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Civic Administration

Grant of Arms     1974 Charter     Grant of Badge

1556 Llanelli was a small hamlet with 12 households in the Manorial Borough administered by the Court Leet of the Commote of Carnwyllion.

1800 The Court Leet upheld and enforced local law and administration and consisted of the Portreeve who was equivalent to a Mayor or a Magistrate and a number of Burgesses nominated by the Squire and Lord of Kidwelly.

1807 & 1810 Acts of Enclosure established a newly constituted authority administered by 13 Burgesses which included a Portreeve, who were called Trustees, elected by the Steward on behalf of the Lord Cawdor, and only the privileged were elected to the position.

1810 The first Trustees’ meeting was held at the Falcon Inn, later to be re-named London House, adjacent to the Parish Church at the bottom of Thomas Street. The First Clerk to the Trustees was William Roderick (junior) who was later succeeded by his father William Roderick (senior).

1821-1822 Plans for a Town Hall in Hall Street were drawn up by the Burgesses of Llanelly circa 1821-1822. In later years the building was referred to as the 'Town ‘Hole’.

1832 The Reform Act of 1832 gave Carmarthenshire a second member of Parliament and joined Llanelli to the Borough of Carmarthen.

1835 The Municipal Corporations Act attempted to remove the main source of political corruption, by replacing unrepresentative institutions by town councils elected by ratepayers.

1837 Charter of Incorporation under the Municipal Act was proposed, but rejected by the Trustees.

1849 The Trustees were forced to hand over responsibility following the Board of Health Act when the local Board of Health was established.

1894 The Local Government Act, sometimes called the Parish Councils Act, came into being and the Local Board of Health ceased to function. Llanelly Urban District Council was formed to administer the town and Llanelly Rural District Council was formed to administer the rural areas around the town. Parish Councils were established for every rural Parish with a population of 300 or more.

1895 Llanelly Rural District Council took over responsibilities of the former Llanelly Union Rural Sanitation Authority and the Llanelly District Highways Board.

1896 A new Town Hall was built in 1896 to replace the Old Town Hall in Hall Street.

1913 Llanelli Urban District Council was granted a Charter of Incorporation as a Borough amid great celebration when the Local Authority became known as the Llanelly Borough Council.

1972 Under the Local Government Act of 1972 county boroughs, urban districts and rural districts were abolished and it became obligatory for parish councils to be established in parishes where they did not already exist if they had 200 or more electors.

1974 Following much argument, debate and discussion Llanelly Borough Council and Llanelli Rural District Council ceased to exist as units of Local Government and were amalgamated to form the new Llanelli Borough Council.

On 1 April 1974 all 685 parish councils in Wales existing on 31 March 1974, became community councils and 87 successor community councils were set up in boroughs and urban districts, some with ‘town’ status. This resulted in the formation of Llanelli Town and Llanelli Rural Community Councils.

1996 Llanelli Borough Council ceased to exist and became part of Carmarthenshire County Council.

2001 Carmarthenshire County Council is the Local Government Authority.

Llanelli Town Council and Llanelli Rural Council are Community Councils.