Local Government Act 1972

20 New local government areas in Wales. W

(1) For the administration of local government on and after 1st April 1974 Wales shall be divided into local government areas to be known as counties and in those counties there shall be local government areas to be known as districts.

(2) The counties shall be those named in Part I of Schedule 4 to this Act and shall comprise the areas respectively described (by reference to administrative areas existing immediately before the passing of this Act) in column 2 of that Part of that Schedule.

(3) In the counties specified in column 1 of Part II of that Schedule there shall be the districts respectively specified in column 2 of Part II of that Schedule and those districts shall comprise the areas respectively described as aforesaid in column 3 of that Part of that Schedule, and the Secretary of State may by order provide a name for any such district.

(4) On and after 1st April 1974 every district shall consist of one or more areas to be known as communities which shall be established in accordance with the following paragraphs:—

(a) the area of each borough existing immediately before that date shall on that date become a community of the district in which it is comprised and shall be known by the same name as the borough’s;

(b) the area of each urban district then existing which is wholly comprised in a district shall on that date become a community of that district and shall be known by the same name as the urban district’s;

(c) the area of each rural parish then existing shall on that date become a community of the district in which it is comprised and shall be known by the same name as the parish’s;

(d) in the districts specified in column 1 of Part III of Schedule 4 to this Act there shall on that date be established the communities respectively named in column 2 of that Part of that Schedule and described (by reference to administrative areas existing immediately before the passing of this Act) in column 3 of that Part of that Schedule.

(5) Part IV of Schedule 4 to this Act shall have effect in relation to the boundaries of the new local government areas.

(6) On 1st April 1974 all local government areas existing immediately before that date, that is to say, all administrative counties, boroughs, urban districts, rural districts and urban and rural parishes, shall cease to exist, and the following shall also cease to exist—

(a) the council of every such area which has a council;

(b) in the case of a borough, the municipal corporation of the borough;

(c) in the case of a parish, the parish meeting;

(d) in the case of a parish for which there is no separate parish council, the representative body of the parish;

(e) in the case of parishes included in a group, the common parish council.

(7) In this section “Wales” includes the administrative county of Monmouthshire and the county borough of Newport.