Colwyn facts for kids
| Colwyn | |
| Colwyn au pays de Galles (1974-1996).svg | |
| Geography | |
| 1974 area | 136,566.2 acres (552.664 km2) |
| HQ | Colwyn Bay |
| History | |
| Created | 1 April 1974 |
| Abolished | 31 March 1996 |
| Succeeded by | Conwy County Borough Denbighshire |
Quick facts for kids Demography |
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|---|---|
| 1973 population | 45,990 |
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Colwyn was a special type of local government area in Wales. It was called a borough and existed from 1974 to 1996. It was one of six such areas in the county of Clwyd, which is in north-east Wales.
Contents
History of Colwyn Borough
How Colwyn Was Created
Colwyn borough was officially started on April 1, 1974. This happened because of a law called the Local Government Act 1972. This law changed how local areas were managed across Wales.
The new Colwyn borough was made up of parts from four older areas in Denbighshire. These older areas were closed down at the same time:
- Abergele Urban District
- Most of Aled Rural District (except for one small part that went to Aberconwy)
- Colwyn Bay Municipal Borough
- Most of Hiraethog Rural District (some parts went to Aberconwy)
The new borough was named Colwyn because Colwyn Bay was the biggest town in the area.
Changes to Colwyn Borough
In 1994, another law, the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, changed things again. The old county councils, like Clwyd County Council, and their districts were ended. New, larger areas called principal areas were created. These new councils took over all the jobs that the county and district councils used to do.
From April 1, 1996, two small communities, Cefnmeiriadog and Trefnant, moved from Colwyn to the new county of Denbighshire. The rest of Colwyn joined with a nearby area called Aberconwy (which was from Gwynedd). Together, they formed a new area.
The government first named this new area "Aberconwy and Colwyn." However, the local leaders asked for a different name. They wanted it to be called "Conwy." The government agreed, and the name change became official on April 2, 1996.
International Connections
The borough of Colwyn had special friendships with towns in other countries. This is called town twinning. Colwyn was twinned with:
Colwyn Name Today
Even though the borough of Colwyn no longer exists, the name is still used. There is an electoral ward called Colwyn. An electoral ward is a small area used for voting in local elections. This ward covers the eastern part of the community of Old Colwyn. In 2011, about 4,566 people lived in this ward.
Where the Council Met
The council for Colwyn borough had its main office at the Civic Centre. This building is on Abergele Road in Colwyn Bay.
The Civic Centre building was first built in 1909. It was a hospital called Glan y Don Hall. In 1964, it was changed into a civic centre for one of the councils that existed before Colwyn, the Colwyn Bay Borough Council.
After Colwyn borough was ended in 1996, the building became the main office for the new Conwy County Borough Council. It served as their headquarters until 2018.
