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Neath Port Talbot

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Neath Port Talbot
County Borough Bwrdeistref Sirol
Castell-nedd Port Talbot
Area
- Total
- % Water 		Ranked 11th
442 km²
? %
Admin HQ Port Talbot
ISO 3166-2 GB-NTL
ONS code 00NZ
Demographics
Population:
- Total ()
- Density
  		Ranked

Ranked
/ km²
Ethnicity 97.9% White
1.0% South Asian
0.8% Oriental
0.3% Other .
Welsh language
- Any skills 		Ranked 9th
28.8%
Politics
Arms of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council
http://www.neath-porttalbot.gov.uk/
Control  
MPs

Neath Port Talbot (Template:Lang-cy) is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough.

The county borough borders the other principal areas of Bridgend and Rhondda Cynon Taff to the east, Powys and Carmarthenshire to the north and Swansea to the west. Its principal towns are Neath, Port Talbot and Pontardawe.

Geography

The authority area stretches from the coast to the borders of the Brecon Beacons National Park. The majority of land is upland or semi-upland in character, and 43% is covered by forestry with major conifer plantations in upland areas. An extensive dune system stretches along much of the coast, broken by river mouths and areas of development.[1] Modern settlement patterns reflect the industrial history of the area, with urban development along the flatter areas of the valleys and some parts of the coast. The largest town is Neath with a population of 47,020, followed by Port Talbot (35,633), Briton Ferry (7,186), Pontardawe (5,035), and Glynneath (4,368).

Demographics

The population in the region reached its peak in the 1930s. Census figures show a population of 151,563 in 1931. The population has shown a steady decline throughout the rest of the 20th century. The population stood at 134,471 in 2001.[2] In the 1990s, most areas within the region showed a fall or little change in population with the notable exception of Bryncoch South and Margam where the population grew by 47.29% and 41.36% respectively. [3] Local council estimates show the population to have grown during the 2000s.

Government and politics

Neath Port Talbot was created from the former districts of Neath, Port Talbot and part of Lliw Valley on 1 April 1996 as Neath and Port Talbot; it changed its name on the following day, 2 April 1996. At the time of the reorganization, many local people expected that Neath and Port Talbot districts would become separate unitary authorities, and there were protests when the new authority was announced.[4]

Local Government

The whole of the Neath Port Talbot area was once part of the county of West Glamorgan, which in turn was part of the historic county of Glamorgan. Since local government re-organisation in 1996, Neath Port Talbot is governed by Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council.

Neath Port Talbot is a staunch Labour stronghold, who have been in power since the authority's formation in 1996.

Welsh politics

The unitary authority is contains two whole constituencies which are:

United Kingdom politics

Economy and Industry

In 1991 Neath & Port Talbot was a distinct Travel to Work Area (albeit with different boundaries to the current county borough), but the 2001-based revision has merged the locality into a wider Swansea Bay Travel to Work Area.[5]

In June 2008, the economic activity and employment rates in Neath Port Talbot were below the Welsh average.[6] However, earnings for full-time workers were higher than either the Welsh or British average.[6]

Manufacturing accounts for over 22% of jobs in the county borough compared to under than 14% in Wales as a whole; just under 70% of local jobs are in services compared to a Welsh average of nearly 80%.[6] Corus is the largest employer with approximately 3,000 staff (although in 1979 its predecessor employed 12,600); other large employers include General Electric, Hi-Lex Cable Systems Ltd, TRW Steering Systems, Envases (UK) Ltd, Crown Food UK & Ireland, Toyoda Koki Automotive, Borg Warner Automotive, Cornelius Electronics, Excel Electronics Assemblies, and Tedeco.[7]

Media

A separate daily edition of the South Wales Evening Post is published for the Neath Port Talbot area. The paper's publisher, South West Wales Publications, also produces a free weekly paper, the Neath & Port Talbot Tribune.[8] The local council publishes a quarterly, Community Spirit, produced and funded in conjunction with seven other public sector partners.[9]

Community radio station Afan FM broadcasts to both Neath and Port Talbot. Nation Radio broadcasts to the wider South Wales region from studios in Neath. The county borough is within the local commercial radio licence areas for 102.1 Swansea Bay Radio, Swansea Sound and The Wave 96.4 FM.[10]

Twinning

The sister cities of Neath Port Talbot county borough are[1]:

Places of interest

  • Afan Forest Park, formerly known as Afan Argoed was once a quiet country park for walking and recreation. In recent times, it has become a mecca for mountain biking with the development of a number of demanding off mountain biking trails.
  • Margam Country Park is a frequent destination for the World Rally Championships and is very popular with tourists all year round.
  • Aberdulais, Neath has beautiful waterfalls and has been portrayed in Turner's The Watermill painting
  • Aberavon Beach is a large beach resort, popular with surfers
  • The Gnoll Country Park, Neath is a large country park with lakes, cascading waterfalls and the ruins of the historic Gnoll mansion, former home to the Mackworth family.

See also

References

  1. ^ Neath Port Talbot Supplementary Planning Guidance - Landscape
  2. ^ "Neath Port Talbot District: Total Population". A Vision of Britain Through Time. University of Portsmouth - Department of Geography. 2004–2008. Retrieved 2008-08-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: date format (link)
  3. ^ "Population Change". 2001 Census. Neath Port Talbot county Borough Council. 2003. Retrieved 2008-08-07.
  4. ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008
  5. ^ National Statistics, Introduction to the 2001-based Travel-to-Work Areas
  6. ^ a b c Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council - Labour Market Statistics
  7. ^ Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council - Facts and Figures
  8. ^ Culture, Welsh Language and Sport Committee, Thursday, 16 February 2006: South West Wales Publications Limited
  9. ^ Neath Port Talbot Council - Community Spirit newspaper
  10. ^ Radio Station Licence Areas | Ofcom
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