Conwy County Borough Council () is the local authority for the county borough of Conwy, one of the principal areas of Wales.
History Conwy County Borough was created in 1996 under the Local Government (Wales) Act 1994, which replaced the previous two tier system of counties and districts with principal areas (each designated either a "county" or a "county borough"), whose councils perform the functions previously divided between the county and district councils. The county borough of Conwy was created to cover the area of the district of Aberconwy from the county of Gwynedd and the district of Colwyn from the county of Clwyd, except for the parishes of Cefnmeiriadog and Trefnant, which went to Denbighshire. The government originally named the new area "Aberconwy and Colwyn" (). During the transition to the new system, the shadow authority requested a change of name from "Aberconwy and Colwyn" to "Conwy", taking the name from both the River Conwy which runs through the area and the town of Conwy, where the new council initially established its headquarters. The government confirmed the change with effect from 2 April 1996, one day after the new council came into being.
Political control 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: (Put "Conwy" in search box to see specific results.)
Party in controlYears 1996–present
Leadership The leaders of the council since 2005 have been:
Councillor Party From To Goronwy Edwards 2005 May 2008 Dilwyn Roberts 15 May 2008 May 2017 Gareth Jones 18 May 2017 Jun 2017 Jun 2017 3 Jun 2019 Sam Rowlands 3 Jun 2019 13 May 2021 Charlie McCoubrey 13 May 2021
Composition Following the 2022 election and subsequent changes of allegiance up to July 2025, the composition of the council was: Party Councillors 24 8 8 8 4 2 1Total55 Of the independent councillors, 18 sit together as the "Conwy First Independent Group", two sit as the "Allied Independents", two form the "Citizens First Alliance", and two are not aligned to any group. The Green councillor sits with Plaid Cymru as the "Plaid Cymru a'r Blaid Werdd" () group. Cabinet positions are held by members of the Conwy First Independent, Labour and Plaid Cymru a'r Blaid Werdd groups. The next election is due in 2027.
Elections Since 2012, elections have been held every five years.
YearSeatsIndependentLabourConservativePlaid CymruLiberal DemocratsGreenNotes1995 59 13 18 8 2 18 0 1999 59 19 14 5 7 14 0 New ward boundaries.2004Conwy County Borough Council Election Results 1995-2012, The Elections Centre. 59 19 12 12 10 6 0 2008 59 14 7 22 12 4 0 2012 59 19 10 13 12 5 0 2017 59 21 8 16 10 4 0 2022 55 22 11 10 7 4 1 New ward boundaries. Party with the most elected councillors in bold. Coalition agreements in notes column.
Premises The council is based at Coed Pella on Conway Road in Colwyn Bay, which was purpose-built for the council and was completed in 2018.
From the council's creation in 1996 until 2025, the council's headquarters was Bodlondeb, which was built as a house in 1877 on Bangor Road in Conwy, just outside the town walls and set in substantial grounds stretching down to the River Conwy. The house had been bought in 1937 by the former Conwy Municipal Borough Council and converted into a civic centre. The building passed to Aberconwy District Council under the 1974 reforms and then to Conwy County Borough Council on its creation in 1996. The new Coed Pella building in Colwyn Bay initially served as an additional office space, with Bodlondeb remaining the council's official headquarters and main meeting place. In 2025 the council closed Bodlondeb, having consolidated its functions and main meeting place at Coed Pella.
Electoral divisions
Until 2022 the county borough was divided into 38 electoral wards returning 59 councillors. Few communities in Conwy are coterminous with electoral wards. The following table lists council wards, communities and associated geographical areas. Communities with a community council are indicated with a '*':
WardCouncillorsCommunities (and community wards)Abergele Pensarn 1Abergele (town)* (Pensarn ward)Betws-y-Coed 1Betws-y-Coed Capel Curig* Dolwyddelan*Betws yn Rhos 1Betws yn Rhos* Llanfair Talhaiarn*Bryn 1Llanfairfechan (town)* (Bryn and Lafan wards)Caerhun 1Caerhun* Henryd*Capelulo 1Penmaenmawr (town)* (Capelulo ward)Colwyn 2part of the community of Old ColwynConwy 2Conwy (town)* (Aberconwy and Castle wards)Craig-y-Don 2Llandudno (town)* (Craig-y-Don ward)Crwst 1Llanrwst (town)* (Crwst ward)Deganwy 2Conwy (town)* (Deganwy ward)Eglwysbach 1Eglwysbach* Llanddoged and Maenan*Eirias 2Part of the Community of Old ColwynGele 3Abergele (town)* (Gele and St George wards)Glyn 2Part of the Community of Colwyn BayGogarth 2Llandudno (town)* (Gogarth ward)Gower 1Llanrwst (Gower ward)Kinmel Bay 3Kinmel Bay and Towyn* (Kinmel Bay ward)Llanddulas 1Llanddulas and Rhyd-y-Foel*Llandrillo yn Rhos 4Rhos-on-SeaLlangernyw 1Llangernyw* Pentrefoelas*Llansanffraid 1Llansanffraid Glan Conwy*Llansannan 1Llansannan* Llannefydd*Llysfaen 1Llysfaen*Marl 2Conwy (town)* (Marl ward)Mochdre 1MochdreMostyn 2Llandudno (town)* (Mostyn ward)Pandy 1Llanfairfechan* (Pandy ward)Pant-yr-afon/Penmaenan 1Penmaenmawr* (Pant-yr-afon and Penmaenan wards)Penrhyn 2Llandudno (town)* (Penrhyn ward)Pensarn 1Conwy (town)* (Pensarn ward)Pentre Mawr 2Abergele (town)* (Pentre Mawr ward)Rhiw 3Part of the Community of Colwyn BayTowyn 1Kinmel Bay and Towyn* (Towyn ward)Trefriw 1Dolgarrog* Trefriw*Tudno 2Llandudno (town)* (Tudno ward)Uwch Conwy 1Bro Machno* Bro Garmon* Ysbyty Ifan*Uwchaled 1Cerrigydrudion* Llanfihangel Glyn Myfyr* Llangwm*
References
External links Conwy Council (official site)