1946 Glamorgan County Council election

The seventeenth election to Glamorgan County Council, south Wales, took place in March 1946. It was preceded by the 1937 election and the 1940 and 1943 elections were postponed due to the Second World War. It was followed by the 1949 election.

Overview[]

Labour's comfortable majority on the council, including the aldermanic bench, remained unchanged.

Boundary changes[]

There were no boundary changes at this election.

Candidates[]

Many candidates were returned unopposed.^[1]

Contested elections[]

Labour contested almost every seat on the council, with a significant proportion of candidates returned unopposed.

Of the eleven aldermen retiring at the end of their sixth year term, nine sought re-election while Rev William Saunders, a member for over thirty years, was deselected.

Outcome[]

Labour retained their majority. In the Rhondda Valley, Labour withstood a Communist challenge^[2] This was the first county election for nine years as polling was reported as heavy in a number of wards, including the two contested wards at Pontypridd.^[3]

Results[]

Aberaman[]

Aberaman 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Florence Rose Davies**
	Labour hold		Swing

Aberavon[]

Aberavon 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Edward Lewis Hare*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Abercynon[]

Abercynon 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Joseph Dicks**	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Aberdare Town[]

Aberdare Town 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Thomas Alwyn John	1,292
	Labour	Tom Williams	977
	Independent	Henry Cohen	242
Majority			315
	Independent hold		Swing

Bargoed[]

Bargoed 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William John Kedward*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Barry[]

Dudley Howe had previously represented Cadoxton and gained the neighbouring Barry ward from Laour. However, Labour won Cadoxton for the first time against the new candidate.

Barry 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Dudley Thomas Howe*	2,304
	Labour	W. East*	2,004
Majority			300
	Independent gain from Labour		Swing

Barry Dock[]

Barry Dock 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Dorothy Rees**	1,965
	Independent	G. Edward Smith	1,762
Majority			203
	Labour hold		Swing

Blaengwawr[]

Blaengwawr 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William J. Edwards*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Bridgend[]

Bridgend 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	William W. Phillips*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Briton Ferry[]

Briton Ferry 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	George Gethin*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Cadoxton[]

Cadoxton 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Digby Smith	1,499
	Independent	A.L. Davies	1,158
Majority			341
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Caerphilly[]

Caerphilly 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Evan Phillips*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Cilfynydd[]

Cilfynydd 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W. Edryd Lewis	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Coedffranc[]

Coedffranc 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	D.T. Jenkins	2,916
	Independent	Isaac David	1,798
Majority			1,118
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Cowbridge[]

Cowbridge 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	P. John Smith	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Cwm Aber[]

Cwm Aber 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Rev David M. Jones*	Unopposed
Majority
	Labour hold		Swing

Cwmavon[]

Cwmavon 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Jones Edwards*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Cymmer[]

Cymmer 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	John James Garwood*	1,167
	Independent	Evan Thomas	485
Majority			682
	Labour hold		Swing

Dinas Powys[]

Dinas Powys 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Ivor Broadbent Thomas*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Dulais Valley[]

Dulais Valley 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Gwilym Davies*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Ferndale[]

Ferndale 1934
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alfred Evans*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Gadlys[]

Gadlys 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Thomas Phillips*	1,802
	Labour	David Idris Bruton	796
Majority			1,006
	Independent hold		Swing

Garw Valley[]

Garw Valley 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Gunter*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Glyncorrwg[]

Glyncorrwg 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sir William Jenkins**	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Gower[]

Gower 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Fredrick William Davies	2,083
	Labour	Stanley Jones	1,480
Majority			603
	Independent hold		Swing

Hengoed[]

Hengoed 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Frank Loveday*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Hopkinstown[]

Hopkinstown 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Waite	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Kibbor[]

Kibbor 1931
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Edgar L. Chappell	1,769
	Independent	John Kane	1,400
Majority			369
	Independent hold		Swing

Castell Coch[]

Castell Coch 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Sir Lewis Lougher*	1,458
	Labour	Edward Harry Follis	606
Majority			852
	Independent hold		Swing

Llandeilo Talybont[]

Llandeilo Talybont 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Caradoc Jones**	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Llanfabon[]

Llanfabon 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	William Bowen**	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Llwydcoed[]

Llwydcoed 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Martha Emma Jones*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Llwynypia[]

Llwynypia 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Philip Haines Rowlands*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Loughor[]

Loughor 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David John Davies	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Maesteg, Caerau and Nantyffyllon[]

Maesteg, Caerau and Nantyffyllon 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Evans**	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Maesteg, East and West[]

Maesteg East and West 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Tom Jenkins*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Mountain Ash[]

The sitting member, the Hon. John Bruce (Ind) stood down and Labour gained the seat without a contest.^[1]

Mountain Ash 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Justin Lewis	Unopposed
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Neath (North)[]

Neath (North) 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	David Griffith Davies*	1,336
	Labour	J.W. Morgan	1,042
Majority			294
	Independent hold		Swing

Neath (South)[]

Neath (South) 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	C.P. Huins	1,679
	Independent	Col. R.G. Llewellyn	912
Majority			767
	Labour hold		Swing

Newcastle[]

Newcastle 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Rev Horatio R. Protheroe*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Ogmore Valley[]

Ogmore Valley 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Communist	Frederick Arthur Llewellyn*	1,963
	Labour	Stanley James Moore	833
Majority			1,130
	Communist hold		Swing

Penarth North[]

Penarth North 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	H.J. Cook	1,001
	Independent	F.R. Cratchley	801
Majority			200
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Penarth South[]

Penarth South 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	D.B. Jones	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Pencoed[]

Pencoed 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Mervyn W. Paine*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Penrhiwceiber[]

Penrhiwceiber 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John William Bath*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Pentre[]

Pentre 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Glyn L. Wales	2,530
	Labour	Glyn Evans	978
	Communist	Thomas Evans	414
Majority			1,552
	Independent gain from Labour		Swing

Pontardawe[]

Pontardawe 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Daniel Davies**	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Pontyclun[]

Pontyclun 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Theo Griffiths	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Port Talbot East[]

Port Talbot East 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	John Thomas**	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Port Talbot West[]

Port Talbot West 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	Llewelyn David*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Porthcawl[]

Porthcawl 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Independent	W.A. Howell*	Unopposed
	Independent hold		Swing

Pontlottyn[]

Pontlottyn 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	W.A. Hancock*	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Pontypridd Town[]

Pontypridd Town 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Ivor M. Jenkins	1,458
	Independent	Cyril R. Morgan	1,450
Majority			308
	Labour hold		Swing

Penygraig[]

Penygraig 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Thomas Churchill*	2,148
	Independent	William John Gribble	981
Majority			1,267
	Labour hold		Swing

Porth[]

Porth 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Thomas Griffiths	976
	Independent	Daniel Jones*	974
	Communist	Murray Williams	868
Majority			2
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Swansea Valley[]

Swansea Valley 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	David Jenkins*
	Labour hold		Swing

Tonyrefail and Gilfach Goch[]

Tonyrefail and Gilfach Goch 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Thomas Rogers*	1,484
	Communist	David John Griffiths	711
	Independent	Harold Whitton Davies	584
	Independent	Evan Jones	97
Majority			773
	Labour hold		Swing

Trealaw[]

Trealaw 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Communist	Lewis Jones	1,945
	Labour	Richard Jones	1,315
Majority			630
	Communist hold		Swing

Treforest[]

Treforest 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Arthur W. Harris	2,507
	Independent	Ceiriog Williams	1,029
Majority			1,478
	Labour gain from Independent		Swing

Treherbert[]

Treherbert 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	William Llewellyn*	3,345
	Communist	George Thomas	1,964
Majority			1,391
	Labour hold		Swing

Treorchy[]

Treorchy 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Rhys Evans**	4,401
	Communist	Ivor Williams	1,077
Majority			3,324
	Labour hold		Swing

Tylorstown[]

Tylorstown 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Llewellyn Jones	1,984
	Communist	Frederick J. Morton	942
Majority			1,042
	Labour hold		Swing

Vale of Neath[]

Vale of Neath 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	William A. Betty*	2,557
	Plaid Cymru	Oliver J. Evans	1,083
	Independent	J.W. Davies	659
Majority			1,474
	Labour hold		Swing

Ynyshir[]

Ynyshir 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Ivor Jones	1,855
	Independent	Morgan Benjamin	1,418
Majority			437
	Labour hold		Swing

Ystalyfera[]

Ystalyfera 1937
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Alice Williams*	2,051
	Plaid Cymru	Wynne Samuel	873
Majority			1,176
	Labour hold		Swing

Ystrad[]

Ystrad 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Sidney Cadogan**	1,931
	Communist	Annie Powell	1,189
	Independent	Thomas Aldridge	853
Majority			742
	Labour hold		Swing

Election of Aldermen[]

In addition to the 66 councillors the council consisted of 22 county aldermen. Aldermen were elected by the council, and served a six-year term. Following the 1946 election, there were eleven Aldermanic vacancies, all of which all of which were filled by Labour nominees despite the protestations of their opponents.^[4]

The following retiring aldermen were re-elected:

Sidney Cadogan (Lab, Rhondda)
W.H. Davies (Lab, Gower)
Alfred Evans (Lab, Rhondda)
Rhys Evans (Lab, Treorchy)
Tom Evans (Lab, Pengam)
Daniel T. Jones (Lab, Ystalyfera)
W. Arthur Jones (Lab, Tonyrefail)
Evan Phillips (Lab, Caerphilly)
Rev W. Degwel Thomas (Lab, Neath)

The following new aldermen were elected:

H.J. Cook (Lab, Penarth)
Mervyn Payne (Lab, Pencoed)

By-elections[]

Eleven vacancies were caused by the election of aldermen.

Aberaman by-election[]

Aberaman by-election 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Sydney Herbert Stephens*
	Labour hold		Swing

Abercynon by-election[]


Party		Votes
	Labour
	Independent
Majority
	Labour gain from Independent	Swing

Barry Dock by-election[]

Labour lost the by-election held following the re-election of Dorothy Rees to the aldermanic bench.^[5] The Labour candidate had been elected following Rees's original election as alderman three years previously and at the recent election had unsuccessfully contested the neighbouring Barry ward.

Barry Dock by-election 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	J. Edward Smith	2,080
	Labour	W. East*	1,783
Majority			297
	Independent gain from Labour		Swing

Glyncorrwg by-election[]


Party		Votes
	Labour
	Independent
Majority
	Labour gain from Independent	Swing

Hopkinstown by-election[]


Party		Votes
	Labour
	Independent
Majority
	Labour gain from Independent	Swing

Llandeilo Talybont by-election[]

Llandeilo Talybont
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Independent	Llewellyn Davies	1,501
	Labour	J. Powell	1,378
Majority
	Independent gain from Labour		Swing

Llanfabon by-election[]

Llanfabon by-election 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Charles Herbert Davies	1,387
	Independent	Rev. Henry Withers		798
Majority			589
	Labour hold		Swing

Maesteg by-election[]


Party		Votes
	Labour
	Independent
Majority
	Labour gain from Independent	Swing

Pontardawe by-election[]

Pontardawe by-election 1946
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Charles Williams	Unopposed
	Labour hold		Swing

Port Talbot by-election[]

Joe Brown, former agent to Ramsay Macdonald when he was MP for Aberavon, failed to gain the Labour nomination and ran as an Independent.^[6]

Port Talbot by-election 1947
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	Llewellyn Heycock	1,817
	Independent	Joseph A. Brown	1,248
Majority			569
	Labour hold		Swing

Tylorstown by-election[]

Tylorstown by-election 1947
Party		Candidate	Votes
	Labour	John Mardy Evans*	1,977
	Communist	George Edward Maslin	584
	Independent	David John	284
Majority			1,393
	Labour hold		Swing

References[]

^ ^a ^b "Nominations for County Council Elections. Many Unopposed Returns in Glamorgan and Gwent". Western Mail. 16 February 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
^ "Communist Fare Badly in the Rhondda". Western Mail. 9 March 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
^ "County Election Results". Pontypridd Observer. 9 March 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 23 April 2021.
^ "Seniority Ignored in Selection of Chairman". Western Mail. 15 March 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
^ "County Council By-Elections". Western Mail. 20 April 1937. p. 10. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
^ "Councillor J.A. Brown Leaves Labour Party". Port Talbot Guardian. 14 April 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

Bibliography[]

Williams, Chris (1996). Democratic Rhondda: Politics and society 1885-1951. Cardiff: University of Wales Press.

[WM_16-2-37-1] "Nominations for County Council Elections. Many Unopposed Returns in Glamorgan and Gwent". Western Mail. 16 February 1937. p. 6. Retrieved 4 April 2021.

[WM_9-3-46-2] "Communist Fare Badly in the Rhondda". Western Mail. 9 March 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 19 April 2021.

[PO_9-3-46-3] "County Election Results". Pontypridd Observer. 9 March 1946. p. 1. Retrieved 23 April 2021.

[WM_15-3-46-4] "Seniority Ignored in Selection of Chairman". Western Mail. 15 March 1946. p. 3. Retrieved 22 April 2021.

[WM_20-4-37-5] "County Council By-Elections". Western Mail. 20 April 1937. p. 10. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

[PTG_14-4-37-6] "Councillor J.A. Brown Leaves Labour Party". Port Talbot Guardian. 14 April 1937. p. 1. Retrieved 20 April 2021.

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[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

v t Council elections in the administrative county of Glamorgan
Glamorgan County Council	1889 1892 1895 1898 1901 1904 1907 1910 1913 1919 1922 1925 1928 1931 1934 1937 1946 1949 1967 Abolished
Aberdare Urban District Council	1894 1896 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 Abolished
Mountain Ash Urban District	1894
Ogmore and Garw Urban District Council	1894 Abolished
Pontypridd Urban District Council	1894 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 Abolished
Rhondda Urban District Council	1894 1896 Abolished

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