Rhondda Cynon Taff
Rhondda Cynon Taff () 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 '*':
*
Rhondda Cynon Taff Unitary Authority homepage
