FAQs

Aberystwyth Town Council is the community council for Aberystwyth. It runs some services in the town, although most major services are provided by Ceredigion County Council.

Aberystwyth Town Council is the community council for Aberystwyth, including the Bronglais Ward, Central Ward, North Ward, Penparcau Ward and Rheidol Ward. It has the status of a town and its chair is known as the Mayor of Aberystwyth.

Aberystwyth Town Council has retained the charter of the Borough Council that it was first given by King Edward I of England in 1277. The borough council was abolished in 1974, which was when towns that had borough charters were given town councils.

No.

However, the Mayor receives £1500 per annum to carry out mayoral duties, from which any charitable donations are given. The chairs of five major committees receive £500 for performing these senior roles, though none of them may receive two payments if they chair more than one committee.

There are expenses for travel, but these are typically small sums and for very few trips, for example for the Mayor to travel on town twinning trips to represent Aberystwyth. Petrol money or train fares are paid for meetings outside town, but these are very few, e.g. rail user groups. The costs can be examined in the Town Council office.

Costs of £150 per annum for office costs are payable to councillors by law but some refuse them: their purpose is to make sure that anybody can be a town councillor without being out of pocket.

Other than the above payments, town councillors work for the town on an entirely volunteer basis after they are elected by the residents of the town every five years.

Ceredigion County council is the principal council for the whole of Ceredigion, including Aberystwyth. For example, it runs schools, collects rubbish, delivers social care, runs car parks and employs traffic wardens, makes planning decisions and so on. It owns the promenade and castle, as well as lots of other things in the town and the rest of the county.

In that sense, no, Aberystwyth Town Council does not do those things. But it is an elected council on a much smaller scale than Ceredigion.

It’s important not to mix these up when talking about “the Council”. They are very different. That is why we want to help people by trying to explain what Aberystwyth Town Council is and what it does.

A small group of Aberystwyth town councillors. See the About page for more information about who we are and why we write this web site.

Editor
Councillor Talat Chaudhri (Plaid Cymru), Bronglais Ward

Editorial Group
Councillor Nishant Chandolia (Plaid Cymru), Central Ward
Councillor Jeff Smith (Plaid Cymru), North Ward
Councillor Julien Brun (Plaid Cymru), Penparcau Ward