Everything about Gwynedd totally explained
Gwynedd is a
principal area in north-west
Wales, named after the old
Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although one of the biggest in terms of geographical area, it's also one of the most sparsely populated. A large proportion of the population is
Welsh-speaking.
Gwynedd is the home of
Bangor University and includes the scenic
Llŷn Peninsula, and most of the
Snowdonia National Park.
The name "Gwynedd" is also used for a
preserved county, covering
Anglesey as well as the principal area.
History
Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the
Roman period until the 13th Century when it was conquered and subjugated by
England (for more on this period see
Kingdom of Gwynedd). The modern Gwynedd is based on the territory of the former realm and was one of eight Welsh counties originally created on
1 April 1974 under the
Local Government Act 1972. It covered the entirety of the former
administrative counties of
Anglesey, and
Caernarvonshire along with all of
Merionethshire apart from
Edeyrnion Rural District (which went to
Clwyd), and also a few parishes in
Denbighshire:
Llanrwst,
Llansanffraid Glan Conwy,
Eglwysbach,
Llanddoget,
Llanrwst Rural and
Tir Ifan.
The county was divided into five
districts:
Aberconwy,
Arfon,
Dwyfor,
Meirionnydd and
Anglesey.
The
Local Government (Wales) Act 1994 abolished the 1974 county (and the five districts) on
1 April 1996, and its area was divided:
Anglesey became an independent unitary authority, and Aberconwy (which included the former Denbighshire parts) passed to the new
Conwy county borough. The remainder of the county was constituted a principal area with the name
Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire, reflecting that it covered most of the areas of the two
historic counties. As one of its first actions, the Council renamed itself Gwynedd on
2 April 1996.
Modern Gwynedd is governed by
Gwynedd Council. As a
unitary authority the modern entity no longer has any districts, but Arfon, Dwyfor and Meirionnydd remain in use as areas for
area committees.
The pre-1996 boundaries were retained as a
preserved county for a few purposes such as the
Lieutenancy - in 2003 the boundary with
Clwyd was adjusted to match the modern local government boundary, so that the preserved county now covers the modern Gwynedd along with Anglesey, and that the borough of Conwy is entirely within Clwyd.
A
Gwynedd Constabulary was formed in
1950 from the merger of the Anglesey, Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire forces. A further amalgamation took place in the 1960s when Gwynedd Constabulary was merged with the
Flintshire and
Denbighshire county forces, retaining the name "Gwynedd". In one proposal for local government reform in Wales, "Gwynedd" had been proposed as a name for a local auhority covering all of north Wales, but the scheme as enacted divided this area between Gwynedd and Clwyd. To prevent confusion, the Gwynedd Constabulary was therefore renamed the
North Wales Police.
The
Snowdonia National Park was formed in 1951. After the 1974 local authority reorganisation, the park fell entirely within the boundaries of the County of Gwynedd, and was run a as a department of Gwynedd County Council. After the 1996 local government reorganisation, part of the park fell under
Conwy Borough County Council, and the park's administration separated from the Gwynedd council. Gwynedd Council does still appoint 9 of the 18 members of the Snowdonia National Park Authority (Conwy council appoints 3, and the
National Assembly for Wales appoints the remaining 6).
Schools
Top performing secondary schools in Gwynedd, 5 GCSEs, grade A-C, according to the latest inspection reports from
Estyn
(All schools bilingual, except where stated)
75%
Ysgol Y Gader, Dolgellau
74%
Ysgol Tryfan, Bangor
70%
Ysgol Uwchradd Tywyn, Tywyn (non-bilingual)
68%
Ysgol Botwnnog, Botwnnog
68%
Ysgol Brynrefail, Llanrug
67%
Ysgol Glan y Môr, Pwllheli
60%
Ysgol Eifionydd, Porthmadog
60%
Ysgol Friars, Bangor
54%
Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle, Penygroes
54%
Ysgol y Berwyn, Bala
53%
Ysgol y Moelwyn, Blaenau Ffestiniog
51%
Ysgol Syr Hugh Owen, Caernarfon
50%
Ysgol Ardudwy, Harlech
46%
Ysgol Dyffryn Ogwen, Bethesda
2001 census and housing
According to the 2001 census the number of Welsh speakers in Wales increased for the first time in over 100 years, with 20.5% in a population of over 2.9 million claiming fluency in Welsh, or one if five. Additionally, 28% of the population of Wales claimed to understand Welsh. Glyn was commenting on a report underscoring the problem of rocketing house prices outstripping what locals could pay, with the report warning that '...traditional Welsh communities could die out..." as a consequence.
Much of the rural Welsh property market was driven by buyers looking for second homes for use as
holiday homes, or for retirement. Many buyers were drawn to Wales from England because of relatively inexpensive house prices in Wales as compared to house prices in England. The rise in home prices outpaced the average earnings income in Wales and meant that many local people couldn't afford to purchase their first home. Holiday home owners spend less then six months of the year in the local community.
The issue of locals being priced out of the local housing market is common to many rural communities throughout Britain, but in Wales the added dimension of language further complicated the issue, as many new residents didn't learn the Welsh language.
Concerned for the Welsh language under these pressures, Glyn said "Once you've more than 50% of anybody living in a community that speaks a foreign language, then you lose your indigenous tongue almost immediately".
Plaid Cymru had long advocated controls on second homes, and a 2001 task force headed by Dafydd Wigley recommended land should be allocated for affordable local housing, and called for grants for locals to buy houses, and recommended council tax on holiday homes should double, following similar measures in the
Scottish Highlands. According to planners in Snowdonia and Pembroke applicants for new homes must demonstrate a proven local need or the applicant had strong links with the area.
In the local elections of May 1st
2008 several councillors were returned for the
Llais Gwynedd party. The party was essentually a pressure group against closures to local schools and other local amenities in Gwynedd and challenged the traditional dominance of
Plaid Cymru in this area to represent the rural Welsh.
Notable people from Gwynedd
Owain fon Williams footballer, currently playing for
Crewe Alexandra.
Duffy, soul singer-songwriter.
Opera singer
Bryn Terfel.
Hedd Wyn, born Ellis Evans, the famous poet came from the village of
Trawsfynydd.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Gwynedd'.
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