Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf
County Borough Bwrdeistref Sirol Rhondda Cynon Taf (Welsh) | |
---|---|
Admin HQ | Pontypridd |
Largest town | Aberdare |
Government | |
• Type | Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council |
• Control | Labour |
• MPs |
|
• MSs |
|
Area | |
• Total | 424 km2 (164 sq mi) |
• Rank | Ranked 13th |
• Speakers | 12.4%[1] |
Geocode | 00PF (ONS) W06000016 (GSS) |
ISO 3166 code | GB-RCT |
Rhondda Cynon Taf (Welsh pronunciation: [ˈr̥ɔnða ˈkənɔn ˈtaːv]; RCT; also spelt as Rhondda Cynon Taff) is a county borough in the south-east of Wales. It consists of five valleys: the Rhondda Fawr, Rhondda Fach, Cynon, Taff (Welsh: Taf) and Ely valleys, plus a number of towns and villages away from the valleys.
Results from the 2011 census showed 19.1% of its 234,410 residents self-identified as having some ability in the use of the Welsh language.[2] The county borough borders Merthyr Tydfil County Borough and Caerphilly County Borough to the east, Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan to the south, Bridgend County Borough and Neath Port Talbot to the west and Powys to the north. Its principal towns are - Aberdare, Llantrisant with Talbot Green and Pontypridd, with other key settlements/towns being - Maerdy, Ferndale, Hirwaun, Llanharan, Mountain Ash, Porth, Tonypandy, Tonyrefail and Treorchy.
The most populous individual town in Rhondda Cynon Taf is
History
The county borough was formed on 1 April 1996, by the merger of the former Mid Glamorgan
Some of Wales' most notorious unsolved murders occurred in Rhondda Cynon Taf in 1993, the murders of Harry and Megan Tooze in Llanharry.[5]
Industry
The district developed from the discovery and mining, primarily for export, of high-quality
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 Taf area in supporting and encouraging industrial and commercial regeneration. Recent investment in the area has included the Dragon International Film Studios, on the site of Llanilid open-cast mine. The location of the project has led it to become known locally as "Valleywood", even though the Welsh valleys are some miles away.
Environment
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 the return of salmon recorded in the River Taff and the River Rhondda but the continued presence of man-made obstacles in the rivers is inhibiting regeneration of their pre-industrial numbers and condition.
The chemical industry has also had adverse effects due to the dumping of toxic waste in the now disused
Government
The area is governed by Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council from headquarters in Pontypridd and is the host authority to the South East Wales Improvement Collaborative (SEWIC), Excellence Wales award winner 2010. Rhondda Cynon Taf is represented by four MPs in the UK Parliament. There are also four constituencies represented in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament).
Notable people
- Sir Tom Jones — Treforest, Pontypridd — singer, known to some people locally by his birth name of Tommy Woodward
- Neil Jenkins — Church Village, near Pontypridd — Wales and British & Irish Lions rugby union player
- Kelly Jones — Cwmaman — lead singer and lead guitarist of the rock band the Stereophonics
- Baron Merlyn Rees (1920-2006) — Cilfynydd, near Pontypridd — served as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1974–1976) and Home Secretary (1976–1979)
- Sir Geraint Evans (1922–1992) — Cilfynydd, near Pontypridd — bass-baritone opera singer
Twinning
Towns that have
- Pontypridd: Nürtingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Aberdare: Ravensburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Llantrisant: Crecy-en-Ponthieu, Picardy, France
Freedom of the Borough
The following people and military units have received the Freedom of the Borough of Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Individuals
- Stuart Burrows: 31 January 2008.[9]
- Elaine Morgan: 10 April 2013.[10]
Military units
- The Royal Welsh: 2010.[11]
- The Welsh Guards: 15 May 2013.[12]
- MOD St Athan: 2 June 2018.[13]
See also
References
- ^ "How life has changed in Rhondda Cynon Taf: Census 2021".
- ^ "Population Density, 2011". Office for National Statistics. neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk. Retrieved 3 January 2014.
- ^ "Tonypandy built-up area". NOMIS. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
- ^ "Covid: Wales' National Eisteddfod postponed until 2022". 26 January 2021 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "The five other unexplained deaths linked to Pembrokeshire Murders killer John Cooper that have never been proved". WalesOnline. 16 January 2021. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
- ^ "Brofiscin Quarry: What's happened so far?". Environment Agency. Retrieved 11 December 2010.
- ^ Hughes, John; Thomas, Pat (May 2007). "Burying The Truth". The Ecologist. 37 (4): 33–63.
- ^ a b Levitt, Tom (14 July 2015). "Monsanto, BP and Veolia agree to pay for cleanup of contaminated Welsh site". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
- ^ "Tenor granted freedom of borough". WalesOnline. 31 January 2008.
- ^ Best, Jessica (10 April 2013). "Award-winning columnist Elaine Morgan given the freedom of Rhondda Cynon Taf". WalesOnline.
- ^ McCarthy, James (8 October 2016). "Royal Welsh soldiers marched through Pontypridd watched by thousands".
- ^ "Welsh Guards hold freedom parade". BBC News. 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Freedom Of County Borough". www.rctcbc.gov.uk.
External links
- Rhondda Cynon Taf Unitary Authority homepage Archived 6 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- Rhondda Cynon Taf Online news portal
- Rhondda Cynon Taf at Curlie