Constituency Profile

Neath is a town and community situated in South Wales and is part of the local authority area known as Neath Port Talbot.

 

History

 

The Neath constituency is a mixture of both industrial and rural communities, running in a north-south strip along the dips, ridges and folded landscape of South Wales. It includes most of the Neath and Dulais Valleys, and some of the Upper Swansea Valley as well. The town of Neath is at its southern end and is a medium sized town which started life as a Roman Nidum. The lower reaches of the valley are almost entirely given over to industry.

The constituency boasts historical places of both industrial and natural forms. Neath and the surrounding areas were industrialised very early in Britain's history. Copper smelting was already happening here in the late sixteenth century.

In the heart of Neath there are a number of natural beauties. In the centre of Neath is Victoria Gardens. Laid out in 1897/98 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s diamond jubilee, many of its original features still survive including a bandstand and gorsedd circle. A legacy to Neath's political history is the memorial stone in Victoria Gardens to the 5 Neath citizens killed during the Spanish Civil War of 1936-38.

 

There are many beautiful natural sites in Neath, though the most famous must be the Aberdulais falls, painted by Turner during the year he spent in Neath in around 1795/96. He also sketched many other areas of beauty including Melincourt Falls in the Vale of Neath. Though a natural beauty, Aberdulais falls was the site for copper smelting in 1584 followed by flour and grist mills before a tinplate manufacturer in the 19th century. While the Melincourt falls was used for iron smelting.

 

The Valley’s were devastated by the collapse of the mining industry in the 1980's. Many are still fighting to retain their communities. The result is that the valleys are returning to their natural beauty. Though on the edges of many of these communities there are now "Industrial Villages" springing up, helping to replace the jobs lost by the demise of the mining industry, and so helping to keep young people in these communities.

 

Local Council

 

Neath is made up of 26 electoral wards of Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council in the South Wales West Electoral Region. These are:

 

Aberdulais, Allt-wen, Blaengwrach, Byncoch North, Bryncoch South, Cadoxton, Cimla, Crynant, Cwmllynfell, Dyffryn, Glynneath, Godre'r Graig, Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen, Lower Brynamman, Neath East, Neath North, Neath South, Onllwyn, Pelenna, Pontardawe, Resolven, Rhos, Tonna, Trebanos and Ystalyfera.