Districts of Wales

The districts of Wales were a form of local government in Wales used between 1974 and 1996. There were thirty-seven districts, and they were the second tier of local government introduced by the Local Government Act 1972, being subdivisions of the eight counties introduced at the same time. This system of two-tier local government was abolished in 1996 and replaced with the current system of unitary principal areas.

Each district was administered by an elected district council. The council was entitled to petition for a charter granting borough status, whereupon the district became a borough and the district council a borough council headed by a mayor. In addition, a district could be granted letters patent granting city status.

For the list of districts before 1974, see List of rural and urban districts in Wales in 1973.

Districts 1974–1996

Code	District	Status	County	Area 1974	Population estimate 1974	Population estimate 1992	Headquarters	Successor UA
GD4	Aberconwy	Borough	Gwynedd		49,730	54,100	Llandudno	Conwy
C4	Alyn and Deeside	District	Clwyd		68,280	74,500	Hawarden	Flintshire
GD1	Anglesey - Ynys Môn	Borough	Gwynedd		62,020	69,300	Llangefni	Isle of Anglesey
GD3	Arfon	Borough	Gwynedd		53,640	56,100	Bangor	Gwynedd
GT3	Blaenau Gwent	Borough	Gwent		84,080	76,900	Ebbw Vale	Blaenau Gwent, Monmouthshire
P3	Brecknock	Borough	Powys		37,120	41,500	Brecon	Powys
SG1	Cardiff	City	South Glamorgan		285,760	295,600	Cardiff	Cardiff
D4	Carmarthen	District	Dyfed		49,910	56,200	Carmarthen	Carmarthenshire
D1	Ceredigion	District	Dyfed		55,430	67,900	Aberystwyth	Ceredigion
C1	Colwyn	Borough	Clwyd		45,990	56,400	Colwyn Bay	Conwy, Denbighshire
MG3	Cynon Valley	Borough	Mid Glamorgan		69,630	65,600	Aberdare	Rhondda Cynon Taf
C3	Delyn	Borough	Clwyd		59,440	69,700	Flint	Flintshire
D6	Dinefwr	Borough	Dyfed		36,140	38,700	Llandeilo	Carmarthenshire
GD2	Dwyfor	District	Gwynedd		25,870	27,300	Pwllheli	Gwynedd
C5	Glyndŵr	District	Clwyd		38,450	42,000	Ruthin	Denbighshire, Powys, Wrexham
GT2	Islwyn	Borough	Gwent		66,140	67,200	Blackwood	Caerphilly
D5	Llanelli	Borough	Dyfed		76,720	74,600	Llanelli	Carmarthenshire
WG2	Lliw Valley	Borough	West Glamorgan		57,460	64,200	Penllergaer	Neath Port Talbot, Swansea
GD5	Meirionnydd	District	Gwynedd		30,830	32,900	Dolgellau	Gwynedd
MG4	Merthyr Tydfil	Borough	Mid Glamorgan		61,490	60,100	Merthyr Tydfil	Merthyr Tydfil
GT5	Monmouth	District Borough from 1988	Gwent		66,090	76,700	Pontypoola	Monmouthshire
P1	Montgomery, renamed Montgomeryshire 1986	District	Powys		43,580	53,700	Newtown	Powys
WG3	Neath	Borough	West Glamorgan		66,150	66,300	Neath	Neath Port Talbot
GT1	Newport	Borough	Gwent		135,910	137,200	Newport	Newport
MG1	Ogwr	Borough	Mid Glamorgan		126,570	134,200	Bridgend	Bridgend, Vale of Glamorgan
WG4	Afan, renamed Port Talbot on 1 January 1986	Borough	West Glamorgan		58,580	51,100	Port Talbot	Neath Port Talbot
D2	Preseli, renamed Preseli Pembrokeshire on 1 April 1987	District	Dyfed		61,700	71,200	Haverfordwest	Pembrokeshire
P2	Radnor, renamed Radnorshire on 8 May 1989	District	Powys		18,670	24,000	Llandrindod Wells	Powys
MG2	Rhondda	Borough	Mid Glamorgan		87,710	79,300	Pentre	Rhondda Cynon Taf
C2	Rhuddlan	Borough	Clwyd		49,920	55,000	Rhyl	Denbighshire
MG5	Rhymney Valley	District	Mid Glamorgan		103,800	104,000	Hengoed	Caerphilly
D3	South Pembrokeshire	District	Dyfed		37,060	42,700	Pembroke Dock	Pembrokeshire
WG1	Swansea	City	West Glamorgan		190,370	189,400	Swansea	Swansea
MG6	Taff-Ely	Borough	Mid Glamorgan		86,880	99,700	Pontypridd	Cardiff, Rhondda Cynon Taf
GT4	Torfaen	Borough	Gwent		88,870	91,300	Pontypool	Torfaen
SG2	Vale of Glamorgan	Borough	South Glamorgan		106,490	114,800	Barry	Vale of Glamorgan
C6	Wrexham Maelor	Borough	Clwyd		106,800	117,200	Wrexham	Wrexham

^a Outside the district.