four separate circuits. The circuits each had 3 counties involved. Some of the original territorial Marcher lordships were split into regional circuits and others were created from regions of the former Principality of Wales : The Counties (Detached Parts) Act 1844 abolished several enclaves . One of these, Welsh Bicknor (Llangystennin)
986-672: Is a lot of hyperbole flying around" regarding a no deal Brexit. The comments were criticised by Conservative figures including Guto Bebb . Bebb went on to dispute Davies title as "Leader of the Welsh Conservatives", stating he only led the Assembly group. Secretary of State Alun Cairns described Airbus' comments as a "wake-up call" for "one of the jewels in the crown of UK manufacturing". A number of Davies' Welsh Conservative colleagues, including Secretary of State Alun Cairns , Mr Davies' Deputy, Paul Davies , and Monmouth AM Nick Ramsay , were all Remain supporters, in contrast to Davies role as
1044-752: The 2001 general election , and Brecon and Radnorshire in 2005 . He served as Deputy Chairman (Political) for the Conservative Party in South Wales Central from 2002 to 2003, a region that comprises the Conservative Associations in Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Between 2004 and 2005 he was Deputy Chairman of the Cardiff West Conservative Association. In 2007 , he
1102-491: The 2024 United Kingdom riots . Davies' initial article and letter were described as "ham-fisted attempts at dog-whistle racism" and "Islamophobic race-baiting" by the Muslim Council of Wales. He also faced further criticism from within his own party, with Muslim MS Natasha Asghar saying she had "raised concerns" directly with Davies about his statements and Shadow Finance Minister Peter Fox and former leader of
1160-565: The Index of Place Names (IPN) published by the Office for National Statistics . Each "place" included in the IPN is related to the historic county it lies within, as well as to a set of administrative areas. The Historic Counties Trust has published demographic statistics for the historic counties of the UK from the 2011 United Kingdom census including a comparison of population and population density in
1218-688: The Welsh Conservative Group in the Senedd since 2021, previously holding the position from 2011 to 2018. He has been a Member of the Senedd (MS) since 2007 . He was elected Leader of the Welsh Conservatives in the Senedd on 14 July 2011, resigning the position on 27 June 2018. He was re-appointed as Welsh Conservative leader on 24 January 2021, following the resignation of Paul Davies . Andrew Robert Tudor Davies
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#17327795404451276-593: The Welsh Government should be denied the right to be part of Brexit negotiations on devolved areas. Despite his firm anti-EU stance, Davies' family firm TJ Davies and Sons had accepted a total of £96,808.89 in EU subsidies over the period 16 October 2013 to 15 October 2014 alone, including £70,930.63 allocated under the Single Area payment scheme, £24,099.86 in agro-environmental payments, and £1,728.40 from
1334-423: The preserved counties . The vice counties , used for biological recording throughout Great Britain and Ireland since 1852, are largely based on historic county boundaries. They ignore all exclaves and are modified by subdividing large counties and merging smaller areas into neighbouring counties. The static boundaries make longitudinal study of biodiversity easier. The historic counties of Wales are included in
1392-578: The Assembly Commission, the address of the office was confirmed as Penllyn Estate, Llwynhelig, Cowbridge CF71 7FF, a 1,200-acre mixed farm operation. The information only came to light after the FOI request by a Conservative Party member. A spokesperson for Davies responded to the investigation by stating the arrangements had been made "following a security incident at Andrew’s previous office on Cowbridge High Street where police attended to support
1450-809: The Norman conquest of southern Wales, of the Welsh Marches . Although the original Laws in Wales Act 1535 specifically stated the lands making up Monmouthshire were from the 'Country or Dominion of Wales', the Laws in Wales Act 1542 added Monmouthshire to the Oxford circuit of the English assizes rather than falling under the Court of Great Sessions in Wales . According to historian John Davies , this arrangement
1508-699: The Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS ( C ) Shadow Cabinet ( current ) Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP ( L ) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) Principal councils ( leader list ) Corporate Joint Committees Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy United Kingdom Parliament elections European Parliament elections (1979–2020) Local elections Police and crime commissioner elections Referendums The historic counties of Wales ( Welsh : siroedd hynafol ) were
1566-634: The Opposition again in April 2017, after Mark Reckless rejoined the Welsh Conservative Senedd group, making the Welsh Conservatives the second largest party in the Senedd again. RT Davies was criticised for allowing Reckless to rejoin the group, with Byron Davies , then Conservative MP for Gower describing it as "not a particularly bright idea," and Wales Secretary Alun Cairns clarifying that Reckless had not been allowed to become
1624-443: The Senedd's Code of Conduct by describing Wales' reduction of the default speed limit in built up areas from 30 to 20 as a "blanket" policy. His colleague and Shadow Transport Minister Natasha Asghar had been reprimanded prior to this for the same matter. . He was also found to have breached the Code of Conduct over a tweet in which posted an image from an article from Guido Fawkes , containing First Minister Vaughan Gething and of
1682-494: The Senedd. In In 2022, he called on candidates in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election to pledge that they would not grant further powers to Senedd. In 2024, he polled attendees of the Vale of Glamorgan County show on whether the Senedd should be abolished, prompting criticism from members of his own party. However, he has supported some policies that would increase Senedd powers, including supporting
1740-473: The Vale of Glamorgan show on whether the Senedd should be abolished, with several members of Shadow Cabinet publicly criticising the poll, with former party leaders Paul Davies and Nick Bourne both questioning why a policy that is not formally party policy was being polled. In October 2024, Davies was censured by the Senedd Standards of Conduct Committee, after having been found to have breached
1798-688: The Welsh Conservatives Nick Bourne both making statements about Islamophobia in the party. Davies responded by saying "These were legitimate questions and as an elected member, I fulfilled my responsibilities by asking them. Attempts to equate those legitimate concerns with the disorder we’ve seen on our streets is particularly irresponsible. Just as the thuggery we’ve seen cannot be justified by legitimate concerns on political issues, those same concerns must not be ignored by political leaders." Davies faced further public criticism from within his party after he polled attendees of
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1856-521: The Welsh Conservatives after this result. In a July 2021 op-ed for Mail+ , Davies accused the Welsh media of being "in hock to the nationalist agenda". He wrote: "This is what's in store for us in the Senedd over the next five years: listening to Labour ministers regurgitate historically ignorant, politically extreme ideas and a demonstrably poor understanding of sovereignty in Britain as they call for
1914-607: The Welsh Conservatives on 27 June 2018. A source close to Davies described the events at the time as "the revenge of Tory Remainers who can’t forgive him for going against Cameron and campaigning for a Leave vote in the Brexit referendum." Davies resignation was viewed by some in the media as sparked by Davies' "inflammatory remarks" towards Airbus. Sources close to Davies however spoke to the media and stated they felt he had been victim of "a plot to get rid of him for "seven or eight weeks" dating back to his controversial "decision to back
1972-491: The effect of abolishing the marcher lordships within and on the borders of Wales. In the border areas, several were incorporated in whole or in part into English counties. The lordships of Ludlow , Clun , Caus and part of Montgomery were incorporated into Shropshire; and Wigmore , Huntington , Clifford and most of Ewyas were included in Herefordshire. The historic counties established by 1535 were used as
2030-624: The first Afforestation of Agricultural Land scheme. Commenting on the revelation of these figures, Britain Stronger in Europe spokesman James McGrory said "taking money from Europe while saying we should leave is hypocrisy of the first order." In September 2019, Davies criticised proposals by the Liberal Democrats, Labour, and other parties which would force Prime Minister Boris Johnson to seek an extension to Article 50 if it prevented
2088-417: The geographical basis for the administrative counties , governed by county councils , which existed from 1889 to 1974. The historian William Rees said, in his "Historical Atlas of Wales": (published 1959) "... the boundaries of the modern shires have largely been determined by the ancient divisions of the country. The survival of these ancient local divisions within the pattern of historical change constitutes
2146-403: The highest budget for constituency office spending of any AM in the five Assembly political groups, with a spend of £102,655, including £35,182 for a salary for his wife Julia. Davies did not respond to requests for comments in the piece. In a June 2019 op-ed on Nation.Cymru , Davies stated his top wishes from an incoming Conservative prime minister for Wales would be: In July 2020, RT Davies
2204-659: The historic counties as postal counties was stopped by the Royal Mail in 1975 and those historic counties were no longer shown on maps. However, in spite of widespread misunderstanding, the Local Government Act 1972 never abolished the historic counties. Indeed, the Department of the Environment made this very clear in a statement it issued on 1 April 1974: " The new county boundaries are solely for
2262-411: The historic counties of England and Wales between the 1901 United Kingdom census and the 2011 United Kingdom census and a comparison of the number of Welsh speakers in the historic counties of Wales between the 1911 United Kingdom census and the 2011 United Kingdom census . Andrew RT Davies Andrew Robert Tudor Davies CBE (born 1968) is a Welsh politician serving as Leader of
2320-404: The historic counties, until they were abandoned altogether for a different system of local government in 1974. The Local Government Act 1972 replaced the administrative counties created in 1889 with eight new administrative counties in 1974. The existing Lieutenancy areas were also redefined to use the newly created local government areas, defined by the act as "counties." Furthermore, use of
2378-548: The local Young Farmers Club, and is a former chairman of Creative Communities, which seeks to develop structural community development. Davies is also a life governor of the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, and was the Society's Oxford Farming Conference Scholar in 2002. He is a former governor at Llanfair Primary School. Joining the Conservative Party in 1997, Davies fought Cardiff West in
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2436-548: The main offices of West Glamorgan County Council were located in County Hall, Swansea . West Glamorgan had four districts , as follows: Following the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 , West Glamorgan and its component districts were abolished on 1 April 1996, the area being divided into the two unitary authorities of Swansea and Neath and Port Talbot (later changed to " Neath Port Talbot "). Lliw Valley
2494-430: The matter on this basis, and he refused, stating he "[made] no apologies for opposing labour's divisive “Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan”." Climate Cymru and Climate Cymru Ethnic Minorities reported harassment after Davies made the claim. Davies was elected as a County Councillor for Rhoose in a by-election on 14 February 2019, and claimed a basic councillor allowance of £13,868 before expenses, alongside his salary as
2552-405: The parishes of Cascob and Presteigne), was transferred to Radnorshire. The Denbighshire township of Carreghofa (in the parish of Llanymynech ) was transferred to Montgomeryshire. The exclaves of Flintshire , called English Maelor and Marford and Hoseley were left untouched. The territory which became Monmouthshire was part of the Welsh kingdoms of Gwent and Glywysing and later, after
2610-409: The purpose of defining areas of...local government. They are administrative areas, and will not alter the traditional areas of Counties (the historic counties), nor is it intended that the loyalties of people living in them will change." The eight new administrative counties were themselves replaced in 1996 by the current principal areas of Wales , but modified versions were retained for Lieutenancy as
2668-656: The removal of the flat-rate financial support grant at the time provided to Welsh people who studied at Welsh universities, and criticised that both spending and achievemnt were lagging behind English counterparts. He also sat on the Assembly's Petitions Committee and the Subordinate Legislation Committee. In February 2009 he became the Shadow Minister for Health in the National Assembly for Wales. He then resigned from
2726-605: The role in November 2010, shortly after a wider reshuffle. He claimed at the time of his resignation he was not seeking the leadership of the Welsh Conservative Group. He won an award for being "Assembly Member to Watch" in December 2008. Davies was re-elected as AM for South Wales Central at the 2011 Welsh Assembly election . A leadership election was held after Nick Bourne lost his seat at that election. RT Davies contested this leadership election, and
2784-493: The school. The school later confirmed that Davies assertion that only halal meat options were available was false, and that non-halal meat options were available, and Vale of Glamorgan Council Leader Lis Burnett stated that Davies had publicly published the letter 5 minutes after sending it to the council, providing no time for a response. However, his false allegations were promoted by far-right activist Tommy Robinson and gained large social media attention during early stages of
2842-831: The shield stand for the four districts and their industries; the chains around the supporters' necks, the steel and aluminium industries; the water and the fish, fishing; and the ploughed field, agriculture. 51°49′19″N 3°49′59″W / 51.822°N 3.833°W / 51.822; -3.833 Historic counties of Wales Charles III Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales First Minister ( list ) Rt Hon Eluned Morgan MS ( L ) Deputy First Minister Huw Irranca-Davies MS ( L ) Counsel General-designate – Elisabeth Jones Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Jane Hutt MS (L) Permanent Secretary Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS ( PC ) Leader of
2900-527: The thirteen sub-divisions used in Wales from either 1282 and 1535, up to their abolition in 1974, being replaced by eight counties . They were used for various functions for several hundred years, but for administrative purposes have been superseded by contemporary sub-national divisions , some of which bear some limited similarity to the historic entities in name and extent. They are alternatively known as ancient counties . The 1535 Laws in Wales Act had
2958-403: Was an exclave of Monmouthshire between Gloucestershire and Herefordshire and was transferred to Herefordshire . Two townships of the ancient parish of Cwmyoy were also exclaves of Herefordshire. Bwlch Trewyn was transferred to Monmouthshire, whereas the other, Ffwddog (identified using the English variant Fothock on older maps), was not. The Herefordshire township of Litton and Cascob (in
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#17327795404453016-654: Was educated at Llanfair Primary School, St John's Preparatory School, Porthcawl , and later boarded at Wycliffe College , Stroud . He is married to a qualified midwife and they have four children. He is a partner in the family farming business based in St Hilary near Cowbridge in the Vale of Glamorgan . Davies was a Welsh delegate on the Council of the National Farmers Union (NFU) , vice-president of
3074-441: Was elected as Leader of the Welsh Conservative Group on 14 July 2011, having won 53.1 per cent of the vote, defeating Nick Ramsay . He then became Leader of the Opposition in Wales, as the Welsh Conservatives were the second largest party. After the 2016 Welsh Assembly election , Davies was re-elected but ceased to be Leader of the Opposition, as the Welsh Conservatives became the third largest party. Davies became Leader of
3132-487: Was elected to the National Assembly of Wales on the South Wales Central regional list. He was appointed Shadow Minister for Transport by Nick Bourne . During his time as Shadow Transport Minister he supported protests from Welsh hauliers over the cost of fuel. On 16 June 2008 he was reshuffled to the role of Shadow Minister for Education, Lifelong Learning and Skills. While in this role, he supported
3190-464: Was partitioned between the two authorities. A West Glamorgan preserved county was created for the limited functions of Lieutenancy and High Shrievalty . The arms of West Glamorgan were: Argent three chevronels gules, between in chief two pine cones vert dimidiating as many gouttes sable, and in base a lozenge sable. The crest is a Welsh Dragon holding a Tudor rose in its forepaws, rising above four gold cogwheels. The supporters are an osprey and
3248-575: Was reshuffled from Shadow Environment Minister to Shadow Health Minister. Following the storming of the United States Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump on 6 January 2021, Davies was criticised for comparing the riot to other British politicians' opposition to Brexit . RT Davies was appointed as Leader of the Welsh Conservatives Group on 24 January 2021, following the resignation of Paul Davies , after
3306-427: Was rumoured that his Deputy Leader Paul Davies was planning a leadership challenge to Davies. Amid internal discussions in the party, Nick Ramsay reportedly made it clear to Mr Davies that they did not like each other prior to his resignation, and an AM reportedly "stormed out" of a dinner regarding the leadership of the party after Davies had spoken, who later was reported to be Ramsay. Davies resigned as Leader of
3364-521: Was the cause of the erroneous belief that the county had been annexed by England rather than remaining part of Wales. In later centuries, some English historians, map-makers, landowners and politicians took the view that Monmouthshire was an English rather than a Welsh county, and references were often made in legislation to " Wales and Monmouthshire ". The position was finally resolved by the Local Government Act 1972, which confirmed Monmouthshire's place within Wales. The Local Government Act 1888 created
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